Costume Design and Construction BA (Hons)

Costume design and construction is the process of creating and manufacturing clothing and accessories for performers in theatre, film, television and other associated media sectors. Costume designers and makers research, design, source and construct costumes for real or fictional characters, creating practical, bespoke items relevant to historical period and style. This vocational and highly practical course examines costume design and construction both conceptually and practically. The course collaborates with our other performing arts courses as well as external productions and projects and you will work on a variety of productions throughout your time on the course.At the heart of the course are six professional practice modules (two of them in each of the first three years of the degree). In these, you will work as part of a team delivering the costumes for a series of live projects working in collaboration with partner organisations and companies.Supporting this practical learning in Years One and Two are a series of modules which will develop your research and design skills, your analytic and writing skills, and your construction and wardrobe management expertise.In Year Three you can begin to specialise by working in greater depth on two or more of the varieties of pathways that costume practice offers — perhaps masks, puppets and soft props, or the design of costume for film, or historical cut and construction.You can extend your knowledge of these chosen skills in your industry placement and in your independent research and construction project. You will also fulfil key production roles in live projects, at QMU and with partner companies and organisers, as a designer, supervisor or specialist maker. In Year Four if you decide to undertake the honours year as many of our students do, the emphasis is on refining your chosen areas of future practice, using the independent professional practice options to gain practical experience and make contacts in the wider world.