BA (Hons)Make-Up and Hair Design
Apply on UCAS
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
Why study make-up and hair design with a foundation year
Superb connections, amazing facilities, and the opportunity to work alongside students of photography, TV, film, and SFX make Solent’s course a first choice: the gateway to careers across the world.
- £0minvested in a dedicated art and design school
- 0thin the top 20 best student cities (StudentCrowd, 2023)
- 0thin the sector for graduate start-ups (HESA 2023)
- If you're not quite ready to undertake a full honours degree, Solent’s Foundation Year is perfectly suited to students who may not be from a fashion or arts-related background, or whose qualifications do not meet the admissions requirements for BA (Hons) Make-Up and Hair Design.
- Solent was one of the first universities in the UK ever to offer a degree in make-up and hair design – you will learn from some of the best in the business.
- Solent ranked in the top 20% of UK universities for teaching quality (out of 131 institutions) (The Times Good University Guide 2025).
- First university to offer professional make-up teams, led by students and graduates, inside the industry.
- Solent has fantastic, industry-standard make-up, hair, and prosthetics studios. The beauty room, the body lab and the prosthetics studio are just three of the areas you'll work in while capturing your work in our specialist photography, TV and film studios. There are amazing opportunities for collaboration and friendships with students from other courses.
- You will learn from professionals and academics with specialised experience in editing, digital media, performance, journalism, film, magazines, styling, art direction, editorial, advertising, PR, and critical and theoretical studies.
- A wide range of exciting guest speakers, including Terry Barber (Director of Make-up & Artistry at MAC Cosmetics), Ateh Jewel, Pablo Rodriguez (Director of Artistry, Illamasqua).
- Collaborative study and work with students from our prosthetics and special effects design programmes.
- Solent students have recently worked with Fashion Scout, London Fashion Week, Graduate Fashion Week, gaining fantastic experience to add to their CVs and improving employability.
- Study trips (to amazing fashionista locations such as New York and Paris).
- Competitions that celebrate talent and innovation.
- You’ll be assigned a personal tutor who can assist you with pastoral support to help you make the most of your learning.
Course overview
To help get you up to speed, the one-year foundation provides all the creative, technical and study skills needed to progress onto the BA (Hons) Make-Up and Hair Design degree.
The design foundation year begins with a five-week group project. This enables students to mix with like-minded peers and helps them to settle in quickly. The following ten weeks are spent introducing students to the world of art, design and fashion. This includes design history, vocabulary, methods and academic foundation. This final project takes place in the last fifteen weeks of the course and is based around the specific discipline the student will go on to study.
Following from this, the three-year stimulating and creative BA (Hons) Make-Up and Hair Design degree will encourage you to nurture your individual design identity and develop professional artistry skills – ready to launch a dynamic career as a make-up and hair designer.
On this course you will explore the many contexts of make-up and hair design within the creative industries. You will also be encouraged to take an experimental approach to application, materials and creative development processes to produce innovative and contemporary design work. This includes make-up and hair styling for fashion editorial, wig work for theatre, TV, and alternative design contexts (eg, publications, galleries and the catwalk). And to enable you to operate across design platforms, you will be trained in photography, film and digital publishing.
We emphasise diversity and inclusion within design, while debating beauty ideals, gender politics and the changing face of identity. Throughout the course you will also be encouraged to embrace and develop new ways of working, alongside the study of historic and contemporary make-up and hair techniques for fashion, beauty, theatre, TV and film.
You will study in well-equipped studios and workshops, ranging from make-up, hair and special effects studios, to photography studios, IT suites, as well as access to a comprehensive Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught by a team with strong reputations as practicing professional designers or researchers, as well as visiting lecturers, a dynamic programme of industry speakers, and international visits.
Thanks to the course team's close links with industry you will have the opportunity to work on a range of live project briefs with organisations, which have recently included  Mac Pro, Nars, Rimmel Ingolot and Huda Beauty.Â
You'll also benefit from a range of industry speakers and workshops. Recent speakers have included Carly Utting for Mac Pro And Lan Nguyen Grealis.Â
Practical experience is at the core of our real-world learning. Each year, our students work as part of a make-up team at Graduate Fashion Week, and we regularly host industry demonstrations. Students also benefit from kit support provided by leading brands, which have included Mac Pro, NARS, and Rimmel. Additionally, you are encouraged to attend events such as British Beauty Council gatherings and Mac Pro demonstrations in London."
