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Studies & Degrees in Textile Engineering

Textile engineering applies engineering and science to the making of fibres, yarns, fabrics and finished textile products. It covers the whole production chain: raw materials, spinning, weaving and knitting, dyeing and finishing, garment manufacturing and quality control. It also covers newer products such as technical textiles for industry and medicine and smart fabrics, and the environmental impact of the industry.

Programmes combine a general engineering base with textile subjects. At Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology in Dhaka, students take basic sciences and courses from mechanical, electrical, industrial and computer engineering alongside core courses such as yarn manufacturing, fabric manufacturing, wet processing, apparel manufacturing, and textile testing and quality control. The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) describes its degree as covering textile materials and processes, the full development of textile products and industrial garment making, technical and smart fabrics, finishing treatments, and the logistics and management of a global business.

Qualifications and levels

Textile engineering is normally a first degree in engineering lasting four or five years, with master's and doctoral studies afterwards. Names and lengths vary by country.

  • Spain. Official bachelor's degrees (grados) have 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The Grado en Ingeniería de Tecnología y Diseño Textil of the UPC is taught at its school of industrial, aerospace and audiovisual engineering in Terrassa (ESEIAAT). It lasts four academic years and has 240 ECTS credits, including the final project. It is an official degree entered in the ministry's register and gives access to the regulated profession of ingeniero técnico industrial. The UPC lists an approximate price of €1,061 per year, or €1,800 for students who are not EU residents.
  • Bangladesh. The B.Sc. in Textile Engineering of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology lasts four years (eight semesters), with a minimum requirement of 159 credits. Applicants need 12 years of schooling with a science background and are selected through a competitive admission test.
  • Peru. At the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, in Lima, the degree in Ingeniería Textil y Confecciones lasts five years (ten academic semesters). It leads to the academic degree of Bachiller and to the professional title of Ingeniero Textil y Confecciones.
  • Brazil. The Universidade Estadual de Maringá teaches Engenharia Têxtil as an on-campus undergraduate course at its regional campus in Goioerê, created in 1991, which has laboratories for quality control and for textile technology and chemistry.
  • China. The College of Textiles of Donghua University, in Shanghai, was established in 1951.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 12 active schools for textile engineering. Two are in Egypt; Spain, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Estonia, China, the United States, Peru, Brazil, Mexico and Latvia have one each. The list includes the UPC in Spain, Mansoura University and Alexandria University in Egypt, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology in Dhaka, Iqra University in Karachi, Donghua University in Shanghai, Riga Technical University, Tallinna Tehnikakõrgkool (TTK), the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, the Universidade Estadual de Maringá and the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla.

The language of instruction follows the country: Spanish in Peru and Mexico, Portuguese in Brazil. At the UPC the language is set subject by subject, so check the course guide. Applicants to the UPC with documents issued outside the European Union and the European Economic Area must have them legalised through diplomatic channels or with an apostille.

Careers

Textile engineers work in spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing and garment factories, in companies that make technical textiles, in testing laboratories, and in buying, logistics and quality departments of fashion and retail groups. The UPC names the design, operation and management of products, processes and plants in the textile industry, product development, production and quality management, international trade, environmental roles, and teaching and research. The Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos adds the planning of textile processes, the marketing of textile products and the management of operations in textile and garment companies.

Official employment statistics rarely single out textile engineers. For the related occupation of materials engineers, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment to grow 8 percent from 2025 to 2035. Job prospects depend strongly on where the industry is located, so ask each school where its recent graduates work.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a degree in textile engineering take?

Four or five years, depending on the country. The UPC degree in Spain lasts four academic years (240 ECTS credits), the B.Sc. at Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology four years, and the degree at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos five years.

Is textile engineering the same as fashion design?

No. Textile engineering is an engineering degree about materials, production processes and quality, with mathematics, physics and chemistry in the first years. Fashion design focuses on creating garments and collections.

Can I study textile engineering in Spain?

Yes. The UPC teaches the Grado en Ingeniería de Tecnología y Diseño Textil in Terrassa, an official degree of 240 ECTS credits.

What can I do after the degree?

Work in production, product development, quality or management in the textile and garment industry, or continue with a master's degree. In Spain official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.