BA Make-Up & Hair Design Course | University for the Creative Arts

Currently Viewing:

Location

Epsom

Start date

Sept 2026, Sept 2027

Duration

3 years full-time

UCAS codes

Course: W452
Institution: C93

Placement year

Optional extra year of study

Entry requirements

Check qualifications

Tuition fees

Check fees and funding options

Make-up & Hair Design at UCA

Become a visual artist who thinks, concepts, and creates for print, screen, and show on our BA (Hons) Make-up & Hair Design degree course.

The design behind the look

Make-up and hair is a design discipline. You'll learn to think critically about beauty, identity and representation – and channel that thinking into how you concept and art-direct. Expect conversations that start with a viral moment on social media and lead into deep contextual discussions. Ideas are what give your work meaning, and what will set your portfolio (and your talents) apart.

Your studio is your classroom

Lectures, workshops, reviews – they all happen where the mirrors and kits are. Learning is hands-on from the start, with technical sessions kept short and immediately followed by practice. It's an environment designed around how make-up and hair artists actually work, not how universities traditionally teach. You'll build professional habits, safe working practices, and creative confidence in the same space, at the same time.

Fashion, film, screen and beyond

You’ll learn skills that can travel: into editorial and campaigns, film and TV, theatre, events, beauty brands, cosmetology, and beyond. You'll learn the differences between styling for print and styling for screen, and you'll build the adaptability to move between them. The most successful artists in this industry work across several disciplines – we’re training you to join them.

Collaboration is built in

You’ll never work in isolation at UCA. You'll be on set with fashion photographers, stylists, designers, and creative directors from our other fashion courses – understanding how your work fits into the bigger picture. By the time you step onto your first set in your first grad job, you’ll have a deep understanding of how every role works.

The UCA Way

UCA courses are built around the things we know matter most to creative students:

Learn by making

Get practical and stuck in – spend most of your time in studios and workshops. Over 80% of our teaching spaces are studios, workshops, or labs.

See your place in the bigger picture

Understand history, culture and context to give your work depth. Our degrees were established by BAFTA and Oscar winners.

Find your people

Collaboration is built into the curriculum, where you’ll make friends and future creative partners. Our Shared modules link work from students from up to 15 courses. This module focuses on how you collaborate, not what you deliver. Setting you up for success in a creative community.

Gain career confidence for the long game

Build skills, resilience, and industry awareness that prepare you for a successful creative career. Our courses have been designed with industry, focussing on your professional pathway, you’ll learn about grant applications, self-employment, and how to nail creative job interviews.

Learn in a way that works for you

Inclusive assessment, synchronised deadlines, and a student experience built with real life in mind. Our courses are focussed on being inclusive. We listen to our students, and you learn and get feedback how you want it.

Elouise Towler, BA (Hons) Make-Up & Hair Design

Dorcas Omoyi Woho, BA (Hons) Make-Up & Hair Design

Andreea Capusan, BA (Hons) Make-Up & Hair Design

Lucia Biance Radoslaw, BA (Hons) Make-up & Hair Design

Eileen Zhu, BA (Hons) Make-Up & Hair Design

Fiona Gentry, BA (Hons) Make-up & Hair Design

Asima Khatan, BA (Hons) Make-Up & Hair Design

Maryana Dimitrova-Lazarova, BA (Hons) Make-up & Hair Design

BA (Hons) Make-up & Hair Design, UCA Rochester

Georgia Brady, BA (Hons) Make-up & Hair Design

What you'll study

The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.

Year one

Introduction to Make-up and Hair Practice: 30 credits
You are introduced to the foundations of make-up and hair as creative practices within fashion and visual culture. You will develop early technical skills, visual awareness and creative confidence through supported experimentation and reflective practice.

Career Catalyst: Skills & Capability: 30 credits
This module supports the development of essential creative, technical and digital skills. You will build confidence in processes, tools and methods while developing professional working habits that support your individual creative practice.

Collaborative Make-up and Hair Production: 30 credits
In this module you will develop your understanding of cultural, historical and social contexts that shape beauty, fashion and representation. Research and critical enquiry support more informed and reflective creative decision making.

Creative Contexts 1: 30 credits
Developing your understanding of the cultural, historical and social contexts that shape fashion and image making. Through research and critical enquiry, you will explore how identity, representation and global perspectives inform creative practice, supporting more informed and reflective image production.

