Fashion Schools and Programs in Barcelona, Spain
About Fashion Schools and Programs in Barcelona, Spain
Studying fashion means learning to create garments and collections, but also understanding materials, pattern-making, production and the business behind a brand. Barcelona has a long textile tradition, and its training options range from vocational courses to higher design qualifications and specialised master's programmes. Before choosing, it is worth checking carefully which kind of qualification each programme leads to.
Fashion qualifications in Spain
- Higher artistic education in Design, Fashion specialisation (enseñanzas artísticas superiores de Diseño): official studies with academic and professional validity throughout Spain. They last four years of 60 credits each, 240 credits in total, and entry requires passing a specific entrance test.
- Vocational training (FP): the higher vocational qualification Técnico Superior en Patronaje y Moda lasts 2,000 hours and focuses on pattern-making, grading and the industrial production of garments.
- Private schools' own qualifications and master's programmes: programmes awarded by a university as its own qualification (título propio). They are recognised by that university but are not official degrees.
Where to study fashion in Barcelona
Idep Barcelona is a private school of fashion, photography and visual communication on the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. Its programmes are own qualifications of the Universitat Abat Oliba CEU (UAO), with which the school signed an association agreement in 2005. In fashion it offers a four-year programme, the Título Propio UAO en Diseño de Moda y Dirección Creativa, as well as master's programmes in Costume Design and Production, Fashion Styling and Communication, and Fashion Business & Communication, plus several postgraduate and short courses. According to the school, teaching is always in Spanish and more than 30% of its students come from other countries.
LCI Barcelona is a private school of design and visual arts in the city. It continues the Escola Superior de Disseny Felicidad Duce, whose fashion school is now part of LCI Barcelona. Check its website for the fashion programmes it currently teaches and the type of qualification each one leads to.
Admission for international students
At Idep, applicants who have passed the PAU (university entrance exam) or a higher vocational qualification have direct access to the four-year programme; applicants with the bachillerato or an intermediate vocational qualification go through an internal admission process. Students from foreign education systems first enrol in the school's own diploma and, once their studies have been recognised in Spain, transfer to the UAO qualification. The school states that fees are the same for international students. Its master's and postgraduate programmes require a previous university degree, which does not have to be in design.
If your goal is an official university degree in Spain, access with a foreign secondary-school qualification usually goes through UNEDasiss, which assesses the academic records of international students. If you already hold a foreign degree, a declaration of equivalence (declaración de equivalencia) certifies its academic level (bachelor's or master's).
Careers
Idep lists careers such as fashion design, creative direction, pattern-making, styling, fashion editing, costume design for the performing arts and accessory design. The vocational qualification in Pattern-making and Fashion prepares for more technical roles in industrial garment production, such as CAD/CAM pattern designer, quality control technician or production manager.
Frequently asked questions
Is a university's own fashion qualification the same as an official degree?
No. A título propio is awarded by a university on its own authority, while higher artistic education in Design is an official qualification valid throughout Spain. Check which qualification you will receive before you enrol.
Can I study fashion in Spanish in Barcelona?
Yes. Idep Barcelona, for example, always teaches in Spanish because many of its students come from other regions and countries.
Do I need a university degree for a fashion master's programme?
At Idep, yes: its master's and postgraduate programmes require a previous university degree, which can be in another field. Without one, students can join its professional courses.