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University Centre
Courses for Adults
York School of Art

BA (Hons) Media Make-up, Special Effects & Hair Design (Top-up)

Subject Area
Hair, Beauty & Media Make-up
Start Date
September 2025
Study Mode
Full-time
Duration
1 Year (2 days per week)
Level
Level 6
Fee
£7,200 per year
Entry Requirements
Completion of relevant FdA or equivalent Level 5 qualification
Validating partner
The Open University

Develop and hone the skills needed to become a sought-after make-up artist and hair stylist in the world of film and television whilst exploring your creativity.

Students will acquire the practical skills of make-up and hair design, together with broader academic studies which give a contemporary and historical understanding of the creative disciplines within the wider perspectives of the media make-up industry. The course will also nurture and develop students research skills, enabling for innovative creative practice to take centre stage whilst gaining valuable analytical skills and critical awareness.

The BA (Hons) in Media Make-up, Special Effects and Hair Design degree is part of York School of Art and is distinguished by its commitment to a multi-disciplinary approach in terms of content covering a wide variety of more specialised make-up and hair design for media such as film, television, theatre, fashion and editorial.

The programme is designed to maximise employability opportunities within the media make-up industry. The structure will enable you to apply creative and practical skills with management methods culminating in a self-initiated design project. This allows you to deepen your knowledge in a particular area of your course and related industry.

UCAS Code: W455

UCAS Institution Code: Y70

YSOA Logo Black Landscape
Modules
Level 6
Freelance and Industry Management
Video Editing and Digital Photography
Major Design Project

Entry requirements

Successful completion of a relevant foundation degree or equivalent Level 5 qualification. Applicants with significant relevant prior learning and experience may also be considered.

How will I be assessed?

A range of formative and summative assessment methods are used on the course, determined by the aims, and learning outcomes of the programme and of individual modules.

You will be assessed on your ability to research and project manages in preparation for practical assessments as well as your performance on the practical assessment. The course places a strong emphasis on style and quality of presentation with the underlying aim of building an industry quality portfolio to help progression into industry. This includes collaborating with professional photographers during assessments whenever possible. Regular feedback will be given on assessed work. You will need to use this to further develop concepts and ideas in the larger scale projects.

Skills you will learn

Throughout the one year top-up students will develop skills in; portfolio development, critical awareness, historical and contemporary understanding of the industry, practical skills in make-up application and hair design, effective research methods, an understanding of key concepts in the industry, attention to detail, interpersonal and self-promotion skills and ability to interpret a brief.

Method of delivery

Students are assessed on their ability to research and project manage in preparation for practical assessments as well as their performance on the practical assessment. The course places a strong emphasis on style and quality of presentation with the underlying aim of students building an industry quality portfolio to help them progress into industry. This course is taught face-to-face.

Additional costs

We advise all BA applicants that costs will be incurred dependant on their major projects. Specialist materials for prosthetics will be provided by the institution, however additional items such as costumes/makeup/hair adornments will be part of the programme’s additional costs.

Your next steps

This programme is designed to maximise the employability opportunities within the media make-up industry. Students will acquire the practical skills of make-up and hair design, together with broader academic studies which give a contemporary and historical understanding of the creative disciplines within the wider perspectives of the media make-up industry. You will have developed a core set of skills for both make-up and hair, whether you wish to work as a freelance make-up artist or on set as a prosthetics technician, special effects artist, aesthetician, the opportunities are endless.

Emily BA Media Makeup

"The tutors on this degree were specialists in their field and had real industry experience. Their teaching really helped open my eyes to the industry and the different avenues you can go down as a make-up artist. The degree was very student-led in terms of the projects we did, and it was great to be able to create bespoke looks and explore our creativity. We also had visits from industry professionals such as wig makers, and this was really useful in helping us to gain more knowledge and develop our skills."

Emily
BA (Hons) Media Make-up, Special Effects & Hair Design (Top-up)
Course leaders and tutors:
Sharon Barrington

Sharon specialises on creative project management, period hairdressing and postiche. She has been teaching for 20 years and has work experience within the industry for CBBC, Emmerdale and many independent films, photoshoots and music videos. Sharon’s love is for all things Wigs! Not only has she a flair for period hairstyling but also ventilating her own wigs, she loves the history and researching into period hair and makeups for that time. Sharon is a 'wiggy' enthusiast, working on commissions and larger wig designs, incorporating wig frames and additional hair: The bigger the wig the better: Be bold!

Sharon enjoys outsourcing her creativity in numerous ways with a passion for furniture restoration and design.

Emma Dobson

Emma was trained at Neil Gorton Studios and has excellent knowledge in the use of fibreglass, polyurethane resins and silicone to produce industry-standard prosthetics. Emma has worked at numerous Scareground productions and has a wealth of experience both inside the classroom, as Course Leader for our FdA Media Make-up programme and in the current industry. Emma is always keen to stress the importance of maintaining strong working relationships with individuals across the creative industries to maximise your potential. Emma is currently studying for her Master’s in Education, Leadership and Management.

The Media Make-up, Special Effects & Hair Design department is proud to work with:

The Wig Department
Providers of supplies and tools, a shop run by Wigmakers for Wigmakers.

PAM - Precious about Make-up
Founded by Make up Artists, for Make up Artists. Pam has been sharing pro make up advice and tips for over 20 years.

Neill's Materials
Neill's Materials are the leading UK materials supplier for industry professionals in sectors spanning TV & Film, Teaching & Simulation, Tooling & Composites and beyond.

Dennis Williams
Supplying hair and beauty professionals throughout the UK.

Banbury Postiche
Professional hairdressing and wigmaking materials.

ISOClean
Experts in cosmetic hygiene

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