Degree Programme in Digital and Performance Costume Design
Objectives
You know theatre, film, and TV production processes and have the ability to work in national and international productions. You master the principles of costume design and techniques specific to performance costumes.
During the studies, you deepen your knowledge in character costume design and creation, familiarise yourself with costume and theatre history, and learn to use new digital software in costume design. You understand the process of costume design from the initial idea to a finished product.
The Degree Programme in Digital and Performance Costume Design is the only UAS degree in Finland focusing on costume design and one of the few in the world teaching digital costume design and creation. When you study at Xamk, you will be one of the pioneers in our field - studying new software and work processes.
Degree programme description
The degree programme in Digital and Performance Costume Design comprises core competence and complementary competence studies. Core competence studies, which are common to all students, focus on the basics of your professional field at the degree level. In complementary studies, you can choose courses that interest you in your own field or other professional fields. Practical training (30 ECTS credits) is part of the degree programme, with an estimated 21 calendar weeks of work altogether. The scope of the bachelor’s thesis is 15 ECTS credits.
The Degree Programme in Digital and Performance Costume Design includes joint studies with other design students, such as sewing techniques, art history, user experience, design thinking, photography, entrepreneurship, and 2D and 3D software. These courses provide a comprehensive understanding of the basics of design.
In addition, you study costume design and creation in theatre, film, TV, and digital productions. During contact teaching lessons, you learn to make costumes and use field-specific equipment and software, and then you continue developing these skills independently. You learn to document and analyse your own work process.
The basic technical competence study module comprises the study of different field-specific machinery and equipment, the basics of pattern cutting and sewing, the differences between materials, and how to implement them for different purposes.
The introduction to costume design study module teaches understanding the present day through costume design and theatre history and the ability to apply this to your costume design development. You learn the principles of costume design and make connections to different companies in the field.
The digital costume design study module teaches the theoretical and practical aspects of digital costume design in different media, such as animation and gaming. You also learn to make digital costumes and market them on different digital platforms.
The study module on the special techniques of costume design teaches you to develop your skills to design and create fantasy or historical costumes. You learn to make different historical costumes and their supportive elements, such as corsets, panniers, and crinolines. You know how to build different textures and distress and age materials.
RDI Research, development and innovation study module comprises an RDI project involving planning, designing, and creating a project and writing a project report. In addition, you learn to analyse a script and implement it in the costume design process.
Complementary competence at Xamk
Complementary competence comprises students’ optional studies. Complementary competence deepens or expands the core competence of the degree programme and allows you to specialise in a particular area. For professional optional studies, you can choose from individual courses or study modules in accordance with your personal study plan. The complementary competence selection includes Xamk-level multidisciplinary online studies, field-specific studies, and degree programme specific studies.
Other optional studies included in complementary competence are higher education courses that students can freely choose. You can choose up to 15 ECTS credits of other optional studies. You may also complete complementary competence study modules or courses from the selection of other higher education institutions, where applicable. The scope of complementary competence is, depending on the scope of core competence studies, 45–120 ECTS credits in degrees comprising 210 credits and 60–120 ECTS credits in degrees comprising 240 credits.
Implementation of studies
The studies are primarily held during the daytime and on weekdays. The study methods vary, including contact teaching, independent study assignments, group assignments, online courses, and work-related projects. The studies require a strong ability to work independently during evenings and weekends at campus workshops or in industry projects.
Flexible study opportunities
At the beginning of the studies, you prepare your personal study plan (PSP) which helps you make choices related to the studies, practical training, bachelor’s thesis and international activities. We make every effort to ensure that you can plan your studies in the best way possible, according to your own life situation.
The studies are implemented using various methods:
· lectures
· independent assignments
· teamwork
· online studies
· projects with companies and other organisations
· projects carried out at South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences
· examinations
· practical training.
Career opportunities
After graduating as a designer, you can work in numerous tasks/jobs in the field of costume design. You can work as a costume designer, costumier or wardrobe personnel. You can costume theatrical performances, TV programmes, films and plays, design costumes for artists, or create digital costumes for different virtual mediums.
The degree programme also gives you the competence to work in counselling tasks and in the field of vocational education. Becoming an entrepreneur is one good alternative. It is even possible to establish your own business during your studies, and Xamk supports it with extensive entrepreneurship studies.
A professional graduating from the field of costume design is primarily a producer of experiences. The experience can be a theatrical performance, music video or concert.
Xamk’s education prepares you for future innovations in the field of costume related to circular economy, recycling and digital software.
RDI and cooperation with world of work
The degree programme collaborates closely with the industry. In addition, we collaborate with Xamk's Creative Industries research unit, which makes large-scale networking possible and provides experience in international projects. In the past, Xamk students have been employed in different Finnish productions such as films and TV productions, in theatres' wardrobe departments, and as entrepreneurs working with artists. The degree opens a path for further studies, for example, at Aalto University. Collaboration with the Game Design degree programme enables participation in interdisciplinary projects.
Past collaborations have been, for example:
• Imatra city theatre in the form of costume design for children's theatrical performances for four successive years.
• Cooperation with Metropolia University of Applied Sciences - costume design for short film projects; for example, four individual projects have been carried out since the spring of 2019.
• Cooperation with bachelor's degree student theatres of the University of the Arts Helsinki, Theatre Academy and the University of Tampere, Degree Programme in Theatre Arts. Students have carried out three costume design projects since the spring of 2019.
• Xamk also cooperates with the music college of Northern Kymi province in the form of an opera production, Pohjalaisia. The premiere was in autumn 2019.
Learning environments
The Kouvola campus provides modern study facilities, computer classes and workshops. The workshop building Paja gives the students an opportunity to make prototypes and finished products from their designs. The fashion/costume workshop is equipped with the necessary machines and devices, providing the opportunity to print and dye fabrics and remodel materials. In the workshop, there is a pattern-cutting program available, a sublimation printer for patterning synthetic fibers, and a laser shredder for processing materials. In addition, the campus has up-to-date digital software to make costumes for virtual environments. The degree collaborates with the Game Design degree programme. Therefore, you are able to use the vast collection of the latest digital software and equipment in Meduusa Studio.