Costume Design

Costume Design plays an essential role in the realisation of various creative industries from theatre, film, TV to events, festivals, performance and dance. This degree will equip you with a broad and versatile skill set, from research and concept development to practical construction techniques, preparing you for a dynamic career in the costume industry.

You’ll work in fully equipped studios and workshops, learning directly from experienced practitioners who have designed and created costumes for major Theatre, Film, TV, and live event productions.

Studying with us in Greater Manchester means that you'll be surrounded by Theatres, TV and Film production studios, including the BBC and Channel 4 – both located at the world-famous MediaCity. The region also provides a wide array of Music and Events venues and organisations. Our university includes the New Adelphi theatre and state-of-the-art performance spaces that allow you to collaborate with students from our courses in Dance and Performance.

From the first year of this Costume Design degree course, you'll learn how costume designers deliver briefs by mirroring industry practice. You'll analyse, interpret, and learn how to apply research skills to generate creative concepts for characters and develop creative ideas from production scripts used for on-screen and live productions. Our students have previously worked on live briefs with the Royal Exchange Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, Company Chameleon, Camerata Orchestra, and the English National Opera.

In your second year, you’ll undertake work placements to gain hands-on experience with industry professional environments such as theatre, film, television, festivals, and dance. Past placements include Angel’s Costumes, the Lowry, Shakespeare North Playhouse, Northern Ballet, York Theatre, and independent film and TV sets.

In your final year you will work towards a final major project aimed at a topic of personal interest within the costume design sphere, further building upon the skills you have learned during your degree.

Our graduates have secured roles with the BBC, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Warner Bros., and touring productions such as Singing in the Rain, Sister Act, Mamma Mia!, and Wicked.

You will:

• Develop the skills you need to work in costume and wardrobe supervision, music video design and styling, and museums and heritage events.

• Learn how to analyse and interpret scripts to design costumes that align with characters and their stories.

• Learn practical skills in costume design, as well as get to grips with the history and culture surrounding this craft.

Course Modules

Year one

• Design Principles

• Production Skills and Processes for Costume

• Costume Design for Script

• Exploring Creative Contexts: Costume Design

• Establishing Professional Practice: Costume Design

• Design Communication and Realisation

Year two

• Costume Design for Film and TV Production

• Costume Design for Theatre

• Developing Professional Practice for Costume Design

• Design in Practice

• Responding to Creative Contexts: Costume Design

Year three

• Costume for Live Performance

• Research Methods for Costume Design

• Applied Professional Practice for Costume Design

• Negotiated Major Project

• Independent Research Project

Assessments are an important part of your costume design degree at University of Salford. They will give you a better understanding of your progress and any areas that you need to focus on. You’ll take part in a variety of assessments, including coursework, presentations, essays and a dissertation.