Fashion Design BA

‘Doing fashion’ is a culture, and fashion design is a cultural practice. Defining exactly what fashion is or should be is not easy – and perhaps that is why it is so fascinating and imbued with pleasure. Fashion is a global and social system that constantly produces paradoxes that we cannot always resolve. Fashion confronts people with their own contradictions. Fashion is involved in all areas that are currently of great concern to us: gender, new digital spaces, identity, future, climate, environment, globality, regionality, social justice and above all democracy. Alongside a strong emphasis on performance and performativity, the degree programme is characterised by a strong focus on the body, its perception and movement, on body-based design methods and on body knowledge. We deal with other bodies: in a range from real (analogue) to virtual bodies generated by AI (Digital Fashion).

The programme is part of the Institute of Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP).

During your studies, you will be comprehensively prepared for the Swiss and international labour market. In addition to study trips, the internship semester and the opportunities for cooperation, the degree programme enables students to participate in publications, video / film, scenarios from various fashion spaces and curated fashion exhibitions. This environment supports students in their professional networking.

Educational requirements
For admission to the aptitude assessment for the bachelor’s programmes in Design (Industrial Design, Interior Architecture and Scenography, Fashion Design, Process Design, Visual Communication and Digital Spaces), one of the following qualifications is generally required:

• a certified vocational baccalaureate
• a certified specialized baccalaureate
• a certified upper secondary school (level II) baccalaureate
• proof of an equivalent educational degree at an upper secondary school (level II) obtained otherwise (Swiss education system)

Language of tuition
The language of tuition is German (B2 or equivalent) and partly English. Proof of language proficiency is required at the start of the degree programme.

Workplace experience or preparatory course in Design
In addition, candidates need to provide proof of one year of workplace experience or completion of a two-semester preparatory course in Design.

Is a list of approved vocational trainings and professional fields, respectively.

Catching up on the vocational baccalaureate
Applicants who have not completed at least three years of upper secondary schooling (level II) are not legally entitled to admission to a Bachelor's degree programme. Information concerning full-time or part-time on-the-job training courses focusing on a vocational, design-based or specialized baccalaureate is provided by the local vocational colleges.

Admission on the basis of exceptional talent (1)
In exceptional cases, applicants can be admitted to the Bachelor’s degree programmes without being in possession of an upper secondary school (level II) certificate (Swiss education system), namely if they can provide proof of exceptional talent, either in a design-related or an arts-related field. 
Note: We recommend that you make enquiries by means of an email to the office of the respective degree programme at admission.BA-modedesign.hgk@fhnw.ch at least two weeks prior to the application deadline (15 February), or arrange an appointment with the Head of the degree programme.

____________
(1) If you are in possession of one of the following educational degrees, you are eligible for this mode of admission:
Federal Certificate of Vocational Proficiency EFZ (apprenticeship), Professional Certificate EBA, Specialized Secondary School (FMS), Compulsory Schooling, no educational qualification

To apply for a place at the HGK Basel, the required documents must be submitted by deadline 15.02.2026.
Please send the specific enquiries to email address.

• 01.11.2025
  Publication of the detailed information on the aptitude assessment
• 15.02.2026
  Registration deadline and deadline for submitting the required documents for the aptitude assessment.
• 31.08. - 11.09.2026
  Introductory weeks at the HGK Basel (mandatory)
• 14.09.2026
  Fall Semester begin 2026/27

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