Associate Degree of Branded Fashion Design

This two-year associate degree is for people who want to design clothes and accessories that carry a brand, not just a garment. You study how a label is built: the drawing and technical work behind a range, the materials and construction methods, the visual identity that ties a collection together, and the business side of getting product made and sold. It sits at the making end of fashion rather than the marketing end, though you touch both.

Australian associate degrees are shorter than a bachelor degree and sit below it on the AQF. They are usually delivered over four study periods, either semesters or trimesters, and you enrol in units of study that each carry credit points. Expect studio-based units in fashion illustration, patternmaking, garment construction, textiles, digital design software, and brand or range development. Assessment is mostly project work, you build a portfolio rather than sit a lot of exams. Because this is a two-year qualification rather than a three-year degree, there is usually no separate honours year and no major research thesis; the final project is a collection or brand outcome.

Torrens University Australia runs this course under CRICOS code 090286B, which is the code international students use when applying for a Student visa. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register, so check that entry for the current figure rather than relying on any other source. International applicants need to show English proficiency, commonly IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall for undergraduate study, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the visa itself, so you may need to meet both. Once you are studying, a Student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight during term.

After graduating you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, which lets you stay and work in Australia for a period set by your qualification level and your circumstances, confirm the current rules with the Department of Home Affairs. The course suits school leavers who know they want to work in fashion, career changers coming from another design or trade background, and anyone who wants a qualification fast enough to start earning without committing to a full degree. If you later want to go further, credit from an associate degree can often be counted towards a related bachelor degree, decided unit by unit. Check the official course page for entry requirements, intake dates, unit lists and credit arrangements before you apply.

• Fashion designer or assistant designer in Australian labels and small studios
• Patternmaker or sample machinist in clothing manufacturing
• Textile or print designer
• Product developer or production assistant for apparel brands
• Fashion illustrator or technical illustrator
• Visual merchandiser or stylist
• Brand or range coordinator for retail fashion businesses
• Costume assistant in film, television and theatre production
• Self-employed designer selling through online marketplaces and wholesale