Sportswear Design - MSc *
Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.
Sportswear incorporates apparel worn for a vast range of activities, from traditional team sports and athletics through to outdoor pursuits and watersports. Designing sportswear is about much more than just aesthetics....
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time
- Award MSc
- Start date September 2025
- Subjects
- Location City Centre
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
Sportswear incorporates apparel worn for a vast range of activities, from traditional team sports and athletics through to outdoor pursuits and watersports.
Designing sportswear is about much more than just aesthetics. Specialist sports apparel is technically engineered to ensure fitness for purpose and to optimise the wearer’s performance, whether they are climbing a mountain, sailing a dinghy across a lake, or running a 100-meter sprint.
The MSc Sportswear Design course at BCU combines creativity with science to equip designers with a combination of technical design skills and sports science knowledge.
Whilst exploring the sportswear sector, you will consider practical, social, environmental, and economic factors, identify issues, and respond to opportunities for new products. You will learn to engineer innovative functional garments that meet the specific needs you have identified, incorporating ethical and sustainable practices, and pushing the boundaries of the growing sportswear apparel market.
With support from leading sportswear brands and industry professionals, you will develop your technical design process from concept exploration through to final product, gaining an understanding of performance fabrics, construction techniques and sports appropriate features and fit.
With access to lab testing facilities and the Alexander Stadium, experimenting with prototypes will become embedded in your practice; you will analyse data and evaluate features and fit against the functional criteria of specific sports, enabling you to create professionally researched and considered garments that are fit for purpose.
You will further enhance your knowledge of performance sportswear design and manufacturing by working with our industry partners. You will develop professional presentation and communication skills to support your future employability and field trips, and associations with local sports fraternities, live industry briefs and work placements will all boost your industry network.
This is a unique course that is perfectly placed in Birmingham with its sports heritage and community.
What's covered in this course?
The initial stages of the course will include lectures, seminars and workshops covering important academic research skills, as well as methods for concept exploration and idea development.
You will learn to translate sports specific user needs into functional products that are also aesthetically pleasing. Seminars and talks from visiting tutors and industry professionals will provide access to specialist knowledge around performance fabrics, industry standards and the test methods used to assess and evaluate fabrics and garments.
In semester two you will take your learning to a deeper level and refine your personal practice. In a live industry brief, you will be enterprising and innovative within a commercial project's parameters. This involves developing your critical thinking and analysis skills and fine tuning your concept exploration, design prototyping, testing and evaluation process.
Workshops on design thinking and circular design will increase the sustainable principles of your practice. Talks from and discussions with industry professionals will build confidence and enhance your specialist knowledge and skills.
The opportunity to take a work placement will strengthen your network connections and give you first-hand experience of the sportswear industry, strengthening your future employability.
In your final semester you will implement all you have learned and demonstrate your creative and technical proficiency with an entrepreneurial, self-directed project.
You will apply your skills in critical research, concept development, prototyping, testing and evaluation to arrive at a final product or products. You will have the opportunity to present and celebrate your work in an end-of-year showcase. This major project can be the basis for a business opportunity and will position you well on your path towards a career as a sportswear design professional.
Why Choose Us?
- You will have access to leading sports facilities and testing spaces – with the Faculty of Health environmental chamber at the Alexander Stadium where any conditions can be replicated to test garments.
- Based at the Parkside building, a short walk from the city centre, you will have access to a range of industry standard make spaces, from fashion workshops with pattern cutting tables, sewing machines and overlockers, to silk screen and digital print, constructed weave and knit and embroidery facilities.
- You have access to fashion technologies including Gerber suite for pattern print and grading and new Clo 3d digital fashion software.
- You can explore and get involved in the growth garden for natural dyes and take part in an additional workshop on dye processes and planting.
- You will be part of a student community and you will be supported by our highly experienced staff, some of whom are working as practitioners in the sportswear design industry.
OPEN DAY
Join us for a virtual Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail. Booking isn't open yet for this event, register your interest and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.
Next Event: 3 - 7 February 2025
Entry Requirements
Essential requirements
Essential Requirements
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Grade 2.2 or above in a fashion design related BA course |
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Applicants will also need to submit a good portfolio. |
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Portfolio guidance
The content of your digital portfolio and the skills it demonstrates should be the same as if you were creating a physical portfolio. The only difference is that you will need to submit your portfolio through your applicant portal rather than physically bring it in for us to see.
We recommend that you start by watching our video guidance on creating a digital portfolio, and then take a look at the course-specific guidance below.
This course is ideally suited for students who have previously or who are currently studying A-level Art subjects (Fine Art, Art and Design, Textiles, Photography, Media, etc.), students from BTEC Art and Design or Foundation Art and Design Diploma courses or for those who have developed an interest in art practice via an alternative route.
Alongside examples of completed works, we are also interested in quick experiments, sketches, ideas, notes and photographs that have been influenced by your environment, experiences, exhibitions you have seen, books you have read or research you have done to indicate ideas you have for work which you might not yet have had the resources to make.
We welcome applicants of all ages and from all backgrounds. Your application will be primarily assessed through your portfolio so even if you do not meet our typical offer criteria it can still be worth applying.
You have the option to attend an in person portfolio review or to submit your portfolio digitally for an online portfolio review.
