University of Leeds

Mission Statement

Our Mission Statement

• To provide excellent research-led teaching in design, textiles and fashion that attracts and inspires students from around the world.  
• To integrate creative design and technology to provide a unique learning and research experience within a university environment. 
• To support businesses and the creative economy in the Leeds City Region, the wider UK and internationally through our world class graduates and innovative research. 
• Through our core themes in colour, sustainability and healthcare enhance our world class reputation in creative design and technology research.
• To grow our alumni of successful, influential and impactful graduates and postgraduates.

International Role

The School of Design, University of Leeds plays an outward facing role in design education and research, with international collaboration built into its teaching, partnerships, and knowledge exchange. The School works in partnership with organisations and networks across the world, creating opportunities for collaborative research, professional education, and applied projects that connect design practice to real contexts and global challenges. This international role is strengthened by the University of Leeds global engagement infrastructure, including education and research  partnerships as well as a large study abroad and exchange ecosystem. The University reports partnerships with more than 300 universities worldwide, supporting inbound and outbound mobility and credit bearing study, which enables design students to learn within different cultural and institutional settings and to bring those perspectives back into studio practice and research. Alongside physical mobility, Leeds also supports digitally enabled international learning through Collaborative Online International Learning modules co designed and co delivered with partners in countries including the United States, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Australia. Leeds has also demonstrated experience in joint international curriculum development, for example a collaborative Masters programme developed with Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, showing a track record of building shared academic provision across borders.

National Role

The School of Design, University of Leeds, is embedded in the cultural, industrial and educational life of the United Kingdom. As part of one of the largest and most research-intensive universities in the UK, the School contributes to national dialogues on design education and practice, and engages with regional stakeholders to address social, economic and environmental challenges. The School’s degree programmes strongly emphasise industry relevance, with routes into fashion, textiles, graphic and sustainable design that prepare students to work across creative and applied sectors. Within Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region, the School collaborates with local industry partners and civic institutions. This sits within a broader University framework that supports business engagement, including Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and collaborations through the Nexus innovation hub to help organisations innovate and grow. The University’s role as an anchor institution in West Yorkshire is supported by strategic civic engagement work with Leeds City Council and regional bodies, aligning academic expertise with city policy priorities. Nationally, Leeds also participates in partnerships such as the White Rose University Consortium with University of Sheffield and University of York, enhancing joint research activity and broader academic impact across the UK higher education landscape. The School of Design as such itself maintains collaborative links with UK design institutions and professional bodies, contributing to events, research and practice that connect students and staff to the creative industries throughout the country.

Main Focus

We’re an interdisciplinary School bringing together expertise from a range of design and technology specialisms. Creation and innovation are at the heart of both our teaching and research as we aim to develop new design ideas and provide solutions to issues faced in industry and society.