Prosthetic Effects MA

Launch your career in prosthetic effects with this unique course.

Key details

Location

Falmouth Campus

Course duration

1 year

Attendance

Full-time

Course overview

Working hand in hand with world-class partners Gorton Studio and Millennium FX, you’ll be at the cutting edge of prosthetics, pushing boundaries and gaining industry experience from day one.

You’ll learn by doing as you grow and refine your skills in techniques such as mouldmaking, sculpture, lifecasting and 3D design, modelling and printing, along with special effects make-up and prosthetics, while building a creative portfolio and a network of contacts. You’ll develop your own direction and specialisms and graduate equipped for a range of career opportunities in the prosthetics and special effects industries.

Study at Falmouth:

Learn from industry experts, gaining a grounding in both practice and theory through seminars, workshops and masterclasses
Have access to professional-standard studios and resources, mastering traditional skills and processes and learning how to design and build in a virtual space
Collaborate with staff and students from Falmouth’s renowned School of Film & Television
Develop a varied and critically considered portfolio to help launch your career, along with a professional network. Our industry connections reach beyond the UK to some of the best prosthetic effects studios worldwide

Gorton Studio logo

Lead video: work by Carolina Bueno

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Course details

Throughout this one-year course, you’ll tackle a truly multi-disciplinary syllabus, designed to meet the needs of today’s highly competitive prosthetics and special effects industries.

You’ll be in charge of your own learning, developing your own direction and specialisms, while also gaining a working knowledge of industry practice.

MA Prosthetic Effects with Falmouth University and Gorton Studio

Find out what to expect from MA Prosthetic Effects at Falmouth, in partnership with Gorton Studio and Millennium FX.

A student creating a clay model of an old woman

A person wearing a prosthetics orange mask with a hand and a paintbrush

A sculpted head of an old woman with grey hair

A model of a gorilla's head with multiple eyes

You’ll expand your knowledge of key programs and fabrication techniques, experience studio-based working in academic and professional contexts, and develop a critically considered portfolio. Alongside this, you’ll be introduced to contemporary debates informing the prosthetic effects industry. Workshops in design, drawing, making, presentation and industry awareness underpin your learning in this practical and vocationally focused postgraduate course.

Contextual Studies: Extending your theoretical knowledge of key contextual concepts.

Building Blocks: Your grounding the fundamental skills and processes in Prosthetics Effects production.

Industrial Context: You will develop your professional portfolio and gain exposure to real life working studios.

Breaking the Mould: Experiment with your designs and fabrication techniques to test the limits of Prosthetic Effects.

PFX Production: Focus your studies on the production and creation of an industry quality body of work.

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.

From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details.

MA Prosthetic Effects - Class of 2024 at Falmouth University

Facilities

The multi-million-pound, industry-standard School of Film & Television offers professional facilities including:

Dedicated studio space with your own workstation
Motion capture/immersive studio
Workshops with rapid prototyping, 3D printing, casting, milling, welding and other fabrication facilities
Twenty-seat computer suite with key software including Z-Brush, Maya, Adobe CC, and Substance Painter, amongst others
Access to Gorton Studio
Access to Millennium FX Studio
Cinema with Christie M-Series HD projection and 7.2 surround sound

Prosthetic Effects show 2023 work by Carly Robertson — Work by Carly Robertson

Prosthetic Effects show 2023 work by Isa Shaw Abulafia — Work by Isa Shaw Abulafia

How you'll learn

This is a practice-based course, so much of your journey will involve learning by doing, working with the state-of-the-art facilities offered by our partners Gorton Studio and Millennium FX. You’ll also gain a grounding in context, theory, programmes and pipelines through lectures, seminars, workshops and masterclasses.

How you'll be assessed

100% of your assessment will be coursework.

Assessment methods

Portfolios of practical work
Research presentations
Verbal reports
Major practice project

Prosthetic Effects show 2023 work by Matthew Wotton — Work by Matthew Wotton

Staff

Working in television and film production, prosthetics, design and fabrication, the teams from both Gorton Studio and Falmouth University have extensive industry experience. We pride ourselves on our industry connections, which reach beyond the UK to some of the best prosthetics effects studios around the world. This connectivity provides essential networking opportunities for our students and graduates and helps inform and shape our curriculum.