We also provide in-house competitions, with prizes from our kit suppliers, and we encourage our students get regular experience at local theatres such as MAST, Mayflower and The Grange Theatres.
And there is also many collaborative opportunities with other students within Solent, on projects such as GUNK Collective, an online multi-media platform, showcasing the cutting edge vision of Solent University undergraduates in Makeup, Hair, Prosthetics and Special Effects, as well as a mutlitude of experiences on shoots and catwalk events. You will also have the opportunity to apply to work with our professional make-up team at London Fashion Week,
This practical experience, provides you with the opportunity for cross-programme collaborations to help you contextualise your place within the industry, offering you a rich and stimulating education and preparing you for future employment.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email:Â admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall:Â +44 (0)23 8201 5066Course features
Specialist facilities
This course has access to specialist facilities
Foundation year available
If you're not quite ready for a full undergraduate degree, there's alternative entry through one of our foundation years
Further studies
After successfully completing your studies, there's an opportunity to continue your studies at Solent
Top-up option
If you have an appropriate Level 5 qualification, you can top it up to a degree in just a year
Study abroad
You have the opportunity to study abroad in one of our partner universities for a semester on this course
Who is this course for?
Our design foundation year is ideal for students who aren’t quite ready to undertake a full undergraduate degree, either because they aren’t from an art- design- or fashion-related background, or they don’t quite meet the entry requirements.
The make-up and hair design degree is ideally suited to students who wish to use the subjects of make-up and hair to design and develop new approaches within image construction for fashion, beauty, TV, film and theatre.
Applicants should have previously studied a creative subject (previous experience in make-up and hair is not required) and have a portfolio of design work to present for interview.
What does this course lead to?
Make-up and hair graduates from Solent are renowned for their excellent design conceptualisation skills and clear understanding of the requirements of industry, alongside an innovative and professional approach to the discipline.
The course will transform your understanding of this area, and provide you with a wide range of career options as a make-up designer in the creative industries. From working within creative direction, to pursuing a career in advertising, fashion, beauty, TV, film or theatre, you will leave this degree with the creative skills to formulate, design and present self-initiated outcomes to start a fantastic career in this ever-evolving industry.
Meet the team
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
Our industry ready make-up and hair studios provide the ideal learning environment, while linking with photography, film and performance spaces. The Beauty Room, and The Body Lab are just two of the areas you will work in while capturing your work in our specialist photography, TV and film studios.
Our vibrant campus brings state-of-the-art facilities to enhance your learning and elevate your student experience. Our award-winning teaching building, The Spark is centred around students and offers a stimulating study environment with flexible learning spaces. Away from studying, why not try out the gyms, fitness studios and sports halls in our £28 million Sports Complex, or watch a blockbuster film at our student-run cinema with Dolby Atmos audio.
International opportunities
Broaden your horizons by adding an international dimension to your CV – essential to achieving success in today’s fast-changing, global environment.
Studying, working or volunteering in another country could be the experience of a lifetime. Enhance your degree by developing important global skills such as knowledge of other countries, language skills, intercultural awareness, adaptability and confidence.
For more information, please email international.mobility@solent.ac.uk.
What you'll study
Core modules
Industry Skills
In a progressive and supportive manner, you will build your confidence to communicate your ideas in both a visual and written manner that is in keeping with industry practices.
Industry Awareness
This module helps you to appreciate and understand how decisions are made to plan effective industry specific scenarios.
Materials and Methods
This module introduces you to a range of technical skills appropriate to your future learning. You will learn, experiment and research other practitioners’ works to help you develop your own ideas.
Research and Ideas Development
This module places importance on both independent study and communication between students and is designed to establish strong and supportive peer networks.
Personal Development Planning
This module provides a programme of Personal Development Planning (PDP) tools. The three concepts of personal development, improving learning and performance, and forward planning to achieve goals are brought together in this module.
