Course Catalogue

To provide a distinctive, relevant, coherent and intellectually challenging learning experience that produces proactive confident students. To instil students with enthusiasm, imagination and risk taking in a range of practical and theoretical skills exploring traditional and new methodologies. To provide students with a variety of design perspectives to advance individual and innovative responses to visual, practical and conceptual design practice. To equip graduates with the necessary practical skills and breadth of knowledge that are flexible and transferable for successful employment, postgraduate study and life-long learning. To support students' learning through diverse modes of delivery and assessment methods. To enhance and support the student learning experience through staff scholarship and research. To foster links with local, national and international creative industries to underpin and contextualise the students knowledge and personal development planning. To encourage students to engage with the development of employability skills by completing a self-awareness statement.

All studio based modules start with a detailed briefing and might be followed by a workshop, supporting lecture, debate, conversation as well as a module overview including clarifying module learning outcomes and a review of the grade descriptors.  Studio practice will follow and will include workshops, demonstrations, professional presentations, one to one tutorials, seminar workshops or group critiques.  Research and translation skills are embedded into contextual and studio based modules to support student-led investigation into a variety of historical, cultural, and critical contexts within art and design.  Contextual studies modules work alongside and in conjunction with studio practice modules to allow students to form synergies between topics and core modules.  Personal Development Planning (PDP) is embedded into one module for each year group and is designed to build on research and engagement with the creative industries to support individual preparation for professional practice.  Technology and skills are intrinsically linked and embedded in key core modules to expose students to innovation in technology as well as building on traditional well-established, art-based skill sets.  Professional practice skills will be delivered for subject specific pathways covering a broad range of CAD and practical workshops to support creative practice and visual outputs.  Transferable and key skills are embedded throughout modules through presentations, reflective journals and via live projects and competitions.  Contextual studies: Knowledge and understanding is assessed through a variety of briefs from report writing and essays to research project.  Portfolio: Outputs for portfolio work form end of year submission of completed practical projects and specifically respond to professional and industry practice.  Portfolios can also include work related PDP content and work related learning and critical industry investigation.  Formative and Summative assessment points will be embedded through each module with opportunities for weekly discussion through one to one tutorials, small group seminars and group critiques.  All students will be assigned a personal tutor who will be responsible for having an overview of their academic development as well as supporting with career advice and professional guidance.

Students have the opportunity to engage in live briefs with fashion and associated industries throughout their years of study.  Students can also undertake short 2-3 day placements / experience with business and companies in the North West and beyond for professional experience building.  Students may also opt for 2-3 week placements during term time and this needs to be negotiated with staff to ensure that study is not affected during periods of absence.  For the majority of the students work related learning is encouraged to be undertaken during the summer break period in-between years of study 4-5, 5-6.  Work related learning includes internships and placements in the UK and abroad with fashion and fashion related companies.  The Fashion Programme is designed to embed professional practice and industry technologies into the curriculum allowing students to develop their own personal direction and career agendas, synthesising contextual studies, technical application, and design theory.  Students have the opportunity to engage in live briefs with fashion and associated industries throughout their study.