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Postgraduate

MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming

MA Fashion Curation final project, Xinyi Li 2018-19
MA Fashion Curation final project, Xinyi Li 2018-19
College
London College of Fashion Start date
September 2025 Course length
12 months

Explore theoretical and practical aspects of curating contemporary fashion and historical dress, enjoying unique access to the archives at LCF and UAL.

Course summary

Applications closed 2025/26

We are no longer accepting applications for 2025/26 entry to this course. Applications for 2026/27 entry will open in autumn 2025.

Applying for more than 1 course

From October 2024, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 postgraduate courses each year at UAL (excluding online or low-residency courses and Graduate Diplomas). Find out more in the Apply Now section.

Why choose this course at London College of Fashion

  • Activist approach: Embrace the role of 'curator' as an activist - committed to co-curating with communities and moving beyond traditional galleries and museums to activate sites in the public realm.
  • Practice meets theory: Investigate both the practices and the theories of fashion curation and cultural programming, whilst you critically engage with historic and contemporary examples and discourse.
  • Facilities and Resources: Access the unique archives at both LCF and the wider UAL and undertake practical workshops to develop skills in object handling, mounting, digital collections and more.
  • Flexible and dynamic: Engage with contemporary topics, discover the potential of digital media like VR and online exhibitions, expand curation into new spaces and tackle the challenge of sustainable and ethical practice.
  • Industry links: Learn through linked institutions such as the V&A, British Film Institute, Rambert Dance Company and Metropolitan Museum of Art, enhancing your studies with valuable experiences of industry.

Open days

Book your place on one of our upcoming events, including online talks and campus tours to get an insight into studying with us.

Scholarships, bursaries and awards

Use our scholarship search to discover if you are eligible for any scholarships, bursaries or awards.

Course overview

MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming engages with the study of international fashion exhibition-making and related museological practices, ranging from the detailed investigation of objects to the processes and techniques of their display and dissemination through cultural and commercial interventions. 

The course centres on investigation into the practices and theories of fashion curation and cultural programming, through critical engagement with historic and contemporary examples and discourse, to reveal the diverse contexts driving the evolution of fashion museology.

To complement enquiry into fashion exhibition-making and cultural programming, you’ll examine the cultural value and interpretation of objects, fashion, textiles, and the body, through processes of research, archival discovery, practices of collecting and the classification of collections.

Fusing curatorial activities of collecting and exhibition design with cultural programming, the course promotes the concept of curation as a form of ‘storytelling’ in its broadest sense. You are encouraged to explore and value your positionality and to embrace the role of ‘curator’ or ‘cultural programmer’ as an activist - committed to co-curating with communities and moving beyond the walls of the gallery or museum to activate sites in the public realm.  

Teaching, and related assessments throughout the course, will support and encourage you to develop your own curatorial practice within this dynamic discipline.  

What to expect 

  • A flexible, dynamic curriculum: Engage with contemporary topics (such as the rise of brand-driven exhibitions and events, the potential of digital media (AR, VR and online exhibitions and events), the expansion of ‘curation’ into spaces beyond the museum, the politics and power of ‘the curator’ and the challenge of adopting – and sustaining - ethical and sustainable practice). 
  • Expert teaching team: Keep abreast of latest developments in the fast-evolving Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming  discipline through contact with academics and industry professionals active in the field. (These include academics from the Centre for Fashion Curation, independent curators and cultural programmers, private archives and commercial collectors, professionals from National and regional museums and practitioners staging events and interventions in spaces beyond 'the museum’).
  • Practical workshops: Your learning will be complemented by practical workshops in which you will develop the skills required for object handling, mounting dress for display, digital collection and exhibition strategies, event planning and management, and designing text and layouts for displays, exhibitions, and interventions. 
  • Unique learning environment – As the only MA in the world that focuses exclusively on the cultural context and impact of fashion curation and cultural programming, you’ll benefit from the course’s affiliation with the Centre for Fashion Curation (CfFC) and LCF Cultural Programming team. 

