BA(Hons) Fashion Communication (with Foundation Year)
This course is open for applications
Introduction
BA(Hons) Fashion Communication was developed with industry experts and keeps evolving alongside industry, so it stays both relevant and future proofed. This interdisciplinary, practice-led course enables you to explore how the fashion industry communicates through diverse, creative media.
Why study fashion communication?
The fashion industry supports 1.3 million jobs in the UK alone. Fashion Communication plays its part via the ideation and creation of a diverse range of print, digital and physical media through which global fashion brands engage and inspire new and existing audiences.
The industry seeks fresh approaches to key challenges around ethical and regenerative transformation, developing a more diverse and inclusive practice and adapting to AI (Artificial Intelligence) and immersive technology.
The industry is looking for emerging talent with a solid understanding of contemporary culture and fashion, and experience in creative problem-solving skills, researching brands, trends, consumer behaviour, formulating strategies, designing communication plans for innovative storytelling and engaging content.
Why UWE Bristol?
BA(Hons) Fashion Communication is a creative interdisciplinary course based at Arnolfini, one of Europe's leading centres for the contemporary arts. This ambitious, future-focused course will empower you to explore how fashion can be communicated creatively and support you to discover your unique creative voice and visual identity.
Our expert teaching team has strong relationships with the fashion industry, so youll benefit from regular input from practising professionals. Our close links to industry keeps our curriculum current and relevant.
On the course, youll study creative direction, image making and styling, branding, marketing and communications.
As a member of Graduate Fashion Week, the course has produced previous award winners and also offers you opportunities to showcase your work internationally.
Where can it take me?
As a Fashion Communication graduate, youll be equipped with the hands-on skills and real-world experience you need to kick start your professional career in industry.
Previous graduates have secured roles as publishers, creative directors, creative producers, art directors, photographer/videographers, set designers, casting directors, model bookers, talent managers, stylists, trend forecasters, fashion editors, content producers, social media /influencer marketing managers, PR executives, buyers, showroom managers, and visual merchandisers.
Our alumni have worked with brands, agencies, and as freelance creatives with companies such as Ace & Tate, Burberry, DAZED, JW Anderson, Loewe, ModusBPCM, Mytheresa, Purple Mountain Observatory, Ralph Lauren, The Stylist Group and YOOX Net-A-Porter.
Many of our alumni have also chosen to pursue postgraduate study.
Explore our Fashion Communication students work in our Showcase 2024.
Watch: Welcome to the School of Arts at UWE Bristol
Structure
Content
Throughout your studies, you'll have the chance to specialise in diverse areas of fashion communication, including creative direction, image making, styling, branding and marketing.
Year zero (foundation year)
You'll study:
- Academic Skills
- Developmental Projects: Building a Creative Identity
- Foundation Project
- Observation and Making.
You normally need to pass your foundation year before going into year one.
Throughout your studies, you'll have the chance to specialise in diverse areas of fashion communication, including creative direction, image making, styling, branding and marketing.
Year one
Introduces you to a wide range of technical skills and thinking processes that will enable you to start exploring the subject creatively. Through a series of projects, you'll engage with subject debates across fashion and the principles of branding, market analysis and communication to test and apply ideas through creative work. you'll be introduced to the full Adobe software package, film, digital and studio photography.
Year two
Builds on the skills developed in year one through a series of projects including live industry briefs which encourage experimentation and engagement with professional protocols. You'll identify your individual creative interests and your work might include digital marketing strategies, branding, future trends, fashion film and the role of technology in the production and consumption of fashion.
Final year
You'll apply your creative, technical and professional skills in the design and innovative delivery of an ambitious self-initiated brief. You'll showcase creative thinking and understanding of contemporary fashion contexts through multi-platform outcomes and your work will be guided by professional practice support.
This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.
Learning and Teaching
Develop your professional and creative strengths through practice-led teaching and fast-paced experimental projects. Learn through a mix of taught, independent and collaborative learning, which will expand your understanding of industry roles and workflow process. Lectures, seminars, tutorials, technical, academic and employability workshops, presentations, critiques, and external visits will develop your creative, technical, and critical thinking skills.
Our strong industry links will offer you a range of professional opportunities, such as attending talks from guest speakers. Previous speakers have included representatives from Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Gut Magazine, Twin Magazine, Institiute of Digital Fashion, Warner Music, CRACK Magazine, Fred Perry and LN-CC.
Highlight your work to talent scouts and potential employers at the Degree Show and via Showcase.
We also take part in national and international exhibitions, such as Graduate Fashion Week.
See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Study time
In a typical week in your first year, you could expect to be timetabled with academic staff for an average of 12 hours, with the expectation that you'll also work on practice and assessment tasks through independent self-study for an additional 12 -18 hours.
Assessment
There are no formal exams in this programme. Instead, we use a variety of assessments that will enable you to show how you are developing as a creative, professional practitioner as well as a reflective and critical thinker. These may include the creative practice work you make, either individually or in groups, as well as presentations, reports, and written or film essays. These assessments take place at key points in the module. In addition, formative assessment is offered throughout the module to enable you to track your progress and help you develop assessment tasks.
