The Fashion MA and Textiles MA at the Royal College of Art (RCA) are two very popular programmes students choose to study, offering distinct but equally critical approaches to creative practice and research. They are grounded in collaboration and interdisciplinary work, supporting the development of a unique creative identity through critical engagement with the discipline and a commitment to responsibility and ethical values.
At the RCA, the world’s number one art and design university*, the Fashion MA calls for a disruptive approach that leads to new aesthetics and responses in the fashion industry, encouraging reflection on authentic identity and embedded values. It is conceived as both physical and digital, designed, articulated, manipulated and simulated, and shaped by diversity, inclusivity and cultural awareness. It aims for a state of change, where you are open to new and emerging thinking and to unlearning through units such as Change Agent, Change Perspective, the Grand Challenge and Advanced Practice.
Textiles MA operates through the lens of thinking-through-making. The programme focuses on materials, making and meaning, where practice-led research is grounded in through experimentation with materials and processes. It brings together a community of commercial designers, craft practitioners, gallery-based makers and smart textiles innovators, focusing on radical experimentation, exploration and transformation. Through a non-linear conceptual approach that values accidental and incidental discovery, students undertake units including Textile Alchemy, Textile Make, The Grand Challenge and your Independent Research Project.
Students benefit from working with expert technicians and have access to specialist fashion and textiles facilities. Both programmes are supported by advanced digital and traditional technologies, as well as dedicated spaces designed for making and experimentation.
Applying for September 2026 intake
Applications are now open, with a final deadline of Wednesday June 3, 2026. If you are interested in joining the RCA in September 2026, you can apply here.
Graduate Diploma pre-Master’s
Alongside Master’s programmes, the RCA also offers a Graduate Diploma (Fashion and Textiles specialism) for students seeking to transition into fashion or textiles, or who wish to develop and strengthen their academic and practical expertise before progressing to Master’s level study.
Online events
RCA presents a series of online open days and online portfolio Q&A events in May 2026. Aspiring master’s students in arts & humanities, design, communication and architecture are invited.
Online open days May 5–8. / Online portfolio Q&As May 26–29.
Join these online events to better understand our programmes, what makes a standout application, portfolio and video submission.
*QS World University subject rankings (2015–26)
