This programme is aimed at aspiring furniture designer-makers. It provides a work-related Honours top-up progression route for holders of a Foundation Degree or HND in Furniture Design and Make.
Awarding body
Course overview
Application codes
Course Code
OXPDGFDESF
Institution Code
066
Date, fees & location
Start date
September 2025
Location
City of Oxford College
Fees
Home/EU* Fee for September 2025 entry: £7,700 per year.
Timetable
Duration
1 Year
Study mode
Full-Time
Delivery
On Campus
Award
Course award
On successful completion, you will be awarded a BA (Hons) Furniture Design and Make (Top-Up) from Oxford Brookes University.
The main aim of the programme is to develop graduates who are highly competent individuals, with proficient knowledge in the discipline and professional skills for a career in furniture designing and making.
The Rycotewood Furniture Centre at City of Oxford College has been actively engaged in the training and education of students entering the furniture industry for more than 70 years, with successful delivery of higher education for over twenty years. In this time, it has actively engaged with employers with respect to placement, bespoke training and in seeking external advice in the design of its programmes.
It has established a reputation beyond its local roots and enjoys a position of national pre-eminence in the field, located in Oxford and close to the UK’s traditional furniture-making industry of High Wycombe.
Please note that as programmes are reviewed regularly, the module list may vary from that shown here:
- Professional Design and Make – 30 Credits
- Professional Development – 30 Credits
- Personal Project (Written) – 30 Credits
- Personal Project (Design and Make) – 30 Credits
The modules listed are indicative and may be subject to change.
Teaching & Assessment
Learning is supported through close contact with a range of furniture specialist tutors with access to dedicated facilities and provides an opportunity for personally-focused learning. Students will develop critical thinking and practical skills, as well as professional and research skills.
Alongside the academic study in the programme, you will develop the communication skills that will equip you to respond to changing conditions, to develop an ability to work in different environments and to seek out diverse opportunities in the furniture industries.
Contacts with the furniture industry are given a high priority throughout the programme and maintained through visiting specialists and guest lecturers, industry engaged projects and visits to relevant exhibitions, workshops and factories.
You will be encouraged to take an active role in your learning, utilising effective time management and use of resources.
You will be provided with a suitably equipped place to work when attending college that will include access to specialist staff, IT facilities and other learning resources which will be appropriate for the nature of work you will be required to undertake.
How to apply
If you have a Student visa, please book a call to discuss your options.
Applicants should apply online through the Activate Learning Application portal.
All applicants to the course will be interviewed and their portfolios reviewed, so we can assess the candidates suitability and compatibility. This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your academic, artistic and practical skills needed to embark on this course.
You can also use your interview as an opportunity to tour the facilities, meet staff and students and have a rundown of the course.
Oxford Brookes offers accommodation for new and existing full-time students who wish to live in our halls and shared houses.
Entry Requirements
Tariff Points
64 points
Students must have completed an appropriate programme to be eligible to apply for the final year entry to the BA (Hons) Furniture Design and Make. These include:
- A Foundation Degree in Furniture Design and Make awarded by Oxford Brookes University, successfully gaining 240 credits and usually a 55% grade average
- A Foundation degree in Furniture and related disciplines successfully gaining 240 credits and usually a 55% grade average, subject to individual assessment of credit by Oxford Brookes University.
- A Higher National Diploma in Furniture and related disciplines, successfully gaining 240 credits with Merit Profile at level 5, QAA Benchmarks, subject to individual assessment of credit by Oxford Brookes University.
Applicants whose first language is not English, must also demonstrate that their level of English is acceptable by achieving a score in a recognised test such as: British Council IELTS: normally minimum level 6.0 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in the reading and writing components and 5.5 for speaking and listening.
In exceptional circumstances, direct entry to the final year BA top up may be considered for applicants who do not meet the academic entry requirements, but are able to demonstrate a significant amount of relevant experience in the industry. This would normally be evidenced in the form of a portfolio and a reflective statement.
Applicants who do not meet the academic entry requirements would also be expected to demonstrate evidence of an ability to succeed on the programme with particular reference to their level of academic writing.
Careers
Graduates have found employment in a variety of roles within the furniture industry.
Typically, they find employment as furniture makers, furniture designers/ CAD technicians, before moving into management positions and self-employment as designer-makers.
After you complete
Course award
On successful completion, you will be awarded a BA (Hons) Furniture Design and Make (Top-Up) from Oxford Brookes University.
Ready to start your application?
Apply now
Fees
Fee Breakdown
Home/EU* Fee for September 2025 entry: £7,700 per year.
Please note:
Tuition fees are published for the first year of entry only and may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by the Office for Students.
*Fee information for European Union (EU) students: If your course starts on or after the 1st August 2021, you will no longer be eligible for financial support from Student Finance England unless you meet one of the following criteria:
- you are able to benefit from the citizens’ rights agreements
- you are an Irish national living in the UK or Republic of Ireland – benefits of Irish nationals under Common Travel Area guidance arrangement will continue
Additional costs include:
Materials fee of £200 per year.
Your materials fee covers most everyday consumables, such as adhesives, domino and dowel joints, screws, wood finishes, sanding belts, machine blades/knives/cutters and sharpening, mini-bus and coach travel, paper for sketchbooks, printing credit, etc.
Certain sundries such as mitre bond, epoxy resin, fixings, components, are allocated within budget to a fixed quantity for the year.
Specialist items which are specific to students’ own projects such as timber, catches, magnets, hinges are not included within your materials fee.
All students are supplied with a starter pack at the beginning of each year that includes:
- 1” roll masking tape
- 1 metre of 120 grit Mirka abrasive paper
- 1 metre of 180 grit Mirka abrasive paper
- 1 metre of 240 grit Mirka abrasive paper
- 6 Mirka sanding discs (120, 180, 240)
- 6 cotton rags
- 3 pairs disposable gloves
You should be aware that accommodation and day-to-day living costs are not included in our fees.
We strongly recommend purchasing a laptop to support you in your studies on the course.
We recommend that you budget £100 a year for additional costs such as for stationary to undertake your studies. You can borrow textbooks and access journals from the recommended reading lists most of these are available from the Learning Resource Centre. If you choose to buy textbooks, they may cost up to £60 each.
You may wish to purchase some of your own tools and details of suggested items along with indicative costs is available upon request.
Oxford Brookes offers accommodation for new and existing full-time students who wish to live in our halls and shared houses.