Learn more about assessments.
Features
Placements
Students who undertake work experience tend to graduate with better degrees. Work experience hones your skills, industry knowledge and professional network, making you a sought-after graduate.
The role of practical experience in the success of our graduates is unquestionable. Past students have worked with iconic brands such as: Gucci, Italian Vogue, London/Paris Fashion Week, Toni & Guy, Moschino, Burberry and Getty Images.
You'll also study professional practice and work experience modules, tailored to your career ambitions.
Get help to find your placement and support throughout from College staff and our award-winning careers service.
Study exchange
Grow your personal and professional network, and develop specialist subject knowledge by spending a semester at one of our fantastic partner universities abroad. Explore our study abroad pages to find out more.
Increase your confidence and intercultural communication skills and boost your employability.
Fieldwork
Go behind the scenes of the fashion industry at trips to agencies, factories and events. We also arrange an optional visit to Tokyo, Copenhagen or Stockholm, as well as regular visits to exhibitions in London, where possible.
Study facilities
Fashion Communication is based at Arnolfini contemporary arts centre at City Campus, a creative powerhouse that spans the city of Bristol. Our location connects your teaching and learning with some of the best creative and cultural organisations in Bristol.
Exceptional facilities and resources include industry-standard digital media studios, plus production and fabrication workshops offer a combination of traditional tools and the latest technology.
You'll also study at Bower Ashton, home to the main creative and cultural industries library and support services for students.
Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.
Take a personalised virtual tour of the Fashion facilites and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.
Life
Accommodation
An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.
Bristol
A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.
Sports, societies and activities
There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.
Health and Wellbeing
We provide support in the way you need it.
Campus and facilities
Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.
Careers
Careers / Further study
Throughout your course, you'll shape your studies towards your chosen career path through your modules and assessments. Study and apply branding, market analysis and PR to your creative work and investigate digital marketing strategies, future trends and technology's role in fashion.
Discover approaches towards communicating and promoting fashion and apply new ideas through developing projects, such as online marketing campaigns, promotional films or publications. In your final year, you'll have the chance to demonstrate your creativity and fashion knowledge through an extended independent design project.
Focusing on the avenues that most interest you, you'll graduate with an impressive portfolio of work and skills, ready to take your place in the fashion industry. From the outset, you'll develop strong research skills to help you engage with contemporary and historical debates in fashion communication. Working with practitioners on live projects provides a unique opportunity for you to gain enterprise skills too.
You'll also hone your soft skills, such as interpersonal skills, teamwork, organisational skills and student conduct. We'll encourage you to use these skills to share your work online and offline throughout the course. See some of our students' exhibits on Instagram.
As a fashion communication graduate, you could go into a variety of professions across the fashion industry. These include art direction, fashion film, social media, advertising, marketing, copywriting, photography, event management, styling, social media, branding and more.
Past graduates have gone on to work in various positions at companies such as: Burberry, Gucci, Levi's, Garage Magazine, Getty Images, Stella McCartney, Disney, adidas, Vice, Oxfam, ASOS, Nike, Monsoon, Accessorize, LUSH Cosmetics, COS, Pandora Jewellery, Universal Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Ted Baker, Urban Outfitters and Superdry.
Get inspired
Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.
We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.
Visit our employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.
Fees*
Full time course
Indicative Additional Costs
Supplementary fee information
*The UK Government recently proposed that tuition fees for Home students will increase by 3.1% to £9,535 from 1st August 2025. This increase is subject to Parliamentary approval and the vote is expected to take place later this year.
Any tuition fee which is impacted by this change will be updated following approval.
Please see GOV.UK for further information.
Additional costs are for items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing.
Entry
Typical offers
- Tariff points: 72
- Contextual tariff: See our contextual offers page.
- GCSE: Grade C/4 in English, or equivalent.
- English Language Requirement:
International and EU applicants are requirement to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 5.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Please visit our English language requirements page.
- A-level subjects: No specific subjects required.
- Relevant subjects: Photography; Graphic Design; Media Studies; Film Studies.
- EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: No specific subjects required. For information on required Guided Learning Hours please see our minimum entry requirements page.
- Access: No specific subjects required.
- Baccalaureate IB: No specific subjects required.
- Irish Highers: No specific subjects required.
- Welsh Baccalaureate: We accept tariff points achieved from the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales in conjunction with other Level 3 qualifications.
- Cambridge Technical: No specific subjects required.
- T Levels: No specific subjects required.
Selection process
Applicants may be required to submit a digital portfolio for review within three weeks of their application being received. For more details on the process, please visit our selection page.
Entry requirements
If you exceed the entry requirements you may be eligible for BA(Hons) Fashion Communication.
International applicants
For country specific entry requirements please find your country on the country information pages.
Read more about entry requirements.
How to apply
Read more about undergraduate applications.
Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.
For further information
- Email:
UK applicants
Admissions@uwe.ac.ukInternational/EU applicants
International@uwe.ac.uk - Telephone:
UK applicants
+44 (0)117 32 83333International/EU applicants
+44 (0)117 32 86644