From the stately homes of Downtown Abbey to modern Scottish films such as Sunshine on Leith, costume designer Anna Mary Scott Robbins has worked hard to reach the top of her profession.

But she credits the degree she studied at Edinburgh College of Art with giving her the ability to get a foothold in the industry.

"I've been very dedicated in pursuing my ambition but my career would look very different if I hadn't started with my studies at ECA," she told the BBC.

Now Robbins, from Crieff in Perthshire, says she is devastated that the Performance Costume course that set her on track for her "dream career" is being wound up.

While current students will be able to complete their studies, the course will be closed to new applicants from 2027, along with two further ECA courses - Textiles and Jewellery & Silversmithing.

A petition calling for the reinstatement of the three degrees has received more than 16,000 signatures.

The courses are among about 90 being 'taught out' by the University of Edinburgh, which took over ECA 15 years ago.

Robbins, who graduated in 2005, is among those campaigning for the university to reverse its decision.

She says the course gave her almost instant access to the industry.

"I was a young designer and I was securing big jobs quite quickly, which was down to my degree," she says.

Within a decade, she was leading the costume department on the final two series of Downton Abbey - and all three of the feature films.

"It was just the dream for me," she says.

"I love early 20th Century costume history. So to be able to immerse myself so deeply in the 20s and end up coming through to the 30s was just amazing."

Katy Taylor is another designer who found quick success after graduating from the ECA course.

She says she was able to walk straight in to work on Game of Thrones in 2010 - the same year she graduated.

Taylor, from Glasgow, says this was because they were specifically looking for trainees who could make costumes as well as design them.

"A lot of courses down south would have you quite quickly deciding whether you're a designer or a maker," she says.

"ECA encouraged you to get a taste of everything to give you a really good strong foundation in all aspects."

Taylor went on to work on all eight series of the hit fantasy show and is now an assistant costume designer - meaning she is second in command on TV and film productions.

She feels upset that young people with an interest in costume might not get the same experience as her.

The University of Edinburgh said that design had changed significantly in recent years as developments in technology had reshaped professional practice.

It said it needed to evolve to make sure its education remained "relevant, resilient and sustainable".

It added: "We recognise the significant cultural and economic contribution of Scotland's creative industries and remain committed to art and design education and to developing our academic provision in response to student demand and the evolving needs of the sector."

ECA said that while the degree will no longer be taught, it plans to include Performance Costume as a short elective for students of other disciplines.

Robbins and Taylor, who frequently employ graduates, feel it would be difficult to hire people on the basis of a short "elective" course.

"I probably wouldn't be hiring those people unfortunately because they won't be getting the training they need to get the start," says Taylor.

"You're ending up with a bunch of students that can do a wee bit of something, but nothing in particular."

Robbins agrees.

"I do think there are other ways into this industry, but I think it would be very difficult to crew up with only people who have generic, broader degrees," she says.

"To suggest that you can teach costume design in weeks rather than months and years is so reductive."

Both say that this shows the employability of the courses' graduates has not been properly considered.

"It is a course that feeds directly into the industry," says Taylor.

"It encourages people to design and be creative and be fantastical and we've got some incredible designers and makers that have come out of it.

"It's just really sad."

Current third year Performance Costume student Marina Munday says she chose the Edinburgh course over those in her home city of London due to its excellent reputation and the ability to learn how to both make and design costumes.

She says current students are "outraged and really upset" by the college's decision - and not just for themselves.

"The management (of the college) have really focused on our individual experience, how our years on the course won't be affected," she says.

"But the feeling for us was more about the wider meaning for creative industries, the arts scene for Scottish students, and other students who want to come here."

She says they are also angry on behalf of their teachers due to the lack of consultation on the closure.

"They've given so much of themselves to the course over so many years, and we just feel they've been disrespected," Munday says.