Portrait photo of Neill Gorton in black and white

Photo By Hasan Bitirim03

Meet Prosthetic Effects Lecturer Neill Gorton

Neill Gorton is founder and co-director of Millennium FX, one of Europe's largest and most prolific prosthetics and creature fx companies. In a career spanning 35 years Neill has won numerous industry accolades including several BAFTA and Royal Television Society awards and has also been a jury member for both RTS and BAFTA awards.

Read about Neill's career

Dr Anna Misiak

MA Film & Television Course Leader

Former Fulbright Scholar at the University of Southern California, Anna Misiak holds a PhD from the ...

Dr Anna Misiak

Bradley Greenwood

Lecturer, Prosthetic Effects MA

Brad has contributed to many film and television projects as a designer, make-up effects artist, con...

Bradley Greenwood

Gorton Studio logo

Gorton Studio

Directed by internationally acclaimed prosthetics designer and teacher Neill Gorton, Gorton Studio is regarded as THE place to learn the craft.

Gorton Studio

Millennium FX logo

Millennium FX

Sister company of Gorton Studio, Millennium FX is Europe’s leading supplier of prosthetics, animatronics and special make-up FX.

Millennium FX

Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every staff member who teaches on the course.

Mark Jenkin

Mark Jenkin becomes Falmouth’s first Distinguished Professor

Mark is a BAFTA award winning filmmaker who's worked at Falmouth University as an associate lecturer for over a decade - find out more about his new role.

Careers

Graduates have worked for leading prosthetic effects companies, including BGFX, Coulier Creatures, Creatures Inc., and Millennium FX, on major international feature film and television productions such as The Last of Us, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Doctor Who, Gladiator 2, Wonka, and House of the Dragon. They have also contributed to theatre and live entertainment in London’s West End on shows such as Stranger Things: The First Shadow, at the Madame Tussauds wax museum, for the medical simulation company Simbodies, and in education as technicians and lecturers at Bolton and Solent Universities.

How to apply

Have a question?

To find out more about this course, how you'll learn and what funding is available, get in touch with our friendly Course Advisors using our online form:

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Ready to apply for postgraduate study? You can apply online by clicking the button below.

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After you apply, you’ll receive a login for the Falmouth Applicant Portal, we’ll use this to request anything we need from you and to update you on the progress of your application. You might be asked to submit some work, and the course team might contact you to discuss your application.

We welcome applications from those with relevant equivalent Level 6 qualifications. Our typical applicants hold an undergraduate degree of 2:2 or above, or equivalent experience and a demonstrable interest in the subject.

We'll also welcome your application if you have formal or 'certified' learning (such as training courses not run by universities or colleges) and learning from work experience or self-study. This is called Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL), and should have been gained within the last five years, and equivalent to the learning outcomes of our minimum entry qualifications.

APL applicants using experience to apply should note there is an application fee for entry with advanced standing or with exemption from specific modules or credit.

If English isn’t your first language, you'll need to demonstrate English language skills that are sufficiently developed for successful completion of your studies. We accept a range of recognised English language qualifications that are equivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic minimum score of 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

International applicants who require a student visa to study in the UK must take a recognised language test that is approved and vouched for by the University. Our Applicant Services Team can help with any questions you may have about study visas or suitable language tests.

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees

£11,200 per year – full-time UK (£250 acceptance fee payable. This is deducted from tuition fees)

£21,000 per year – full-time EU/international (£500-£2,500 acceptance fee payable depending upon your status. This is deducted from tuition fees)

£11,200 per year – full-time UK (£250 acceptance fee payable. This is deducted from tuition fees)

£21,000 per year – full-time EU/international (£500-£2,500 acceptance fee payable depending upon your status. This is deducted from tuition fees)

Tuition fees for September 2026 will be confirmed in summer 2025.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs

Typical course costs

A laptop will be an essential piece of equipment along with a reliable broadband connection
£500 - £800 - Depending on the nature of your projects, you should be prepared to cover the costs of materials used to produce your artefacts as part of assessed practice
£300 - £500 - optional study trip

If you need to bring equipment or materials with you, these will be outlined in your Welcome Letter.

Postgraduate funding

There are loans, awards, graduate discounts and alternative funding sources for postgraduate studies. Read about them on our Postgraduate Funding page.

Find out about funding

Ask a student

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From course details and academic support, to the social scene and settling in, our students are ready and available to answer any questions you might have. Simply set up your account, send them a question and they'll get back to you within 24 hours.

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