Ask La Bricoleuse: What schools offer a costume production MFA?
I've had several emails over the years from people asking not only about our MFA program here at UNC-Chapel Hill but about the existence of similar programs at other universities.
The fact is, it's easy to find graduate programs offering a concentration in costume design, or a split-focus between design and technology, but not so easy to locate the few that offer or allow a strict specialization in technology alone. Ironic, since every production only has one costume designer (who may have an assistant or few) but a multitude of costume production artists.
Our program is easy to find info about due to this blog and its Facebook page and our hashtag on Instagram #mfadramaunc, but where might one look for other costume-technology-only programs? After all, not every student's goals are going to be congruent with the focus of our program, and it's good to "shop around" when looking for the right fit in a graduate school. As such, i've made up a list of the other programs i'm aware of out there that offer masters degrees in costume production/technology.
Caveat: I'm not listing design/technology combination degree programs, as those are quite common, and I'm not listing focus programs in related disciplines like fiber art or puppetry.
Alphebetical Listing of Graduate Programs with a Concentration in Costume Production/Technology:
(links go to the specific program page where possible)
And, because an MFA isn't for everyone who wants/needs more advanced professional training, I'd like to aggregate certificate programs here as well, which are not MFAs/graduate degrees, but which offer shorter-term concentrated study in costume production.
Now, of course these aren't all "like ours," in that every program has its own areas of expertise and focus, different course offerings and faculty, theory vs practice foci, etc etc. It's a list in flux, as other programs pop up i'll add them, and if (knock wood, heaven forbid) any are eliminated by their university/college, i'll cross them off.
If you know of another costume-production-centric program that offers concentrations in areas like draping, tailoring, costume crafts, and shop management i don't have listed yet, let me know and i'll add it here! Please drop a note in the comments!
The fact is, it's easy to find graduate programs offering a concentration in costume design, or a split-focus between design and technology, but not so easy to locate the few that offer or allow a strict specialization in technology alone. Ironic, since every production only has one costume designer (who may have an assistant or few) but a multitude of costume production artists.
Our program is easy to find info about due to this blog and its Facebook page and our hashtag on Instagram #mfadramaunc, but where might one look for other costume-technology-only programs? After all, not every student's goals are going to be congruent with the focus of our program, and it's good to "shop around" when looking for the right fit in a graduate school. As such, i've made up a list of the other programs i'm aware of out there that offer masters degrees in costume production/technology.
Caveat: I'm not listing design/technology combination degree programs, as those are quite common, and I'm not listing focus programs in related disciplines like fiber art or puppetry.
Alphebetical Listing of Graduate Programs with a Concentration in Costume Production/Technology:
(links go to the specific program page where possible)
- Boston University
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Indiana University at Bloomington
- North Carolina School of the Arts
- Ohio University
- Penn State
Rutgers University[ETA: Eliminated as of 2024]- University of Florida at Gainesville
- University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of Texas at Austin
And, because an MFA isn't for everyone who wants/needs more advanced professional training, I'd like to aggregate certificate programs here as well, which are not MFAs/graduate degrees, but which offer shorter-term concentrated study in costume production.
- Artisan Certificate in costume crafts from Boston University
- Golden West College (CA) costume certificate
- LA City College costume certificate
If you know of another costume-production-centric program that offers concentrations in areas like draping, tailoring, costume crafts, and shop management i don't have listed yet, let me know and i'll add it here! Please drop a note in the comments!
Period pattern half-drape by Cami Huebert
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