Are there any fashion master’s in English with a focus on costume design?

Hi, dedicated costume design master’s programmes do exist in Germany – but as far as we can verify, none of them is taught in English. Everything fashion-related that is taught in English here is management-oriented. So the honest framing is a trade-off: you can have the subject or the language, not both.

The one dedicated costume design master in our database

Costume Design (M.A.) at AMD Academy Mode & Design in Munich is exactly the content you are describing: narrative character development, material aesthetics and production technologies for theatre, film and digital media, including digital and AI-supported tools. Three semesters, 90 ECTS, from 795 EUR per month or from 15,005 EUR in total. Admission asks for a first degree with at least 210 ECTS, preferably in costume design, fashion design or a comparable design field. With fewer ECTS you can make up the difference through recognition of work experience, further education or voluntary work, or through up to 30 ECTS of certificate modules at Hochschule Fresenius, to be evidenced by the end of your second semester. A master craftsman’s qualification can be recognised as an access route, subject to individual review. The catch: the language of instruction is German and a solid command of German is required. More on the school on the AMD provider profile.

The public art school route

Since you are open to public institutions: Berlin University of the Arts runs both a bachelor’s and a master’s in Costume Design, and its application guide for the master is quite specific. It asks for a bachelor’s degree in costume design from the UdK or an equivalent degree from another university, a digital portfolio with at least 20 recent artistic works, and an admission procedure consisting of a pre-selection plus an entrance examination in which you have to demonstrate artistic potential clearly above bachelor level. German language skills at B2 are required, and the application window for the summer semester runs from 15 October to 15 November. Note that we only cover private universities, so state art schools are not in our database – for those you have to work through the schools’ own pages, and the German-language requirement applies there as well.

What the English-taught options actually give you

• Sustainability in Fashion and Creative Industries (M.A.), AMD Berlin – English-taught, three semesters, 90 ECTS, from 795 EUR per month or from 14,310 EUR in total. Entry requires a first degree with 210 ECTS in a sector-related subject and English at B2, plus the university’s own selection procedure. Creative-industries framing, but a management degree.
• Luxury, Fashion & Sales Management (M.A.), ISM – taught in German or English depending on campus, available in Munich, Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin, from 6,480 EUR per semester or from 25,820 EUR in total, with an admission test. Brand management, sales and customer experience – no costume or design practice. Someone asked almost exactly your question on that course page, and that thread goes into the language and campus detail.

Neither will teach you costume design. If the creative work really is your main requirement, applying to these would be the wrong move.

The things that catch applicants out

• Portfolio before CV. Costume and stage design programmes are artistic programmes: the portfolio and the aptitude interview decide, not your grade average. Building a portfolio that holds up at master level takes months, not weekends.
• B2 German is a floor, not a target. Studio teaching, critiques and theatre or film projects run in German, and so does the paperwork. If German is on the table at all, it is worth starting now rather than after you have picked a school.
• The 210-ECTS rule. A 90-ECTS master normally assumes a 210-ECTS first degree. With a 180-ECTS bachelor you are looking at bridging modules or recognition of professional experience, which costs time and sometimes money.
• Deadlines are early and often annual. Art programmes typically have one intake and one application window per year, and portfolio submission portals close hard.
• Recognition of your degree. Whether your bachelor counts as equivalent is decided by the school, not by us. Ask for that confirmation in writing before you build a portfolio tailored to one specific programme.

What I would do in your position

Decide which of your two requirements is the hard one. If it is costume design, treat German as part of the application project and aim at AMD in Munich or a state art school. If it is English, accept that in Germany you will land in fashion management, and keep the creative work for your portfolio, electives and internships – or study costume design in a country where it is taught in English and come to Germany for an exchange semester or a theatre internship instead.

You can save and compare the programmes in our study finder and on your bookmarks list. Our database is not exhaustive, and binding information on fees, deadlines and admission always comes from the institution.

Would you be willing to get your German up to B2 before applying? That single answer splits the options into two completely different shortlists.