Research at MA Level 

Research is core to the curriculum and pedagogical approaches for the course. The development of effective approaches towards research enquiry is central for the emergence of a critically reflective and culturally aware practitioner/learner. An iterative approach highlighting the crucial interrelationship between theory and practice, and the value of interdisciplinary modes of interrogation for the potential generation of new knowledge is prioritised. Throughout the course, an understanding of the processes and methodologies of research will be developed within the discipline and situated within a broader cultural arena.   

The integration of theoretical and/or philosophical frameworks provide ways to look at the world in relationship to project work. A systematic approach to research is supported, including the shaping of ethical and achievable research questions and prototyping (of ideas) that may lead to new insights, connections and understanding. Through the course core research capabilities are developed, tested, and extended to underpin progressive cycles of reflexive practice. The application of research and critical perspectives in both theory and practice using a range of techniques and research methods are evaluated through formative and summative assessment. This helps to identify areas for potential improvement and development appropriate to your professional aspirations and advanced research potential that culminate in the proposition and independent pursuit of the Masters Project.   

Climate, Social and Racial Justice 

We are committed to ensuring that your skills are set within an ethical framework and are working to embed UAL’s Principles for Climate, Social and Racial Justice.

Contact us

Register your interest to receive information and updates about studying at UAL.

Contact us to make an enquiry.

Course units

Elective Units  

Students will have the opportunity to participate in an elective unit as part of this course. This is an opportunity for students to collaborate with students from other courses within the college.

The following is an example list of electives that have been previously delivered:

  • Creative Decision Making for Fashion Enterprise
  • Cultural Programming
  • Fashion Politics and Cultures
  • Fashion Practices for Social Change
  • Fashion Together: Collaboration for Innovation

Please note:

  • Elective unit titles and details of the unit may change year to year
  • Elective units offered may change year to year, that is, unit listed above may or may not be offered in subsequent years
  • Students participate in a bidding process for choosing electives and participation in any particular elective is not guaranteed

Course Structure:  

Block 1: EXPLORE – aims to support students as they transition to postgraduate level study and acquire foundational skills and knowledge through the following units:  

  • Contextualising Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming (40 credits) 

You will be introduced to the context of fashion curation and cultural programming including collecting and object interpretation, exhibition-making, and public-facing events and interventions.  

Develop a foundational knowledge of the field and the skills required to curate fashion collections and archives, exhibitions, events and interventions. 

  • Critical Approaches to Research and Practice (20 credits) 

Developing effective and innovative approaches to research frameworks is crucial for success in your master’s project studies and in your wider career. Interrogate the practical and theoretical methodologies applied in fashion curation and cultural programming, while actively exploring your own approach to research and practice.  

You’ll analyse and synthesise a range of research methodologies, methods, ethical considerations and techniques specific to the field and draw from relevant areas such as anthropology, digital design, literature and performance. 

On successful completion of these units you are eligible for the award of a Post Graduate Certificate (60 credits). 

Block 2: SITUATE – shifts from the orientation and exploration of the formation and growth of fashion curation and cultural programming to a position of affirming your own interests and development of your practice within the context of the wider field, through the following units: 
 

  • Innovation and Speculation in Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming (40 credits) 

Work alongside industry partners on the development and delivery of creative responses to professional briefs within fashion curation and cultural programming roles. You’ll build on your foundational knowledge of fashion curation and cultural programming contexts to identify, develop and apply inclusive, future-facing concepts and practical skills. You’ll be encouraged to experiment with a range of techniques and technologies. 

  • Electives (20 credits) 

On successful completion of these units you are eligible for the award of a Post Graduate Diploma (120 credits). 

Block 3: INTEGRATE - seeks to synthesise the theory and practice acquired throughout Block 1 and 2 culminating in the realisation of your Master’s Project, a demonstrable outcome contributing to your future research and practice beyond the course. 
 