Year two

Fashion Innovation and Contemporary Debates: 30 credits
This module explores innovation, emerging technologies and contemporary debates shaping make-up and hair practice. You will develop informed creative positions through experimentation and critical engagement.

Career Catalyst: Communities & Influence: 30 credits
Focusing on audience, participation and collaboration, this module explores how make-up and hair practice operates within communities and public contexts. You will work collaboratively, engage with external voices where appropriate, and consider the social impact and responsibilities of creative work.

Make-up, Hair and the Fashion Image: 30 credits
Focusing on make-up and hair as visual communication, this module develops your ability to create and present work for professional and industry-facing contexts.

Creative Contexts 2: 30 credits
This module encourages experimentation beyond the traditional boundaries of your discipline You will explore intersections with other creative disciplines such as performance, technology, sound or spatial practice, developing innovative and hybrid approaches that expand your creative language.

Professional practice year (if undertaken)

If you opt to complete a professional practice year, this will take place in year three. You will undertake a placement within the creative industries to further develop your skills and CV.

While on your Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee for that year. This fee will be determined using government funding regulations. Based on current regulations, we expect this to be a maximum of 20% of the tuition fee rate that you are charged for your second year of study. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during this year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this as you approach your Professional Practice Year.

Please note: If you are an international applicant, you will need to enrol onto the course ‘with Professional Practice Year’. It will not be possible to transfer onto the Professional Practice Year after enrolment

Year three

Creative Research: 30 credits
This module supports the development of independent research and critical enquiry. You will investigate themes relevant to your practice, developing theoretical, contextual and methodological approaches that underpin your final project and strengthen your creative decision-making.

Career Catalyst: Futures & Direction: 30 credits
Focused on professional development and future planning, this module supports you in articulating your creative identity and career ambitions. You will explore industry contexts, professional strategies and sustainable career pathways, preparing you for life beyond graduation.

Major Project: 60 credits
The Major Project is the culmination of your studies, allowing you to produce a substantial body of self-directed work. You will define your focus, foregrounding fashion styling, image making, creative direction or a hybrid approach, and realise a resolved project that demonstrates your authorship, innovation and professional readiness.

Study abroad (optional)

This course is designed to offer you (if eligible) the opportunity to study part of your degree aboard at a UCA partner university, while still earning credits towards your UCA degree.

For more information please visit the Study Abroad section

Expected learning hours

Year one

Independent study: 72%
Scheduled teaching: 28%
Maximum percentage of scheduled delivered online: 20%

Year two

Independent study: 74%
Scheduled teaching: 26%
Maximum percentage of scheduled delivered online: 20%

Year three

Independent study: 76%
Scheduled teaching: 24%
Maximum percentage of scheduled delivered online: 20%

Professional placement or International year (if undertaken)

Independent study: 98%
Scheduled teaching: 2%
Maximum percentage of scheduled delivered online: 100%

Please note: these details are for 2026 entry and could be subject to change for other years of entry.

Course specifications

Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.

Explore our gradshow

Each year, we’re privileged to be able to share our graduates’ incredible work with the world. And now’s your chance to take a look.

Visit the online showcase

Upcoming webinars

We offer a range of webinars throughout the year that you may be interested in.

You can also view recordings of all previous sessions through the UCA webinar archive.

15 Apr 2026

A Guide to Student Finance & Budgeting at University

Want to know more about student finance and budgeting at university? We understand everyone’s financial situations are different, and at UCA we try to support you as much as possible throughout your time with us. Book now: A Guide to Student Finance & Budgeting at University

24 Apr 2026

Living at Home while at Uni

Want to know what its like to be a student who commutes? Join us on Friday 24th April to speak to our panel of commuter students, and find out how to still obtain the most from student life while having all the comforts of home. Book now: Living at Home while at Uni

27 Apr 2026

Putting together your Portfolio

At UCA, we offer a range of postgraduate options at both Master's and PhD level that will help you further your skills, ready for a career within the creative industries. Book now: Putting together your Portfolio

29 Apr 2026

Discover Computer Science at UCA

Want to know what studying a Computer Science degree at UCA can lead to? Want to find out what skills and projects you can develop? Join us on 29th April 4pm, as Rob Morgan, the programme director for Computing & Creative Technology at UCA, talks through all things Computer Science, and answers all your questions. Book now: Discover Computer Science at UCA

13 May 2026

Student Support & Life on Campus

Are you wondering what it’s like to be a student at UCA? We’re here to talk through everything you need to know about student support and life on campus. Book now: Student Support & Life on Campus

16 Jun 2026

Putting together your Portfolio

Fees & financial support

Tuition fees - 2026/27

BA course: £9,790

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee, for 2026/27 this is £1,955. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.

