BA (Hons) Animation
Southsea, United Kingdom
DURATION
3 up to 4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
GBP 9,250 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students/EU residents | £17,000/year: international students
Scholarships
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Introduction
Visual communication and entertainment have become a dominant force in the last 20 years, with animation at their core. Animators are in demand across various creative industries, including television, film, web, computer games, education, and marketing.
With our Animation degree course, you'll gain the sought-after technical skills, artistic insight, and platform diversity to apply your talent to any form of visual arts, media, or communication. You'll develop advanced abilities in character animation, visual storytelling, compositing and editing, and learn from active industry professionals who’ve directed animations for Disney, Warner Bros., and Cartoon Network and produced special effects for prominent film franchises like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Chronicles of Narnia.
At the end of the course, you’ll be primed for a successful career in 2D or 3D animation across multiple industries.
Course highlights
- Practise the techniques that animators use in the film industry, such as the performance capture process used in the film Avatar
- Learn industry-standard software and production methods and use professional animation equipment, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk Maya, TV Paint, and Wacom Cintiq digital drawing displays
- Meet prospective employers and industry contacts by showcasing your work at our student screening in London
- Gain valuable industry experience and knowledge by taking an optional placement year – either with a company or as self-employed
- Demonstrate your technical proficiency to industry peers by earning Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) accreditation
- Impress the public and potential employers by showcasing your final-year work at our annual Graduate Shows
- Put your artistry and skills to a prize-winning test by participating in our annual University GameJam.
Accreditation
This Animation degree course is accredited by JAMES (Joint Audio Media Education Services), a group of industry professionals and employers.
The JAMES accreditation lets potential employers know that this course gives you the relevant skills and abilities you need to work in the animation industry when you graduate. This gives you an edge over students who didn’t do an accredited course when you’re applying for jobs.
JAMES reviews our accreditation every three years to ensure the Animation course content remains up-to-date with industry trends and developments. So you’ll always be learning skills relevant to your career.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
Modules
Year 1
Core modules
- Introduction to 2D Animation – 20 credits
- Introduction to 3D Animation – 20 credits
- Introduction To Visual Research For Animation – 20 credits
- Narrative – 20 credits
- Signs and Meaning in Animation – 20 credits
- Modelling For Animation & Vfx – 20 credits
Year 2
Core modules
- Animation Group Project: Introduction – 20 credits
- Animation Group Project: Production – 20 credits
- Experimental Animation – 20 credits
- History and Theory of Animation – 20 credits
Optional modules
- Engaged Citizenship Through Interdisciplinary Practice – 20 credits
- Intermediate 2D Animation – 20 credits
- Intermediate 3D Animation – 20 credits
- Introduction to Visual Effects – 20 credits
- Modern Foreign Language (IWLP) – 20 credits
- Professional Experience – 20 credits
- Student Enterprise – 20 credits
- Real-time Animation Project – 20 credits
Placement and study abroad years
Optional modules
- CCI Self-Employed Placement – Full Year – 40 credits
- CCI Work Placement – Full Year – 40 credits
- Creative Technologies Study Exchange – 60 credits
- CCI Placement Plus - Full Year - 40 credits
- Creative Technologies Study Abroad - Full Year – 120 credits
Year 3
Core modules
- Employment Preparation – 20 credits
- Major project: Introduction - 20 credits
- Major Project: Resolution – 20 credits
- Written Project – 20 credits
Optional modules
- Advanced 2D Animation – 20 credits
- Advanced 3D Animation – 20 credits
- Advanced Pre-Production Methods – 20 credits
- Advanced Visual Effects and Environments – 20 credits
- Motion Capture Applications – 20 credits
- Intermediate Visual Effects – 20 credits
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry, and some optional modules may not run yearly. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Placement year (optional)
Between your second and third years, you can complete an optional work placement to gain professional experience and enhance your skills. It's also a great incentive for employers once you graduate.
You can work for a company, organisation or agency, or you can go self-employed and start your own business with fellow students or by yourself.
Whatever you decide – or even if you just want some employability advice – our exclusive Creative Careers team can support you every step of the way.
Career Opportunities
The UK’s animation industry creates pioneering content and visual effects worldwide for commercials, websites, games, and interactive technologies. Animations for events, concerts, theatre performances, and theme parks are also on the rise (Animation UK). With the rapid development of future technologies such as virtual, mixed, and augmented reality, animation is a growing sector of the global media and entertainment market.
Upon completing our Animation degree course, you can be part of this vital industry that transcends all sectors.
Graduate roles
Our graduates have worked in a wide range of artistic roles, including:
- animators
- concept artists
- directors
- compositors
- creative directors
- art directors
- modellers
- user interface (UI) designers
- post-production technical directors
Graduate destinations
Our graduates have worked at renowned companies such as:
- Climax
- Framestore
- The Mill
- Sony Pictures Animation
- Kuju Games
- Centroid 3d in Pinewood Studios
- Cartoon Network
Graduate productions
Some of our alumni have worked on high-profile feature films and cartoons, including:
- Avatar
- Life of Pi
- Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland
- The Amazing World of Gumball
Ongoing careers support
Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience. You can also venture into freelancing or set up and run your own business with help from the University Startup Team.
Towards the end of your degree and up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.
Creative Careers
Our in-faculty Creative Careers team has extensive recruitment experience and knows the creative sector well, making it easier for students to find placements within the creative industries.
They can guide you through every step of the application process, including:
- Searching for the ideal job through their database of vacancies
- Giving tips on how to write an interesting CV that will catch employers' attention, no matter the role
- Organising mock interviews, so you can hone your technique and familiarise yourself with the recruitment environment
- Writing your startup business proposal – if you're going down the self-employment route
The team will continue to give you support throughout your placement year.
Placement destinations
Students have completed work placements at Oscar and BAFTA-winning companies such as:
- Mosaic Films
- Framestore