  • Masters Project (60 credits) 

Synthesise the knowledge and skills you have gained on the course with a self-directed project chosen with support from your supervisor. You’ll communicate your work along with your ability to critically interrogate your practice with robust approaches to research and analysis. Upon completion, you will have generated a quality piece of work to shape your future career and professional development. 

You will also be eligible for the award of a Master’s of Art (180 credits). The final award grading is based upon the results of the Master’s Project only. 

Credit Framework 

The University of the Arts London Credit Framework equates 20 credits to 200 hours of learning time. 

Programme specification

Download course specification (PDF File 442.3 KB)

Learning and teaching methods

  • Lectures; 
  • Seminars;  
  • Discussions; 
  • Tutorials; 
  • Workshops;  
  • Demonstrations; 
  • Critiques;  
  • Peer review;
  • Group-led activities.

Content is delivered by the course team which includes members of the Centre for Fashion Curation, and also incorporates sessions by other LCF and UAL staff, high-profile guest speakers, museum and cultural programming professionals and independent practitioners.  

You will engage with high-level independent study over the duration of the course, culminating in self-directed master’s project research support through regular tuition and support from the course team.

Assessment methods

  • Presentations;
  • Written assignments; 
  • 2D and 3D work.

Showcasing at LCF

There are a range of showcasing opportunities students can take part in whilst studying at LCF. End year showcasing at London College of Fashion, UAL, is one of the moments students can celebrate graduating from their courses. However, degree shows are not part of the learning outcomes in a course curriculum and are therefore not guaranteed as part of studying with us. Students must register by a deadline to take part, and we are not able to show all student work so submitting students will have their work curated.

UAL Showcase

Explore work by our recent students on UAL Showcase

  • Memory/Loss: Curating Decay in Garment Collections
    Memory/Loss: Curating Decay in Garment Collections, Emma Wichert, 2025 MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Emma Wichert

  • Ethereal Echos - Beyond the Physical Form
    Ethereal Echos - Beyond the Physical Form, Divya Nayak, 2025 MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Divya Nayak

  • Inner and Outer Form: Wardrobe of Barbara Hepworth
    Inner and Outer Form: Wardrobe of Barbara Hepworth, Lucy Jenner-Brown, 2025 MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Lucy Jenner-Brown

  • Materiality of Lace: Memory, Sentiment, Nostalgia
    Materiality of Lace: Memory, Sentiment, Nostalgia, Georgie Hitchins, 2025 MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Georgie Hitchins

  • Point of No Return
    Point of No Return, Karina Nikolskaia, 2025 MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Karina Nikolskaia

  • Collecting the Collective Mediterranean
    Collecting the Collective Mediterranean, Pauline Smith, 2025 MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming, London College of Fashion, UAL

    Pauline Smith

  • See more work by students on this course on UAL Showcase

About MA Fashion Curation
Alumni discuss the course and a career in fashion curation.

Students discuss, 'Exhibiting Fashion - The Physical and Digital'

Students discuss, 'Navigating Research, Finding and Disseminating Fashion Narratives'

Students discuss, 'Exploring Exhibition Dialogue as a Catalyst for Change'

Student and graduate work

  • C-Reyer.jpg
  • Chenyang-Huang.jpg
  • Chong-Li.jpg

Latest news from this course

Facilities at LCF

Staff

Fees and funding

Home fee

£14,000

This fee is correct for 2025/26 entry and is subject to change for 2026/27 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£29,990

This fee is correct for 2025/26 entry and is subject to change for 2026/27 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Additional costs

You may need to cover additional costs which are not included in your tuition fees, such as materials and equipment specific to your course. For a list of general digital equipment you may need (and how you can borrow equipment), visit our Study costs page.

Accommodation

Find out about accommodation options and how much they will cost, and other living expenses you’ll need to consider.

Scholarships, bursaries and awards

If you’ve completed a qualifying course at UAL, you may be eligible for a tuition fee discount on this course. Find out more about our Progression discount.

