Hair, Make-Up and Prosthetics for Stage and Screen BA

Program Overview

The BA (Hons) in Hair, Make-Up, and Prosthetics for Stage and Screen at the University of Northampton equips students with practical skills in hair, make-up, and special effects for the creative industries. It emphasizes employability through guaranteed internships and industry-focused instruction. The program provides historical and cultural context while fostering research skills and promoting critical analysis through a combination of practical and written assessments.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Hair, Make-Up and Prosthetics for Stage and Screen BA (Hons) degree at the University of Northampton is designed to provide students with a varied practical skills-set in hair, make-up, and special effects for stage and screen. The program aims to prepare students for a career within the make-up and special effects sector of the creative industries. It emphasizes employability with a placement opportunity and a focus on industry etiquettes. The program also provides historical and cultural academic contextualization of hair, make-up, and prosthetics across a range of stage and screen contexts.

Outline:

The Hair, Make-Up and Prosthetics for Stage and Screen degree is structured on a three-stage progressive model:

Year 1 – Foundations of Theory and Practice:

• Semester 1:
• HMP1001 – Makeup for Stage, Screen and In-between (40 Credit Practical Module):
This module introduces students to essential make-up techniques, approaches, tools, etiquettes, and methods used in the stage and screen industries.
• HMP1002- A History of a Thousand Faces: Make-Up and Identity on Stage and Screen (20 Credit Theory Module): This module provides an historical overview of the function of make-up and special effects in representing and communicating identity in various cultural contexts.
• Semester 2:
• HMP10003 – Hair for Stage, Screen and In-between (40 Credit Practical Module):
This module focuses on foundational hair styling techniques, approaches, tools, etiquettes, and methods used in the stage and screen industries.
• HMP10004- Hair and Who We Are: Contextualising Hair and Identity on Stage and Screen (20 Credit Theory Module): This module explores the historical developments and importance of hair in representing and communicating identity within various cultural and historical contexts.

Year 2 – In Contexts of Theory and Practice:

• Semester 1:
• HMP2001 – Introducing Prosthetics (20 Credit Practical Module):
This module combines previous learning to develop competence in applying, blending, and coloring on-set prosthetics, exploring their versatility for stage and screen.
• HMP2002 – Character Transformation in a Transmedia Universe: Prosthetics and Identity (20 Credit Theory Module): This module investigates the importance and advances in prosthetics in representing and enabling identity transformation across various genres of stage and screen mediums.
• HMP2003 – Advanced Hair, Wigs and Design (20 Credit Practical Module): This module builds on hair skills from Year 1 and expands them into diverse contexts within the special effects for stage and screen industries.
• Semester 2:
• HMP2004 – Burnished, Buffed and Brushed: Bringing Together Hair, Make-up and Prosthetics (40 Credit Practical Module):
This module focuses on the interrelated nature of make-up, hair, and prosthetics in producing a completed design and identity for a selected brief.
• HMP2005 – Researching Trends in Hair, Make-up and Prosthetics (20 Credit Theory Module): This module introduces students to key research methodologies, processes, and approaches for conducting research within and about the hair, make-up, and prosthetics industries.

Year 3 – Specialised Arenas of Theory and Practice:

• Semester 1:
• HMP3001- Professional Skills and Industry Etiquettes in Hair, Make-Up and Prosthetics (20 Credit Employability/Career Skills & Placement Module):
This module equips students with advanced knowledge of professional skills, processes, and etiquettes of the media and performance industries to prepare them for employment.
• HMP3002 – Breaking the Mold: Advanced Prosthetics for Stage and Screen (20 Credit Practical Module): This module expands students' knowledge and skill sets in prosthetics, developing conceptual designs through life casting, sculpting, and molding techniques.
• HMP3003 – Lights, Camera and Action: The Spectacle of Stage and Screen Effects (20 Credit Theory Module): This module explores the history and importance of hair, make-up, and prosthetics-based spectacle on stage and screen, applying a critical theoretical framework of spectacle.
• Semester 2:
• HMP3004- Short Dissertation (20 Theory Module):
This module enables students to conduct a critical investigation into a topic related to Hair, Make-up, and Prosthetics for Stage and Screen.
• HMP4001 – Showcasing Hair, Make-Up and Prosthetics (40 Credit Practical Module): This module involves devising, planning, and producing a completed look/style for a self-designed brief to be showcased at a specialized event.

Assessment:

The program is assessed through a combination of practical assignments and presentations (approximately 70% of the final grade) and written assessments (approximately 30% of the final grade). Written assessments include reflective sketchbooks, critical portfolios, character and case studies, essays, and a work-based placement assessment.

Teaching:

Teaching methods include small group seminars, interactive workshops, individual and small group tutorials (both face-to-face and online), individual supervision, and independent study. The program is taught by a team of both industry experts and published academic researchers.

Careers:

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be equipped to work as (but not limited to):

• Make-up artists and assistants
• Specialist hair stylists
• Wig designers
• Prosthetics artists

Other:

• The program includes a guaranteed paid internship in accordance with the Northampton Employment Promise.
• Eligible students receive a HP laptop and software.
• The program offers access to bespoke hair, make-up, and prosthetic rooms with industry-standard facilities.
• Guest lectures, workshops, and employability-oriented events are led by industry figures.

UK – Part Time: £1,540 per 20 credit module UK – Integrated Foundation Year: £9,250 International – Full Time: £15,200

International – Integrated Foundation Year: £15,200