BA (Hons) Prosthetics and Special Effects Design Bachelor's degree at Southampton Solent University
BA (Hons) Prosthetics and Special Effects Design at SSU. You'll study at Southampton Solent University, which holds Gold for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 and is a recognised UK degree-awarding body.
About this course
BA (Hons) Prosthetics and Special Effects Design is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at SSU, based in East Park Terrace. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Creative arts and design graduates from this provider, 85% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 55% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £24,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Art & Design, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 60; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 85% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 90% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year one 4 modules
- Flesh and FictionCore
Module details
This module will develop your foundational understanding of anatomy, form and three-dimensional design through the creation of original sculpted props, maquettes and miniatures. You'll be introduced to essential observational, conceptual and modelling techniques that support the development of believable, narrative-driven designs.
- Picture MattersCore
Module details
This module introduces you to the fundamentals of image making practice - you will learn about the function and uses of cameras, lenses, lighting and post-production techniques. You'll explore both studio and location practice, with practical demonstrations and hands-on participation, and you'll be introduced to standard industry practices, such as model releases.
- Glitches and StitchesCore
Module details
This module introduces you to the creative and technical challenges of digital sculpting within contemporary prosthetics, creature design and SFX production. You'll explore how artists translate narrative concepts into fully realised digital forms, addressing anatomical accuracy, efficient workflow management and iterative design processes. And through practice-led learning you'll gain hands-on experience with professional sculpting software and learn how digital assets support both virtual and
- Technical TriageCore
Module details
In this module you'll develop your ability to use the fundamentals of prosthetic application through studio-led practice to create effective prosthetic wounds. You will use SFX relevant materials and techniques of sculpting and application to create realistic wound replication matching to contextual story telling and continuity.
Year two 4 modules
- Pitch PerfectCore
Module details
This module will develop your understanding of your industry and help you position yourself within it through brand identity creation, freelancing skills and portfolio building. You'll build your personal brand through image portfolio creation, web production, and CV enhancement; and you will develop your technical skills in image construction through practical studio and location workshops.
- Creature CreationCore
Module details
This module supports you in developing more advanced digital design and fabrication skills that build on the foundations gained in your first year. You will explore digital approaches used across contemporary prosthetics, creature design, and related creative industries, working with processes such as digital sculpting, scanning, model preparation and digital-to-physical workflows.
- Under the SkinCore
Module details
In this module you'll develop your advanced understanding of advanced prosthetic effects through professional industry techniques. You'll build on foundational prosthetics and SFX skills to produce complex, realistic, and technically challenging effects for film and media production while exploring professional techniques such as life casting, blood pump construction, squish moulds, and complex wound replication.
- Gothic and GoreCore
Module details
In this module, you'll advance your ability to translate creature and character concepts into production-ready physical outcomes within industry-simulated workflows. You will design and create large-scale creature or character props and set pieces, adopting the structure, pace and expectations of professional SFX workshops and explore advanced mould-making techniques, multi-part mould construction, surface finishing processes and the logistics of fabricating oversized or complex forms.
Final year 4 modules
- Major ProjectCore
Module details
In this module you will learn to independently employ practice-based approaches to research in the development and realisation of a creative project. Operating as an independent designer you will be develop, manage and realise of a creative research project. You will produce a substantial body of conceptually and technically advanced work, addressing an identified issue or design problem relevant to your own creative interests and visual culture.
- Future FolioCore
Module details
You will create an authored body of work to a high professional standard, tailoring it to your specific areas of interest and chosen pathway. Your work will be informed by industry practice and you'll be encouraged to be both creative and innovative in your practice and research. You will need to implement a range of skills in image creation, design, web content, and exhibition curation, managing multiple elements into an industry ready portfolio.
- Industry ImmersionCore
Module details
In this module, you will be expected to complete 100 hours of work-based experience. Engaging in a professional environment will help you develop the skills and experiences to work competently within the creative industries and boost your confidence, while providing an insight into the various job roles available to you.
- Creative Research ProjectCore
Module details
In preparation for your major project, you will learn to devise, plan, and discuss an independent creative project focused on your own specific creative and/or career interests and in a media of your own choosing. This is your opportunity to use your artistic, intellectual, research, and technical skills in the proposal of an ambitious, original and critically engaged creative research project.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
You'll study the design and creation of prosthetics and special effects, combining technical craft with creative problem-solving. The course typically progresses from foundations in visual design principles and materials handling in Year 1, through sustained studio practice and live industry briefs in Year 2, to specialist focus and professional portfolio development in Year 3. You'll usually build skills across colour, composition, form and making processes, then develop a personal direction through project work. Specialisations such as graphic design, illustration, fine art, fashion and textiles, and digital work allow you to tailor your practice. Year 3 culminates in a major self-directed project exhibited in the degree show.
Who it's for
This course suits those interested in the creative and technical aspects of prosthetics and special effects work. Most entrants held A-levels or equivalent qualifications; accepted students typically had a UCAS tariff between 64 and 79 points. The university also offers bursaries and scholarships. Check their funding pages for details.
Careers & job market
Across Art & Design courses nationally, 87% of graduates were in work or further study 15 months after graduating. Of those working, 55% were in highly skilled roles or undertaking further study. National graduate earnings data shows starting salaries of £22,000–£27,000 at 15 months; after three years, £17,000–£24,000; and after five years, £20,825–£29,400. These figures reflect the broader graduate population, not a guarantee for individual outcomes.
University & format
Southampton Solent University is a University located in Southampton. The BA (Hons) Prosthetics and Special Effects Design is a full-time, 3-year honours degree taught in English. The university is a recognised UK degree-awarding body, and the course earned Gold for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 85% |
| another higher-education qualification | 10% |
| Other | 10% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications and UCAS points. If you're worried about grades, this course has historically taken a wide range, and contextual offers may apply.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code PSE1). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at SSU →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Art & Design graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £24,000 | £21,000 – £26,500 | 60 |
| 3 years after | £19,500 | £14,500 – £25,000 | 520 |
| 5 years after | £25,000 | £19,500 – £30,500 | 535 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 60; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in art & design · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Art & Design nationally
National figures for Art & Design graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 60; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Art & Design courses at the same study level.
Compared with 1,698 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Design occupationsSOC 2020 342 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £35,957
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 13% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
- Artistic, literary and media occupationsSOC 2020 341 · 12% of published destinations · ASHE median £33,824
- Sales occupationsSOC 2020 71 · 12% of published destinations · ASHE median £15,975
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 295; response rate: 55%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Art & Design graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Art & Design graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Design studios & agencies
- In-house brand teams
- Games & media companies
- Freelance & self-employed
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Art & Design graduates.
Fine Art TechnicianFirst Choice StaffPharmacy Technician – Brand New State-of-the-Art HospitalCompass AssociatesArtificial Intelligence Engineering ManagerMBN SolutionsArtificial Intelligence EngineerExperis UKDelivery Driver (Part Time 24 hours) - AndoverOcado LogisticsCompliance Business PartnerNashrock Insurance RecruitmentIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
85% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £24,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.2 out of 10: NSS 71.3% · in work or study 85% · continued 90%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Southampton Solent University
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around East Park Terrace
3,609 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Art & Design right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to SSU from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by SSU; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check SSU’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with SSU and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at SSU
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
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What will it cost me?
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