You can also find out more about the Postgraduate Masters Loan (Home students only) and scholarships, including £7,000 scholarships for Home and International students. Discover more about student funding.

If you’re based in the UK and plan to visit UAL for an Open Event, check if you’re eligible for our UAL Travel Bursary. This covers the costs of mainland train or airline travel to visit UAL.

How to pay

Find out how you can pay your tuition fees.

Scholarship search

Or view all

Entry requirements

The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:

  • An Honours degree at 2.1 or above in a related discipline. Applicants with a degree in another subject may be considered, depending on the strength of the application;
  • OR Equivalent qualifications;

APEL (Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning)

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

  • Related academic or work experience

The quality of the personal statement
A strong academic or other professional reference
OR a combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

English Language Requirements

IELTS level 7.0 with a minimum of 6.0 in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Please check our main English Language Requirements.

Selection criteria

The course seeks to recruit students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and welcomes applications from mature students. 

The course team seeks to recruit students who can demonstrate: 

  • clear academic interest in the study of fashion curation and cultural programming practices; 
  • appropriate knowledge and skills commensurate with planned entry into the course;
  • developed and mature attitude to independent study.

Information for disabled applicants

UAL is committed to achieving inclusion and equality for disabled students. This includes students who have:

     
  • Dyslexia or another Specific Learning Difference
  • A sensory impairment
  • A physical impairment
  • A long-term health or mental health condition
  • Autism
  • Another long-term condition which has an impact on your day-to-day life

Our Disability Service arranges adjustments and support for disabled applicants and students.

Read our Disability and dyslexia: applying for a course and joining UAL information.

Apply now

Application deadline

Applications are now closed for 2025/26 entry. Applications for 2026/27 entry will open in autumn 2025.

Read more about deadlines

Apply now

Application deadline

Applications are now closed for 2025/26 entry. Applications for 2026/27 entry will open in autumn 2025.

Read more about deadlines

How to apply

Follow this step-by-step guide to apply for this course

Step 1: Initial application

You will need to submit an initial application including your personal statement, CV and written task and a study proposal.

Personal statement advice

Your personal statement should be maximum 500 words and include:

  • your reasons for choosing the course
  • your current creative practice and how this course will help you achieve your future plans
  • any relevant education and experience, especially if you do not have any formal academic qualifications.

Visit our personal statement page for more advice.

CV advice

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If you have any web projects or other media that you would like to share, please include links in your CV. If English is not your first language, please also include your most recent English language test score.

Written task advice

As part of your initial application, please submit a review of a fashion-related exhibition, book, catalogue, podcast or event (750 – 1000 words).

Topics to consider:

  • How the exhibition, book, catalogue, podcast or event relates to other examples which explore comparable ideas, and how it responds to relevant cultural or historical debates?
  • Does it chart new territory or just add to existing knowledge? Consider debates that are under-represented in relevant publications, peer-reviewed books and journals
  • If you’re focusing on an exhibition or an event, consider how the venue impacts the experience? How are any clothes or textiles involved displayed, illustrated and labelled? Are the curator’s or organiser's objectives made explicit? What is the target audience?

Please provide a bibliography of any text references, citations and quotations used. This will not be included in the word count.

We recommend looking at the reviews published in Fashion Theory for guidance on how to structure your review.

Study proposal advice

Please provide a summary of your study proposal (750-1000 words).

It should:

  • outline your idea for a project addressing an aspect of fashion collecting, exhibition-making or events programming which you plan to address in your studies
  • set out your aims and objectives
  • outline any recent developments in the field, demonstrating your knowledge of the fashion, curation and exhibition industries
  • highlight any potential areas or issues that underpin and frame your proposal
  • outline the sequence of practical and theoretical steps that you intend to follow
  • list any potential research sources
  • Include any relevant images or visual evidence to illustrate your proposal
  • include a bibliography and an appendix with any supporting material if necessary. This is not included in the word count. Ensure you follow the Harvard Referencing System.

