Fashion Design – Bachelor of Design with Honours

Overview
Planning information
Courses
Entry requirements
Fees & scholarships
Careers & jobs
International students

Where you can study: Wellington campus
International students International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents. Definition of New Zealand citizens and residents: Open to international students on campus in New Zealand
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Specialise in Fashion Design for your Bachelor of Design with Honours at Massey

Explore and develop fashion design concepts, garments, accessories or systems that respond to the times. Consider the global impact of the multi-billion dollar fashion industry and explore how fashion can have a more sustainable future.

You’ll learn skills in idea generation, fashion communication, patternmaking, construction, materials, historail and contemporary fashion analysis, and critical thinking.

Degree-level study of fashion design teaches innovative and creative design of apparel, skills in producing patterns and prototype garments, knowledge of textile materials, market and trend analysis. This qualification will help you develop the ability to position fashion products in the marketplace.

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Further study

Further your design research and practice with a Master of Design or Master of Fine Arts at Massey, or go on to create new knowledge with a PhD.

A Bachelor of Design with Honours in Fashion Design is a good fit if you:

love to make and get hands-on in the studio
want to think critically about the fashion industry and its effects on the world
dream of seeing your work on the runway.

Planning information

If you study full-time, in your first year, you’ll take eight 15-credit courses, making a total of 120 credits.

If you wish to study over two semesters, you should aim for 60 credits per semester. You may be able to take some courses at summer school. Make sure you include courses that are prerequisites for the next level of courses you wish to study.

About this major

The Fashion Design major in the Bachelor of Design with Honours consists of 165 credits.

Minors

Completing a minor is optional and may be a way for you to show the breadth of your degree.

A minor must be in a different subject from your major and be made up of at least 60 credits.

If you’re interested in doing a minor you should contact us using the Get advice button on this page. Our student advice team will be able to talk you through your options and help you plan your degree.

Official regulations

To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.

You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate Certificates.

Returning students

For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.

In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.

Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.

Courses you can enrol in

Course planning key

Prerequisites: Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
Corequisites: Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
Restrictions: Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.

Core courses for the Bachelor of Design with Honours

As well as the specialisation courses listed below, this qualification has core courses that you will need to complete.

Bachelor of Design with Honours core courses

Fashion Design courses

Part One

Choose at least 15 credits from

212157 Fashion Design 1.1: Fashioning the Body 15

This course introduces students to the clothing design process, exploring various technical and conceptual skills to inform and support the creative process. Students will explore the relationship between the body and cloth, and the role that clothing plays in constructing identity.

Restrictions: 197135

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212158 Fashion Design 1.2: Introduction to Fashion Practice 15

This course provides students with introductory patternmaking and garment construction skills, to gain understanding of the garment development process for realising design ideas.

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Part Two

212263 Fashion Design 2.3: Inclusive Fashion 15

Develop your fashion design understanding of stretch knit fabrics through critical analysis, design principles and problem solving while learning fashion industry methods and processes of drawing, pattern making and construction. You will apply individual and collaborative practice for an inclusive design project leading to garment realisation.

Prerequisites: 212157 or 212158 Restrictions: 212257

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212264 Fashion Design 2.4: Digital Creation and Application in Fashion 15

Explore the intersection of digital technology and traditional fashion through innovative processes that enhance research and production while extending to essential manual techniques, including garment sizing and grading for industry-standard sizing. You will learn digital skills in apparel software for design explorations, pattern making, and sampling and garment development

Prerequisites: 212157 or 212158 Restrictions: 212257

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212265 Fashion Design 2.1: Reimagined Fashion 15

Develop your critical inquiry and fashion design and technical skills through examination of historical and contemporary topics. You will focus on fashion research, idea generation, drawing, pattern making and construction, and applied fashion industry methods for woven fabrics, resulting in garment realisation.

Prerequisites: 212157 or 212158 Restrictions: 212258

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212266 Fashion Design 2.2: Creative Contour and Drape 15

Explore drape and pattern processes for innovative designs through application of woven fabric directly on the 3-dimensional form. Increase your understanding of fabric behaviour and its relationship to the body, fit, and relevant sampling, pattern making and garment construction methods, in an experimental fashion design brief resulting in garment realisation.

Prerequisites: 212157 or 212158 Restrictions: 212258

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Part Three

212358 Fashion Design 3.3: Advanced Fashion Practice 30

Students will establish their critical position as a designer and identify a context that informs the development of their fashion design outcome, using a variety of materials which may include high stretch knit, woven and non-woven fabrics.

Prerequisites: 212367 or 212368 Restrictions: 212310

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212367 Fashion Design 3.1: Industry, Markets and Processes 15

Students will design a collection for a proposed brand and a specified consumer market, building on their fashion industry knowledge and production development skills.

Prerequisites: 212263 Restrictions: 212357

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212368 Fashion Design 3.2: Tailoring Methods 15

Students will build on their structured garment skills through design refinement and tailoring methods to realise tailored garments.

Prerequisites: 212264 Restrictions: 212357

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Part Four

Choose 30 credits from

197753 Design Research Development 30

This course guides students through processes and practices for developing a postgraduate research project in design.

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212453 Fashion Design Research and Development 30

Research methods, practices and processes for fashion design and their application through a research design project.

Prerequisites: B- average over 212358 and 237330; or B- average over 212381and 212310; or PGDipDes admission

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Entry requirements

Admission to Massey

All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.

Massey University entry requirements

Specific requirements

There are no specific entry requirements for this qualification, outside of university admission regulations. Once you have applied and enrolled we encourage you to book a Creative Review to ensure you are on the right track.

English language requirements

To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.

Massey University English language requirements

English language skills

If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.

Fees and scholarships

2026 tuition fees

Domestic students: $8,420
International students: $42,110

Tuition fees are estimates only. The exact fees charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment. The estimates are for full-time study (120 credits). Fees are in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The estimates do not include the Student Services Fee. This fee is $1,164 for on-campus students and $948 for distance students for full-time study (120 credits). For more information about this fee and other fees you may need to pay, see non-tuition fees.

There may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.

Course fees

You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.

Course search

Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme

You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.

The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme, including how much could be covered and your eligibility on the Inland Revenue website.

Scholarship and award opportunities

Creative Kickstarter Scholarship

Find more scholarships and awards

Fees disclaimer

This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.

Careers and job opportunities

Massey's fashion design major has been the starting point for many successful fashion designers who now own or work in multi-million dollar fashion businesses. Studying design with an emphasis on fashion prepares you for a broad range of opportunities and roles. You could develop your own label, work in design, production, marketing or merchandising for a fashion house, or other design-related careers, locally and internationally.

Enter fashion design and brand development in diverse areas, including:

high fashion
sports
corporate and other specialised clothing
buying and selling
display
costume for stage and film
production planning
quality assurance
materials sourcing,
specification development roles.

International students

New Zealand is a great place to study. Massey University’s reputation is supported by our international rankings, accreditations and associations. We are rated five star plus by the QS World University Rankings.

Massey University has small class sizes, and our lecturers and staff are friendly and approachable.

As an international student, there are entry requirements that will apply to you. We recommend that you apply at least three months before your anticipated start date so your application can be processed in time. There are additional steps you will need to take. These include obtaining a visa and travel bookings if your study is to be in New Zealand.

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