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Graduate costume design students get to explore creative collaborations with directors, actors, technicians, and playwrights. They’re the creators of new forms of theatrical expression (and fashion) for the next generation. With an average class size of three students and a 5:1 student-to-instructor ratio, students receive one-on-one mentorship, working in state-of-the-art facilities, and showcasing their work in theatrical productions throughout BU’s Art District.

Program of Study

Training includes a rigorous curriculum, production opportunities to design in multiple venues and genres, and collaboration with theatre professionals. Costume design majors are regularly mentored by working professional faculty and advisors through their weekly seminars, hands-on, in-process production advising, and end-of-semester conferences.

Students prepare and execute a thesis that represents the culmination of three years of study. Examples of courses include costume rendering, millinery, historical tailoring, and fabric dyeing, among others.

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Costume design students also participate in SOT’s annual Theatre Showcase that takes place in Boston or New York City. The event serves as a celebration of the graduating class and the group’s formal introduction to the professional theatre community. 

Opportunities

Costume design majors get to work in BU’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre and the College of Fine Arts (CFA) Production Center, a state-of-the-art multi-functional studio theatre and production facility with a full complement of support spaces and design labs for teaching and producing theatre.

Students are mentored by professional faculty members, whose work has been seen throughout the world, in regional theaters, on Broadway, and internationally. Costume design students have access to top theatres throughout the country for internships, summer stock, design, and production opportunities.

Networking through the School of Theatre’s onSET program, where guest artists come to BU and develop shows in our multitude of theatre spaces, giving our students more opportunities to work on a variety of shows. Personal design studio spaces are available for students, with inspirational sights nearby – museums and historical sites in Boston that can provide inspiration for costume research.

Faculty

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  Nancy Lynn Leary

  Associate Professor, Costume Design

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  Susan E. Mickey

  Director of School of Theatre; Professor, Costume Design

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  Penney Pinette

  Costume Shop Manager; Lecturer, Costume Production

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  Denise Wallace-Spriggs

  Lecturer, Costume Crafts

Featured Student Work

It’s all in the attention to detail.

Notable Graduates