Hand Embroidery BA (Hons)

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold award

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold award

Our commitment to high quality teaching has been recognised with a TEF Gold rating. The University has received an overall rating of Gold, as well as securing a Gold award in the framework's two new student experience and student outcomes categories.

Why choose this course?

Royal School of Needlework logo

This highly-specialist BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery course is taught at the prestigious Royal School of Needlework (RSN), based at Hampton Court Palace.

Study is in small year groups. The average intake is just 20 students per year, enabling a high level of student / tutor contact time. Attendance is full time and all students may be required to engage with weekend and evening work throughout their academic year.

Hand embroidery techniques taught in the first and second year at the RSN, are unique; no other provider in the world offers such teaching and learning. Students are expected to engage with experimental approaches to visual research and design, which underpins and informs all hand embroidery practice.

The course provides a learning environment where the knowledge, views and values of all students help to shape the learning environment. Studio-based learning is by project, with individual and group tutorials and reviews enabling the individual views and knowledge of each student to be valued equally. Students are encouraged to challenge their creative ideas and individual outcomes through our supportive tutorial feedback process.

We encourage students to become creative problem-solvers and to share their knowledge and expertise through participation in external enhancement projects. Students are expected to engage with experimentation and enquiry to inform their theoretical and creative practice. The design of the curriculum connects the theoretical and practice-based learning through thematic projects and learning opportunities. 

A programme of tutorials, lectures and seminars, facilitates experiential learning through the investigation of objects, materials, making and creative risk-taking. Our specialist technical team guide students through the materials, processes and equipment necessary to build their specialist knowledge throughout the course.

Visit our Hand Embroidery BA Instagram to see some of the great work we are doing.

Attendance UCAS code Year of entry
3 years full time W237 2025
Main Location Royal School of Needlework, Hampton Court Palace

Reasons to choose Kingston University

  • The hand embroidery techniques taught on this course are unique.
  • Small cohorts enable a high level of student/tutor contact time.
  • Learning through making – explore a kinaesthetic methodology across theory and practice.

Book a place at an Open Day

Visit the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace – the perfect way to experience the setting where you would undertake your Hand Embroidery BA (Hons) degree.

What you will study

Practical studio modules are delivered through thematic projects and workshops which are tailored to each specific group. Project themes are reviewed annually to ensure the programme maintains its contemporary context. Projects allow individual students to explore their own creative response to a specific question or theme of enquiry.

All students are introduced to methods of reflective practice and critical analysis. Contextual studies are taught through a critical engagement with the material culture of hand embroidery, through workshop sessions, lectures and seminars.

Year 1 (Level 4)

Year 2 (Level 5)

Year 3 (Level 6)

First year study is experiential; building upon skills and processes to equip you with the vocabulary to develop your own personal creative voice. Teaching and learning styles may vary according to the module content: however thematic projects ensure that skills learned are transferable across modules.

Core modules

Drawing for Design

credits

Hand Embroidery Practice

credits

RSN Technical Hand Embroidery

credits

Contextual Studies: Hand Embroidery

credits

Core modules

Advanced Drawing for Design

credits

Advanced Hand Embroidery Practice

credits

Advanced RSN Technical Hand Embroidery

credits

Contextual Studies: Textiles

credits

Core modules

Research for RSN Graduate Collection

credits

RSN Graduate Collection

credits

RSN Graduate Portfolio

credits

Professional Practice in Context

credits

Practical studio modules are delivered through thematic projects and workshops which are tailored to each specific group.

Project themes are reviewed annually to ensure the programme maintains its contemporary context. Projects allow individual students to explore their own creative response to a specific question or theme of enquiry.

Future Skills

Knowledge to give you the edge

Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability.

As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge.

At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it.

A female engineering student, in the engineering lab.

Gallery of student work

Entry requirements

Typical offer 2025

  • From A-levels: 112 new UCAS tariff points
  • Foundation Diploma: Pass (Level; 3 or 4)
  • BTEC Extended National: Distinction / Merit
  • Access to HE Diploma: Distinction / Merit

Plus four GCSE passes at grade A*-C and/or grade 4-9 including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).

