UCW Hair, Make-up and Prosthetics for Production students have also recently worked on casualty and incident simulation training exercises for Avon and Somerset Police and Avon Fire and Rescue.

They have also recently taken part in masterclasses with industry experts including acclaimed prosthetics and make-up special effects artist Stuart Bray, who has worked on TV shows including Dracula, Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead.

You will put together an extensive portfolio of your work, learn important promotional techniques and work towards a final project to demonstrate both your artistry and understanding of your chosen areas of interest.

Given this focus on the application of techniques from disciplines across the production arts, this course is suitable for students from a range of backgrounds in areas including art and design, hair and beauty, and fashion.

Students are also invited to attend optional exhibitions and performances in the UK and abroad at an additional expense, and as well as benefiting from our lecturing team’s professional experience and industry contacts, you will also be taught by visiting experts and have the chance to attend guest lectures in a range of related areas.

If you have any questions, get in touch with the course leader Kirsten Harrison or UCW’s HEART student services team. It would also be great to meet you and show you around at our next Open Day.

All of the modules on this course are compulsory. Successful completion of all of the modules will lead to the award of a degree at Level 6.

Year 1

• Introduction to Portfolio Building (20 credits)
• Technical Skills: Hair (40 credits) 
• Technical Skills: Make-up (40 credits) 
• Technical Skills: Prosthetics (20 credits)

Year 2

• Business Portfolio (40 credits)
• Production Process: Application (20 credits)
• Production Process: Design (20 credits)
• Production Process: Research (20 credits)
• Production Process: Techniques and Testing (20 credits)

Year 3

• Independent Research Project (20 credits)
• Production Practice 1 (20 credits)
• Production Practice 2 (20 credits)
• Professional Placement (20 credits)
• Transformational Image Piece (40 credits)

This course is taught via a combination of lectures, seminars and practical workshops. UCW’s Higher Education Library Plus (HE.LP) team also deliver a series of sessions on degree-level research and academic writing to all first-year students. When not in scheduled lecturers and seminars, students are expected to continue learning through independent self-study. This involves reading relevant literature, working on individual and group projects, and undertaking research in preparation for coursework and exams.

This course has an average of 13.5 hours of scheduled teaching per week.

Assessment is via an even combination of practical exams and coursework. There are no written exams on this degree.

Please click on the Course Handbook button to find out more about the course, including how it is delivered on a part-time basis.

Graduates are eligible to apply for postgraduate courses in hair, make-up and prosthetics and may also be able to progress to Level 7 qualifications in related areas across the creative, visual and theatrical arts.

As well as being qualified to apply for formal production arts roles, graduates of this course are also equipped with the skills and knowledge to help them achieve a successful portfolio career in the television, film, theatre, fashion and photography industries.

Industry insight

More than 2 million people were employed in the creative industries in 2017 (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport).

• UCAS Tariff - 80  points
• A level - CDD
• Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - MMP
• T Level - P
• An interview and portfolio are required.

We try to ensure that all as many costs for the programme you will study will be included within your tuition fees. We will endeavour to keep any additional costs you may have to pay to a minimum and some of the extra costs may be considered optional where it is deemed extra to your programme.

To be clear, your tuition fees pay for the following:

• All teaching and lectures
• Use of specialist facilities at UCW
• Specialist Guest Lectures at UCW
• Annual photocopying budget of £10
• Use of computer equipment at any UCW campus
• Access to Microsoft 365 whilst enrolled at UCW.
• Access to careers advice during and after completion of your programme of study.
• Use of Libraries and access to Journal databases, e-books and physical books.

Additional Costs that will need to incur to study your programme:

• Each student on the BA (Hons) Hair, Media Make-up and Prosthetics for Production programme are required to spend £516 on specialist professional kit and consumables. Please note that the overall cost of the kit is subsidised by UCW.
• To purchase the kit, please click this link.
• Payment plans and additional financial support may be available to you so please contact us if needed.
• Please be aware that should you require further consumables you will need to purchase these through the online store.

Additional costs that you may need to pay:

• Competitions and Visits that are seen as programme enhancement and are thus optional. (in 2023 the average cost was £50)
• Residentials that are seen as programme enhancement and are thus optional. (In 2023 the average costs of a residential was
• Entry to the Turing Scheme (in 2024 several students chose to study with the Cinema Make-up School in Los Angelis for 4 weeks. The cost was subsidised by UCW and the Turing Scheme itself, the maximum cost to students without the subsidies mentioned was £7000).
• Fees for submitting work for design competitions.
• Extra photocopying and printing above the initial £10
• The cost of books you may wish to purchase,
• There is also the option to purchase a year 2 two up kit for a cost of £225. This is available through the online store.

Course handbook

UCW Terms and Conditions

Programme Specification