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De Montfort University

UCAS Code: W235 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements

112 UCAS points from at least two A-levels or equivalent OR Pass Foundation in Art and Design

Access to HE Diploma

M:30

Pass QAA Access to Higher Education course with at least 30 level 3 credits at Merit. We will normally require students have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

112

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About this course

This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2026

Other options

4 years | Sandwich | 2026

Subjects

Fashion

Fashion design

At the cutting edge of the sector for 75 years, Contour Fashion at DMU is a unique course with unparalleled connections, producing industry-ready graduates who are handpicked to work with some of the best fashion houses in the world.

On this course you can specialise in lingerie, athleisure, swimwear, loungewear, nightwear, corsetry, bridalwear, men’s underwear, sportswear or medical applications. Building your understanding in a step-by-step approach from the ground up, you will develop specialist technical skills in 2-3D creative development, digital drawing, pattern cutting, grading, fit methodologies and manufacturing.

Innovation and sustainability are embedded throughout the course, alongside live client projects and opportunities to receive industry feedback on your work. Experienced tutors bring their industry expertise into your teaching and our state-of-the-art facilities for intimate apparel construction will push you to reach your full creative potential.

Modules

**First year**

Block 1: Contour Introduction
Block 2: Contour Creative
Block 3: Contour Consolidation
Block 4: Contour Collaborations

**Second year**

Block 1: Technical Inquiry
Block 2: Contour Futures
Block 3: Contour Exploration and Communication
Block 4: Consolidation project

**Third year**

Block 1: Creative Practice
Block 2: External Client
Block 3 and Block 4: Major project with cultural context

Assessment methods

**Structure**
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical studio sessions, tutorials, workshops and self-directed study. Your personal tutor will support you throughout your learning journey and will encourage you to reach your full potential.

External client projects are embedded in each year and you will receive invaluable feedback by showcasing your work to a panel of industry experts. You will be taught by highly experienced staff who have all worked in industry and are undertaking cutting-edge research that feeds into the global intimate apparel sector. This is complemented by guest lectures and workshops from our industry partners.

You are encouraged to enter prestigious design competitions in which we have a proud history of success, including The Leathersellers Award, Fashanne Awards and The Hand & Lock Prize.

**Contact hours**
In your first year you will normally attend around 14 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,535
per year
England
£9,535
per year
EU
£16,250
per year
International
£16,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,535
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,535
per year
Scotland
£9,535
per year
Wales
£9,535
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Leicester Campus

Department:

Arts, Design and Humanities

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

92%
Fashion
92%
Fashion design

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

Teaching and learning

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
83%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
86%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
85%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

71%
UK students
29%
International students
12%
Male students
88%
Female students
59%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
D
B

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£24,000
med
Average annual salary
91%
high
Employed or in further education
61%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

44%
Design occupations
17%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Design studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£22k

£22k

£24k

£24k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here