Government guidance indicates that tuition‑fee caps will rise annually with inflation from 2026, subject to legislation, so tuition fees are likely to increase each year of study.

Tuition fees - 2026/27

BA course: £9,790 (see fee discount information)

Government guidance indicates that tuition‑fee caps will rise annually with inflation from 2026, subject to legislation, so tuition fees are likely to increase each year of study.

Tuition fees - 2026/27

BA course: £18,000

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2026 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £3,490. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.

The fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only, for details of previous years please see the full fee schedules.

UCA scholarships and fee discounts

At UCA we have a number of scholarships and fee discounts available to assist you with the cost of your studies.

Financial support

There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources. Discover what support you might qualify for please see our financial support information.

Additional course costs

In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.

These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of the Course Information Document for more details of the costs you may incur.

Find out what's included in your tuition fees.

Make-up and Hair facilities & Equipment

Study in our brand new beauty studios at UCA Epsom. The campus also has a wide range of facilities including fully equipped photography studios and digital media suites with Macs and PCs with latest programmes for editing as well as general design work.

Make-up & Hair Design Studios, UCA Epsom

Make-up and Hair Design Studios, UCA Epsom

Make-up & Hair Design Studios, UCA Epsom

Interior of the Make-up and Hair Design Studio

Make-up & Hair Design Studios, UCA Epsom

Library, UCA Epsom

Photography students in UCA Epsom studio

Photography Studios, UCA Epsom

Launch the Virtual Tour

Make-up and Hair Design career opportunities

Live projects

You’ll have the opportunity to take part in live industry projects collaborating with fashion giants including:

Harvey Nichols
Shaftesbury PLC
Covent Garden
Carnaby Street
Camden Town
Zandra Rhodes

Student placements

Student placements are mandatory in the second year. Past students have undertaken placements at:

Gucci
Vogue
Preen
London Fashion Week
Wonderland Magazine

Graduates of this course can expect to leave and develop within a variety of different roles.

These include:

Hair and make-up artist
Support technicians
Hairstylists
Beauty therapist
Retail make-up artists
Bridal hair and make-up artists.

What careers can you do with a fashion degree?

Studying fashion at university will open doors to various creative, technical and business-focused jobs.

You may also like to consider further study at postgraduate level.

MA Fashion Design Studios, The Wells, Epsom

What our fashion students say

“The difference is that everyone’s a creative here, on your course and every other course. That’s what sold it to me, it’s nice to work in an environment like that. Plus, everyone’s just so lovely too! It has really lived up to my expectations.”

Read Sky's story

Makeup artistry wins students top spots!

Two Make-up and Hair Design students from UCA were named semi-finalists in the 2022 International Beauty Industry (IBI) Awards .

Read their story

Make-up & Hair Design staff

Michelle Marshall

Programme Director of Fashion Image

Benjamin R.K. Minchell

Lecturer, Year 1 and Year 2 Lead in Make-up & Hair Design

Charlotte McGee

Technical Tutor in Hair Design

Entry requirements

We’ll need to see your portfolio for this course, please see the portfolio requirements section for more details.

Select country Select your country to find the equivalent requirements

Portfolio requirements

For this course we will need to see a portfolio.

UK applicants: We will invite you to attend an Applicant Day so you can have your portfolio review in person.
International applicants: We will ask you to submit an online portfolio.

Your portfolio should present recent creative work that reflects your interests, experimentation and visual thinking in relation to make-up, hair and fashion. You should submit a 25 page portfolio. Work may come from a range of creative subjects and does not need to be professionally finished.

Please check our Make-Up & Hair Design portfolio advice and read our advice on creating a strong fashion portfolio.

UCAS applicants should also check our UCAS personal statement guide for a fashion applicants.

Full portfolio requirements and advice