Costume Design (BFA)

The costume design BFA program will train the next generation of artisans and designers with key technical skills and opportunities to practice their craft in active production environments. By combining a rigorous sewing program with industry specific design courses, the students will be prepared to work in any number of positions in either theatre or film. Students will have opportunities to design theatrical productions, collaborating with the director, fellow designers and the actors to create costumes that support the needs of the play. Finally, each student will graduate with a portfolio that showcases the range of their talents in design and construction of garments and specialty items like jewelry and millinery work.

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Degree
Core Classes

This program is available online and on campus

School of Fashion

FSH 100

Drawing for Fashion Core/3

Develop foundational skills in design sketching through observation and replication. You will become familiar with body proportions, basic human anatomy, and figure balance.

FSH 101

Fashion Visual Research and Design Development Core/3

Fashion design is a process. You'll build a firm foundation of skills as you develop and use visual research to create, edit, and balance a collection.

FSH 105

Fashion Business: Concepts Core/3

You will be introduced to the concepts of fashion retail and wholesale merchandising, fashion materials, producers of fashion, and various fashion markets.

FSH 110

Creative Concepts for Fashion Core/3

Focus on original and creative hands-on development for collections. Color, fabrics, proportion, silhouette, customer, and wearing occasion are explored through 2D and 3D development.

FSH 120

Color Science & Fabric Technology Core/3

Color and fabric are concepts that drive creativity, novelty, and innovation. You will explore how fashion professionals apply color and design principles at all levels of the industry. You will study how textile fibers and other fabric characteristics affect garment performance.

FSH 140

Introduction to Costume Design Core/3

Bring your designs to life for theater, film, or cosplay storytelling. You will learn to design costumes for a specific set of characters, altering and manipulating garments for the stage. Plus, study the systems, terminology, and tools used by costume designers.

FSH 161

Fashion Business: Digital Techniques Core/3

Use professional software to communicate visual information. Learn to work fluidly between programs to create fashion line layout, concept boards, and detailed specification for reproduction.

FSH 164

Fashion Sewing Techniques Core/3

Get the cutting and sewing skills for work in the apparel industry. You will learn both hand finishing and machine sewing techniques in wovens and create a notebook documenting your new skills.

FSH 221

Fashion Design Communication Core/3

Learn to represent your creative design ideas as specification drawings (flats) and as fully colored illustrations. Develop the design skills to analyze current design trends and learn to render fabric and color accurately.

FSH 441

Period Costume Construction Core/3

Creating period garments is enlightening. You will build theatrical costumes using Renaissance-era garment construction abilities, patterning and rigging techniques, along with corset construction skills. (This course is cross-listed with FSH 671.)

Degree Requirements

Unit Requirements	Units
Core	24
Sophomore Portfolio	3
Senior Portfolio	3
Major	39
Electives	9
Liberal Arts	42
Total	120

BFA COSTUME DESIGN DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Minimum grade of C- in all major coursework.
Minimum 2.0 GPA and the following general education requirements:
4 Art Historical Awareness courses
1 Creative Communication course
1 Written Communication: Critical Thinking course
1 Fabric & Fiber Literacy course
1 Historical Awareness course
1 Quantitative Literacy course
1 Cultural Ideas & Influences course
1 Employment Communications and Practices course

After above general education requirements are met, take Liberal Arts electives as needed to fulfill the Liberal Arts unit requirement.

Additional Information

Liberal Arts

Program Learning Outcomes

Undergraduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:

Research and Concept Development

Produce creative and original designs
Select design concepts appropriate for the customer or audience
Generate ideas that are coherently related to the chosen concept
Conduct thorough design research
Demonstrate evidence of trialing and self-editing designs
Propose designs that are possible to translate from 2D to 3D

Visual Presentation Skills

Create professional and organized presentations that reflect an individual/personal style
Effectively communicate design concepts and philosophy two-dimensionally

Technical Skills

Work effectively with industry standard software
Demonstrate technical proficiency in design communication

Verbal and Written Presentation Skills

Clearly express ideas utilizing industry vocabulary

Professional Readiness

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

Costume Design Skills

Demonstrate advanced skills in alterations, distressing, and quick rigging of costume pieces for theatrical productions
Effectively document and apply director/cast/crew feedback to costume designs
Prepare a legible, organized production bible including all relevant charts, documents, and photographs
Maintain consistency in the costume looks and actors’ hair and makeup for the entire production