Master of Fine Arts - Costume Design

The MFA Costume Design program provides graduates with key technical skills and opportunities to practice their craft at an advanced level in active production environments. By combining a rigorous sewing program with industry specific design courses, the students will be equipped for success in any number of positions in either theatre or film. Graduate students will have opportunities to design costumes for short and feature length films, collaborating with the director, fellow designers and the actors to create costumes that support the needs of the film. Graduates will have excellent problem solving skills and advanced success in sewing, pattern drafting, draping, and specialty construction skills like millinery, tutu, and jewelry making. Each graduate student will produce a final thesis project and portfolio that showcases the range of their talents in design and construction of garments and specialty items.

Graduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:

Costume Design Thesis

• Create a body of work that will be built into a portfolio, representing an advanced level of achievement, targeted towards the film industry or other performance arts productions
• Conduct research to develop creative concepts and build a visual story
• Demonstrate a consistent level of design quality from pre-production through the shooting of the film or rehearsal process of a live production
• Conduct specific research based on a given script that shows a clear understanding of the costume needs for the story

Collaboration

• Collaborate effectively to produce creative projects

Professional Readiness

• Create a relevant and original portfolio and collateral materials which can be used to market themselves to the industry

*Note App Fee Waiver in effect for ApplyBoard to reduce the application fee to $50*