Bachelor of Fashion Design

The Bachelor of Fashion Design at TAFE NSW Higher Education is a three-year degree for people who want to design and make clothing, not just sketch it. You learn patternmaking, garment construction, textile knowledge, fashion illustration and digital design tools, and you build a portfolio across the degree. Studios and workshops are central, you cut, sew, drape and fit, then photograph and present the results. Assessment is mostly project-based, so your marks come from finished garments, collections and design files rather than exams alone.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees run three years full time and sit at level 7 of the Australian Qualifications Framework. TAFE NSW Higher Education delivers the degree in trimesters or semesters, depending on the campus, and you enrol in units of study that each carry credit points. You need to pass the required units and accumulate the set number of credit points to graduate. The later stages usually include a major design project or collection where you take an idea from research through to a finished range, often shown to industry guests. Some units include work-integrated learning, such as an industry placement or a live brief with a fashion label, manufacturer or retailer.

What you actually study

Core areas include patternmaking and garment construction, textiles and materials, fashion illustration and technical drawing, CAD for fashion, design history and theory, and production and sustainability issues in the apparel industry. You also learn how a collection is costed, sampled and produced, and how to present your work to buyers and clients. By third year you are working more independently, developing a body of work that shows your point of view as a designer.

Who it suits

This degree suits school leavers and career changers who want a hands-on design education with a strong making component. It also suits people already working in fashion, textiles or retail who want a formal qualification. International students should check the English requirement for their intake, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TAFE NSW's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa. A Student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight while you study, and graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 084563C. Confirm current entry requirements, campus options and fees on the official page before applying.

• Fashion designer, working for labels, manufacturers or your own studio, designing ranges and preparing samples.
• Patternmaker, turning designs into production-ready patterns for clothing manufacturers and fashion houses.
• Garment technician, checking fit, sizing and construction quality before a style goes into production.
• Textile or print designer, developing fabrics, prints and surface designs for fashion and homewares.
• Product developer, managing sampling, costing and supplier communication for a fashion brand.
• Fashion illustrator or CAD designer, producing technical drawings and digital design work for labels and agencies.
• Costume designer or maker, designing and constructing costumes for film, television, theatre and performance.
• Retail buying or visual merchandising, selecting ranges and presenting product for retailers.

Australian employers in these roles include fashion labels, clothing manufacturers, textile companies, costume departments, retailers and design consultancies, with many jobs based in Sydney, Melbourne and other major cities.