Program Overview

Got a passion for creative design? Not quite ready to undertake a full honours degree? Solent University’s design foundation programme is perfectly suited to students who may not be from an art- design- or fashion-related background, or whose qualifications do not meet the admissions requirements of their chosen course.

To help get you up to speed, the one-year foundation provides all the creative, technical and study skills needed for entry onto a degree-level art, design or fashion course. Upon completion, you will be able to progress onto the BA (Hons) Make-Up and Hair Design degree.

The design foundation year begins with a five-week group project. This enables students to mix with like-minded peers and helps them to settle in quickly. The following ten weeks are spent introducing students to the world of art, design and fashion. This includes design history, vocabulary, methods and academic foundation. This final project takes place in the last fifteen weeks of the course and is based around the specific discipline the student will go on to study.

Solent's stimulating and creative BA (Hons) Make-Up and Hair Design degree will encourage you to nurture your individual design identity and develop professional artistry skills – ready to launch a dynamic career as a make-up and hair designer.

On this course you will explore the many contexts of make-up and hair design within the creative industries. You will also be encouraged to take an experimental approach to application, materials and creative development processes to produce innovative and contemporary design work. This includes make-up and hair styling for fashion editorial, wig work for theatre, TV, and alternative design contexts (eg, publications, galleries and the catwalk). And to enable you to operate across design platforms, you will be trained in photography, film and digital publishing.

We emphasise diversity and inclusion within design, while debating beauty ideals, gender politics and the changing face of identity. Throughout the course you will also be encouraged to embrace and develop new ways of working, alongside the study of historic and contemporary make-up and hair techniques for fashion, beauty, theatre, TV and film.

You will study in well-equipped studios and workshops, ranging from make-up, hair and special effects studios, to photography studios, IT suites, as well as access to a comprehensive Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught by a team with strong reputations as practicing professional designers or researchers, as well as visiting lecturers, a dynamic programme of industry speakers, and international visits.

Situated within the Faculty of Creative Industries, Architecture and Engineering, the course also provides you with the opportunity for cross-programme collaborations to help you contextualise your place within the industry, offering you a rich and stimulating education and preparing you for future employment.

In your final year of study, you will have the opportunity to apply to work with our professional make-up team at London Fashion Week, across a range of national theatre productions, or at Graduate Fashion Week in London.