What we would like to see in your portfolio
- Making and thinking skills
- The development of ideas
- Willingness to experiment using a range of media, materials and processes
- Creativity and visual curiosity
- Self-motivation, individuality and a sense of your interests, passion and personality
Format
- Please submit your work as one PDF, PowerPoint or Word Document.
- Aim to include approximately 10 pieces of work.
- Your digital portfolio should be no more than 10MB. Please compress your file if it exceeds the limit.
- Add any links to video and moving image work to your PDF, PowerPoint or Word Document. (Please check that these links work before you submit your portfolio and that they can be easily accessed. We will not be able to view links that require a password).
Tips for your portfolio: Content
- A range of work which can be experiments, research or work in progress (unfinished pieces). Examples of the type of work that you can include are drawings, prints, photographs, animations, films, digital artwork and textiles, and photographs.
- We are interested in your processes; the way you develop your ideas and approaches to making. As such we are keen to see tests and some sketchbook works.
- You can include work you have made at University and/or work you have made independently or outside of an educational curriculum.
- Include your most recent work and present it in a coherent order.
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Course in Depth
Modules
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 180 credits):
This module focuses on developing your practice of idea exploration and development. You will experiment with different methods to express ideas, explore creative design options, evaluate and develop concepts resulting in several potential design solutions. Through the creation of an explorative and reflective portfolio you will refine your own creative process and individual style for showing ideas.
This module introduces the main trends, challenges and innovations facing the global sports apparel and textiles industry.
You will have the opportunity to explore key issues and innovations, familiarise yourself with industry testing and performance standards and develop practical and creative solutions suitable to your chosen direction. You will explore the ideas in more detail through research and debate in your course specific seminar sessions. Your proposals will be shared with industry.
This module is focussed on a brief set in a real-world industry context. Working independently, you will respond to specific parameters around the sports activity and product user.
Working to your critical path you will conduct research, clarify your target audience, and identify any gaps and opportunities within the specified market. With consideration of the user’s needs, performance and of the environmental conditions you will design and prototype solutions and test and evaluate these to inform your project development. Further industry insights will enhance your work through lectures, seminars, and workshops.
The module concludes with a professional presentation to share and reflect on your research, concept development, analysed data and final product.
TBC
TBC
Learning and teaching will be delivered in a studio and workshop environment, including a range of lectures and seminars and practical workshops. You will also build on the information delivered though further independent practice-based research and study.
The course is industry focused. Whether working with industry partners or independently, you will be directed to develop your practice by addressing real world issues. You will respond to current social, economic and environmental factors, all in relation to the challenges and opportunities of the sportswear sector.
Collaboration with the HELS (Health, Education and Life Sciences) faculty will address the relationship of Science, Technology, Art and Maths within your practice. Workshops with athletes and sports practitioners will give essential insights into user needs and contribute to product feedback and prototype evaluation. Field trips and visits to exhibitions, markets, industry events and professional sport establishments will provide varied sources of influence and inspiration for your work.
Sustainable design practices and principles are embedded throughout all modules, and you will consider the impact and implications of your work at all stages of the product development process. This will include identification and selection of environmentally preferable materials, ensuring a product's fitness for purpose, considering physical and emotional durability as well as the exploration of end-of-life solutions. You will address all these things through concept development, design, and prototyping.
Assessment methods
Your programme will include a mixture of practical projects and written work. You will develop a portfolio of work that showcases your abilities and ideas and is executed and managed in a professional manner.
At each stage you will also write reports that encourage you to develop a critical and contextual framework within which to understand your practice and future career choices.
You are assessed using a mixture of tutorial reviews, project work submissions and oral exams.
Employability
Enhancing employability skills
You will learn a range of skills which will be key to enhancing your future employability:
- Develop your own practice and how to analyse this in relation to future employment options.
- Identify the relationship of theory to practice and how this can be used to develop your own individual identity.
- Work independently and collaboratively.
- Be a self-motivated, organised, effective learner.
Industry Links
The course has been developed in collaboration with The Pentland Group that supports brands such as:
- Berghaus
- Canterbury
- Endura
- Speedo
- Gil Marine
- Freetrain
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Details of the entry requirements for our courses
- Some of the good reasons why you should study here
- How to improve your language skills before starting your studies
- Information relevant to applicants from your country
- Where to find financial support for your studies.
Facilities & Staff
Based at Parkside Building, a short walk from the city centre, you will have access to a range of industry standard make spaces, from fashion workshops with pattern cutting tables, sewing machines, and overlockers, to silkscreen and digital print, constructed weave and knit, and embroidery facilities.
- You have access to fashion technologies including Gerber suite for pattern print and grading and new Clo 3d digital fashion software
- You can explore and get involved in the growth garden for natural dyes and take part in an additional workshop on dye processes and planting
- You will have access to leading sports facilities and testing spaces – in collaboration with the Faculty of Health, use of the Environmental chamber at the Alexander Stadium where any weather conditions can be replicated to test garments
Our staff
Elizabeth Burton
Fashion Design Lecturer
Elizabeth graduated with a First Class BA Honours degree from De Montfort University in Fashion and Contour Design. Her final major project focused on combining sportswear and swimwear in a collection of garments aimed at a girl travelling all over the world on her “Sabbatical.”
More about Elizabeth