Program Overview

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Animation and Games Art with Integrated Foundation Year BA (Hons)

Overview

The animation, games, and visual effects (VFX) industries are always searching for new talent. BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art allows you to explore and develop both traditional and new techniques, learning key digital skills in 2D and 3D, as well as the core principles of character-led animation.

Why us?

• This course gives a strong foundation in traditional animation principles while also teaching key digital skills in both 2D and 3D
• Our graduates are working in the film, VFX, games, and television industries on projects including Grand Theft Auto, Hey Duggee, Miffy, Corpse Bride, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings
• Our industry contacts, including Game Republic Ltd, provide opportunities to work on live briefs, access placements, studio visits, workshops, and game jams
• You’ll have the creative freedom to work in any medium and technique allowing you to find and develop your personal style

Course structure

Teaching is almost entirely practical and studio-based, supported by lectures, seminars, and tutorials. Our academic team encourage you to express ideas and push the boundaries of creativity. Assessment is mainly through coursework.

In the first year – the foundation year – you'll study five modules. After completion of this foundation, you will then move onto the Animation and Games Art honours degree course.

In your second year, you'll learn classical animation techniques and core digital skills. You'll also learn about the broader context of design with students from other design subjects. In your third year, you'll be introduced to more advanced approaches such as 3D, character rigging, and motion capture. In your final year, you'll build your portfolio and undertake a personal research project that will lead into your final major project. You'll exhibit your work at our Degree Show, which will be visited by industry experts and potential employers.

Course modules

Foundation Year:

• Foundations of Art, Design, Performance and Media Production (40 credits)
• Essential Study Skills (20 credits)
• Foundation Project (20 credits)
• Practical Numeracy Skills (20 credits)
• Introduction to Creative Practice (20 credits)

Year 1 (national level 4):

• Core modules:
  • Fundamentals of Animation (40 credits)
  • Fundamentals of Games Art (20 credits)
  • Creative Exploration (40 credits)
  • Design Theories, Practitioners and Context (20 credits)

Year 2 (national level 5):

• Core modules:
  • Advanced 3D (40 credits)
  • Preproduction Practice (20 credits)
  • Advanced VFX and Motion Graphics (20 credits)
  • Global Challenges and the Ethical Designer (20 credits)
  • Experiencing the Creative Industries (20 credits)

Optional placement year:

• Design: Applied Professional Practice (120 credits)

Final Year (national level 6):

• Core modules:
  • Professional Engagement (40 credits)
  • Design Dissertation (20 credits)
  • Design: Final Major Project (60 credits)

Facilities

The University provides generous studio spaces, well-equipped workshops and excellent facilities for Animation and Games Art:

• Personal studio space for each student
• HTC VIVE and Oculus headsets for VR work
• Motion capture suite
• Shadow Motion Capture system
• Green screen TV Studio
• Digital design suite with 24 Macs and Wacom Cintiqs
• Industry standard sound recording studios and editing facilities
• A dedicated stop motion room with 3 portable workstations, each with Dragon Stop Motion software
• Line-testing room with 6 rostrum cameras, a multiplane camera and light boxes for 2D work on paper, cut-out and other mixed media techniques
• Two 16mm projectors for direct animation
• Software includes: Toon Boom Harmony Premium, Autodesk Maya, Adobe Creative Suite including After Effects, Illustrator and Photoshop, Pixologic Z Brush, Blender and Unity. Our specialist technical staff, including qualified Adobe and Maya Certified Instructors, offer back-up and help you make the most of the software.

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for Ireland. Please contact the Student Admin team on or .

Entry requirements are provided for guidance only and we may offer you an entrance interview which will help us determine your eligibility for your chosen degree. This enables us to consider making you an offer if you're perhaps a mature student who's been out of education for a period of time, or you've gained significant knowledge and skills through employment rather than traditional education.

Eligible entry qualifications:

If you're unsure of whether you think you might be suitable for the course, please contact us.

Fees and finance

The annual fee for this course is £9,535 if you're from the UK/Ireland/EU settled/pre-settled.

Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2025/26 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.

If you're a full-time UK/Irish/EU settled/EU pre-settled student, you may be eligible to receive financial support to cover your fees for the full four years. UK and EU settled students may also be eligible to receive a maintenance loan.

Please note, this course isn't available to international students.

Career ready

Our graduates have gone on to work throughout the film, special effects, games, and television industries, and worked on projects including The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Grand Theft Auto, Creature Comforts, Miffy and Hey Duggee.

Recent employers have included:

• Animation studios such as Cartoon Saloon, Aardman, and Studio AKA
• TV companies such as Cartoon Network, CBeebies, and CITV
• Games companies such as Rockstar, Ubisoft, and Sumo Digital.

Placements and visits

You'll have opportunities to apply for internships and we actively encourage you to build up a compelling creative portfolio. We also encourage you to participate in competitions and award schemes.

In addition, you'll be encouraged to attend annual animation festivals such as the Manchester Animation Festival (MAF), as well as visits to arts venues across the UK and in cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, and New York.

Guest speakers

Through our links with industry, we attract professionals in animation to come into the University and give talks. These help you gain valuable insights and contacts in the world of work.

Past visiting speakers include quadruple-BAFTA award-winning Jardone Sage (CITV) (a graduate of the course), Curtis Jobling (creator of Bob the Builder), Susannah Shaw (Aardman), Barry Purves (Lord of the Rings), alumni and award-winning Catherine Salkeld (Story Artist and VR director at Blue Zoo Studios), and Andy Davies (Sony Games).

Work experience

All students studying on-campus undergraduate Animation and Games Art courses can take up a CV-enhancing work placement, a University-led industry initiative, or a professional and business development boot camp.

By the term placement, we mean we're offering you a taste of the industry which might last anything from two days to four weeks on a part-time basis.

Creative Industries Week

Creative Industries Week gives everyone in the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries the opportunity to participate in a range of projects, workshops, talks, industry visits, and career events. This exciting week encourages interdisciplinary working and broadens your experience to build your confidence and help develop your career path.