Transfer from a similar course is NOT possible due to the specialist nature of the course and teaching undertaken in Level 4.

Typical offer 2024

  • From A-levels: 112 new UCAS tariff points
  • Foundation Diploma: Pass (Level; 3 or 4)
  • BTEC Extended National: Distinction / Merit
  • Access to HE Diploma: Distinction / Merit

Plus four GCSE passes at grade A*-C and/or grade 4-9 including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).

Transfer from a similar course is NOT possible due to the specialist nature of the course and teaching undertaken in Level 4.

Additional requirements

Entry onto this course requires submission of a portfolio.

All applicants to the course are interviewed with their portfolio.

All applicants to the course are guaranteed an interview – either onsite or online with their portfolio of work. This is a formal application requirement to the course.

International

All non-UK applicants must meet our English Language requirements. For this course it is Academic IELTS of 6.0 overall, with no element below 5.5.

Make sure you read our full guidance about English language requirements, which includes details of other qualifications we consider.

Applicants who do not meet the English language requirements could be eligible to join our pre-sessional English language course.

Applicants from a recognised majority English speaking countries (MESCs) do not need to meet these requirements.

Country-specific information

You will find more information on country-specific entry requirements in the International section of our website.

Find your country:

Typical offer and UCAS points explained

Like most universities, we use the UCAS Tariff point system for our course entry requirements.

Find out more about UCAS Tariff points and see how A-level, AS level, BTEC Diploma and T-level qualifications translate to the points system.

Teaching and assessment

Scheduled learning and teaching on this course includes timetabled activities including lectures, seminars and small group tutorials.
It may also include critiques, project work, studio practice and performance, digital labs, workshops, and placements.

Guided independent study (self-managed time)

Outside the scheduled learning and teaching hours, you will learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, preparing for and completing your work for assessments. Some independent study work may need to be completed on-campus, as you may need to access campus-based facilities such as studios and labs.

Dedicated personal tutor

When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. Each student engages with written reflective practice to compile an agreed action plan with their tutor.

Your workload

A course is made up of modules, and each module is worth a number of credits. You must pass a given number of credits in order to achieve the award you registered on, for example 360 credits for a typical undergraduate course or 180 credits for a typical postgraduate course. The number of credits you need for your award is detailed in the programme specification which you can access from the link at the bottom of this page.

One credit equates to 10 hours of study. Therefore 120 credits across a year (typical for an undergraduate course) would equate to 1,200 notional hours. These hours are split into scheduled and guided. On this course, the percentage of that time that will be scheduled learning and teaching activities is shown below for each year of study. The remainder is made up of guided independent study.

  • Year 1: 67% scheduled learning and teaching
  • Year 2: 42% scheduled learning and teaching
  • Year 3: 33% scheduled learning and teaching

The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take.

Your course will primarily be delivered in person. It may include delivery of some activities online, either in real time or recorded.

How you will be assessed

All modules have a formative and summative assessment point.

Feedback summary

Feedback and feed-forward take place using several formats – including weekly tutorial forms which introduce you to reflective practice and hone your time management key skills.

Your timetable

Studios are open from 9am and all taught sessions commence at 10am prompt. Formal taught workshops run from 10am to 4pm.

Attendance is full time for a minimum of four days per week. All students may be required to engage with weekend and evening work throughout their academic year.

Class sizes

There is an average intake of 20 students per year, enabling a high level of student / tutor contact time.

Who teaches this course?

This course is taught by a team of RSN-trained tutors plus a hand embroidery technician.

The RSN staff team holds nationally recognised accreditation within staff members' individual areas of expertise. Academic staff are recognised for the quality of their teaching and learning, as part of the Higher Education Academy and hold positions as External Examiners for other Universities.

The academic team has active researchers with established, internationally-recognised career profiles. The team brings strong research and industry connections to the teaching experience, which contribute to the external profile of the course.