Degree-related Project
In other modules you have had the opportunity to develop research, design and communication skills. This module is designed to help you now apply these skills to your own project.
How you will learn and be assessed
You will learn by:
You may be assessed by a combination of:
- Sketchbooks
- Research projects
- Portfolios
- Individual presentations
- Assignments
- Practical exams
Solent’s curriculum framework builds on our unique, creative and applied approach to teaching. The transformation of students’ lives is at the heart of our mission as a university, and our curriculum – informed by the latest theory – reflects this shared educational vision.
Find out more
Study support
The student achievement team are on hand to help you succeed during your studies at Solent. They aim to contact you at key times during your time here with personalised information, advice and guidance, by email or phone.
Access Solent provides information, advice and guidance for disabled students.
All students can access Succeed@Solent, Solent's online guide to getting better grades. It offers extensive, practical information and advice on topics such as academic writing, research and presentations.
Why choose the industry?
Make-Up and hair artists can work in a broad range of professions, spanning events, promotional campaigns, theatre, film, TV, editorial magazines and fashion shows.Â
The ethos of the course is that it operates as a creative hub, providing students with the skills to develop creative concepts and alternative approaches. Our key objective is to nurture exceptional make-up and hair designers, enabling them to be expressive, visionary and provocative with a wide range of abilities. Working in specialist photography, TV and film studios, there are amazing opportunities for collaboration with students from other courses.
You could earn:
Make-up artist
Typical salary: £170 - £450 per day
Make-up artists working in fashion can earn £450 a day for an event like London Fashion Week, and around £275 for other events. For fashion editorial work head make-up artists earn £170 to £320 per day, depending on the designer. On major feature films, with budgets over £30million, a trainee make-up artist can earn £140 for a ten-hour day, while a key hair and make-up artist with several years' experience, will earn £410.
The stated salaries are published on prospects.ac.uk.
Solent Futures
The Solent Careers team is committed to getting students into great careers.
While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
If you're in your final year, we also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
6th
UK uni for sustained employment
Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, 2022
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year are:
- UK, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,250 per year
- International full-time fees: £15,050 for foundation level. Fees will increase for year 1.
- International full-time fees: £17,750 per year
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Extra course costs
While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. These additional costs are listed below. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.
The 2025/26 other costs are not yet available. For guidance, the 2024/25 costs were:
Compulsory costs
- Foundation year
Portfolios, A4 ring binders, scale rulers, sketchbooks and basic drawing materials will be required: approximately £150.
Printing: £100 - Year one
Make-up and hair kit: £600
Lighting rig and backdrop: £40 - Year two
Optional module - Radical Bodies: £315
Optional module - The Make-Up Morgue: £140
Optional costs
- Year one
Study trip: approx £350 - £1,300 - Year two
Study trips: approx £350 - £1,300 - Year three
Study trips: approx £350 - £1,300
Bursaries, scholarships and financial support
Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.
Cost of living support
At Solent, we understand that the cost of living crisis may be of some concern. To help, we've put together some detailed information to show what support is available and how to make your money go further.
Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £15. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Student finance videos
Student finance Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.Student funding - the essentials Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.
Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
48 UCAS tariff points
- from A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP, a T-Level Pass (D or E), or equivalent.
- For further information about UK qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about EU qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about international qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email:Â admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall:Â +44 (0)23 8201 5066How to apply
Full-time
Any student applying for the first year of a full-time/sandwich undergraduate course must apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service). This includes mature, overseas and EU students.
Nearly all schools and colleges offer their students the facility of applying electronically through the UCAS website using 'Apply'; it may also be used by those applying independently in the UK and overseas. This facility and all course information can be found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com.
Your application should reach UCAS by 31 January if you hope to enter a course the following autumn. Early application is advised for the most popular subject areas. Late applications may be made until the end of June. The UCAS Code for the University is S30, code name SOLNT.
Find out what happens after you apply
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Alternative entry options
Top-up route:
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses. Please contact our admissions team for more information: contact us
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
-
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component
-
or equivalent.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
Make your application
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