Please note, your proposal serves to inform your application and we understand that your ideas will develop and change throughout your studies.

Step 2: Video task

We will review your initial application. If you have met the standard entry requirements, we will ask you to submit a video task.

You’ll need to submit these via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool.

Video task advice

We’d like you to submit a 2-3 minute video to help us learn more about you. When recording your task, please face the camera and speak in English.

What to include in your video task

  • Tell us why you have applied to study this course.
  • Explain what you hope to focus on during your masters and how this will help you achieve your future career ambitions.

Read our guidance for how to submit your video task and which file types we accept.

Step 3: Interview

You may be invited to an interview following our review of your application. All interviews are held online and last 15 to 20 minutes.

For top tips, see our Interview advice.

You also need to know

Communicating with you

Once you have submitted your initial application, we will email you with your login details for our Applicant portal.

Requests for supplementary documents like qualifications and English language tests will be made through the applicant portal. You can also use it to ask questions regarding your application. Visit our After you apply page for more information.

Applying to more than 1 course

From October 2024, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 postgraduate courses each year at UAL. This excludes online or low-residency courses and Graduate Diplomas, which you can apply to in addition to 3 other postgraduate courses.

If you apply for more than 3 postgraduate courses between October 2024 and August 2025, we won’t accept the 4th application. It’s not possible to withdraw an application to replace it with another.

You need to tailor your application, supporting documents and portfolio to each course, so applying for many different courses could risk the overall quality of your application. If you receive offers for multiple courses, you'll only be able to accept 1 offer.

Visas and immigration history check

All non-UK nationals must complete an immigration history check. Your application may be considered by our course teams before this check takes place. If your course requires a portfolio and/or video task, we may request these before we identify any issues arising from your immigration history check. Sometimes your history may mean that we are not able to continue considering your application. Visit our Immigration and visas advice page for more information.

External student transfer policy

UAL accepts transfers from other institutions on a case-by-case basis. Read our Student transfer policy for more information.

Alternative offers

If your application is really strong, but we believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different course, we may make you an alternative offer. This means you will be offered a place on a different course or at a different UAL College.

Deferring your place

We do not accept any deferral requests for our postgraduate courses. This means that you must apply in the year that you plan to start your course and you will not be able to defer your place to start at a later date.

Application deadlines

Most of our postgraduate courses have 2 rounds of deadlines: one in December and one in March.

As long as you apply ahead of each deadline we will consider your application alongside all the other applications in that round. We always make sure to hold enough places back for round 2 to make sure we can consider your application fairly, no matter which round you apply in.

If there are still places available after the second deadline, the course will remain open to applications until all places have been filled.

Careers

All our postgraduate courses offer career development, so that you become a creative thinker, making effective contributions to your relevant sector of the fashion industry.

LCF offers students the opportunity to develop Personal and Professional Development (PPD) skills while studying through:

* Access to to speaker programmes and events featuring alumni and industry.

* Access to careers activities, such as CV clinics and one-to-one advice sessions.

* Access to a graduate careers service

* Access to a live jobsboard for all years.

* Advice on setting up your own brand or company.

Career paths

Masters graduates have an advantage in the employment market, obtaining work in a wide range of vocational and academic fields related to fashion. MA Fashion Curation could lead to a breadth of exit profiles including Fashion or Art and Design Curator, Arts and Events Management Assistant and Administrator or Consultant. Graduates of the course have gone on to work in many roles within the industry, at organisations including the British Council, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Fan Museum Greenwich. The MA also provides an excellent preparation for higher level research degrees (MPhil or PhD), with an increasing number of graduates undertaking research, writing and teaching within fashion related subjects.

Graduate Futures

Graduate Futures provides a comprehensive career management service supporting our students to become informed and self-reliant individuals able to plan and manage their own careers.

LCF alumni

Many of our alumni are now impressive, leading industry figures.

Alumni

London College of Fashion

Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 7400

Address

105 Carpenter's Road
London

E20 2AR