Facilities

Onsite teaching takes place in studio spaces using the RSN specialist art and design library, IT suite and handling collection. Offsite learning occurs through a bespoke series of visits to galleries, exhibitions and collections, online tutorials and the opportunity to follow hand embroidery techniques online.

All students have the unique opportunity to access and engage with the RSN's extensive collection of historic textiles and paper-based materials. As an adjunct to the physical collection, students engage with digital collections as part of their learning to make comparative analyses of objects. We are proud to offer an annual lecture programme of visiting speakers, which contributes further to the contextual learning environment.

All students also have access to Kingston School of Art's wide range of facilities.

View of Hampton Court Palace gardens

After you graduate

Work in costume creation and high-end bespoke fashion design or heritage preservation and craft.

Links with business and industry

Employability and work-based learning is embedded within the programme, at each level of the course. Students learn from established practitioners and from their first day onsite, embroidery becomes their future career. Find out more by selecting the boxes below, and from the Royal School of Needlework's website.

Placements

Work placements are actively encouraged but not mandatory; although it is the responsibility of individual students to source and secure such placements at times which do not impact on their learning. Through participation in this professional context, students are encouraged to reflect upon their own personal experience of working in an applied setting and focus on key aspects of this experience to inform both their theory and practice

Links with business and industry at Level 4

At Level 4, students have the opportunity to participate in external competitions to build their awareness of the potential application of embroidery to design. They develop transferable skills and learn the challenges of working to an external timescale and design brief. Previous examples have included, The Worshipful Company of Glovers – Glove Competition and working with artists Musson+Retallick to create embroidered illustrations for a hot air balloon installation in Thamesmead.

Level 4 students have also worked to create bespoke embroideries for London Fashion Week for E. Tautz menswear. Students work to create digital portfolios throughout the programme to showcase their practice and level of attainment. At Level 4, students start to compile their own CV and prepare an introductory letter to potential employers for summer placement opportunities. By working with our technical team, students develop an awareness of materials, suppliers and costings.

Links with business and industry at Level 5

At Level Five, students develop more advanced professional skills through working on high profile design competitions and with external clients. Opportunities for live projects are embedded in the curriculum when possible. Recent examples include Bradford Textile Society and Society of Dyers and Colourists where students have received named awards and commendations. Students have also had the opportunity to make work for external exhibitions including the Fashion & Textile Museum for the Royal School of Needlework 150th Anniversary and the Devon Guild of Craftsmen. This advanced level of practice supports the student to make informed choices as to the potential direction of their practice at Level 6 as well as reinforcing transferable skills such as timekeeping and quality of finish.

Links with business and industry at Level 6

By Level 6, students are directing their practice towards a defined context as indicated by their proposal and outcomes for the RSN Graduate Collection module. The module RSN Graduate Portfolio is focussed on their intended career route, through the creation of an expanded portfolio of experimental and technical hand embroidery sampling. This outcome provides the student with a showcase of their creative ability and in a format to present to a future employer. The theoretical module, Professional Practice in Context enables the student to present an in-depth body of research exploring the context for their practice alongside the preparation of a bespoke graduate employment plan / report with artist statement, costing and pricing, business models and the development of professional communication skills to prepare them for interviews and presenting their work to a new audience.

Course fees and funding

2025/26 fees for this course

The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2025/26 the fees for this course are:

 Fee category Amount
Home (UK students) £9,250*
International Year 1 (2025/26): £19,500
Year 2 (2026/27): £20,300
Year 3 (2027/28): £21,100

Please see the Royal School of Needlework course page for further details on tuition fees, bursary awards available and additional costs to be aware of.

For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.

* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.

Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.

2024/25 fees for this course

The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2024/25 the fees for this course are:

 Fee category Amount
Home (UK students) £9,250*
International Year 1 (2024/25): £18,400
Year 2 (2025/26): £19,200
Year 3 (2026/27): £19,900

Please see the Royal School of Needlework course page for further details on tuition fees, bursary awards available and additional costs to be aware of.

For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.

* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.

Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.

Need to know more?

Our undergraduate fees and funding section provides information and advice on money matters.

Course changes and regulations

The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Course changes explained.

Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.

Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.