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Costume Design and Construction

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C

Two discursive subjects required from English/History/Drama as well as one artistic/creative subject required such as Art/Design or Textiles or equivalent at A level. English required and Maths preferred at GCSE with grade C.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

28

English required at Standard with grade 5. English/History/Drama required as well as one artistic/creative subject such as Art/Design or Textiles or equivalent at IB.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H3,H3

Two discursive subjects required from English/History/Drama as well as one artistic/creative subject such as Art/Design or Textiles or equivalent at Higher level. English is required with grade O4 or H5 and Maths is preferred.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMM

Scottish HNC

Pass

HNCs are considered on an individual basis. Please note, due to a very limited number of spaces on this course, we generally cannot offer advanced entry to year 2 and 3.

Scottish HND

Pass

HNDs are considered on an individual basis. Please note, due to a very limited number of spaces on this course, we generally cannot offer advanced entry to year 2 and 3.

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,B

Two discursive subjects required from English/History/Drama as well as one artistic/creative subject such as Art/Design or Textiles or equivalent at Scottish Higher. English required and Maths preferred at Nat5 with grade C.

UCAS Tariff

104-108

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About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Theatrical wardrobe design

On this highly respected vocational course you’ll learn how to research, design and construct costumes for performers of many kinds. You’ll work on live projects with renowned creative companies, and the course has a strong graduate employment record.

Think of a dramatic performance that you loved and you can probably picture the characters’ costumes. Costume design and construction are vital when it comes to creating successful theatre, film and TV productions. It’s a creative and challenging career: you need to know the theory and history of costume design, how to make costumes physically and how to manage the wardrobe of a live production wider world.

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.

Modules

Year One

Introduction to Theatre Production
The Origins of Theatre
Introduction to Wardrobe Practice (including Professional Practice)
Introduction to Costume Design

Year Two

Advanced Costume Design
Advanced Costume Techniques
Professional Practice as a Wardrobe Assistant

Year Three

Professional Practice in a Lead Role
Practice Informed Research Project
Creating in Context: Design Project
Theatre of Ideas – Introduction to European Theatre
Elective 1

Year Four

Honours study
Creative Enterprise in the Performing Arts
Creating your Career, Work-based Learning
Elective 2

The modules listed here are correct at time of posting (April 2021) but may differ slightly to those offered in 2022. Please check back here for any updates.

Assessment methods

You will be taught in lectures, seminars and practical workshops. You will work in a team delivering the costumes for live productions with well-known companies.

Below you can read about Teaching and Learning Activities and Assessment Activities. We believe this will give you a good indication of what the course will be like, but the exact balance of activities may differ depending on the academic year and on the modules you choose.

Teaching and learning activities

Our Teaching and Learning Activities are focused on building your confidence, developing your problem-solving skills and preparing you for a successful career. Here you can read about how much time you should expect to spend undertaking these activities for this course along with a general description of the activity for all courses.

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and in some cases practical workshops or laboratories. Seminars enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.

Year One: 44%
Year Two: 55%
Year Three: 39%
Year Four: 8%

Independent Learning

When not attending lectures, seminars, practicals or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the Learning Resource Centre, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations. You independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities, including the Learning Resource Centre and the Hub.

Year One: 56%
Year Two: 45%
Year Three: 61%
Year Four: 70%

Placement

Courses with placements give you the opportunity to put what you are learning into practice and to observe and work with a wide range of individuals and groups of people in diverse settings. Some courses offer placement opportunities in the UK and overseas.

Year One: 0%
Year Two: 0%
Year Three: 0%
Year Four: 22%

Assessment Activities

Assessment Activities provide you with opportunities to test your understanding of the subject and receive feedback on your performance. Here you can read about how much of your final mark is based on each type of formal assessment for this course along with a general description of the activity for all courses.

Exams

Assessment by written examinations normally takes place at the end of each module or semester, but they may also happen during modules.

Year One: 17%
Year Two: 0%
Year Three: 0%
Year Four: 0%

Coursework

Coursework assessments take place in a variety of ways, including assignments, essays, reports, portfolios, project output and your level 4 Honours project. We aim to provide you with feedback on your assessment within 20 working days of the submission date.

Year One: 58%
Year Two: 47%
Year Three: 83%
Year Four: 87%

Practical

Practical assessments can include oral presentations, performance, practical skills assessment, costume design and construction, film making, lab work or clinical practical skills depending on the nature of the course.

Year One: 25%
Year Two: 53%
Year Three: 17%
Year Four: 13%

NB This data is based on activity undertaken by students during academic year 2018/9. Updates will be made shortly.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
International
£8,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Queen Margaret University

Department:

School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

89%
Theatrical wardrobe design

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Drama

Teaching and learning

96%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
92%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
88%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

73%
Library resources
79%
IT resources
76%
Course specific equipment and facilities
71%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

71%
UK students
29%
International students
6%
Male students
94%
Female students
83%
2:1 or above
3%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A*
B
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Drama

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£16,640
med
Average annual salary
98%
high
Employed or in further education
40%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

27%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
16%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
14%
Teaching and educational professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Drama

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£14k

£14k

£16k

£16k

£25k

£25k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
Nottingham Trent University | Nottingham
Costume Design and Construction
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-112
Lower entry requirements
Rose Bruford College | Sidcup
Costume Production
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 64
Nearby University
The University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh
Performance Costume
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 114-128

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here