Program Overview

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Animation BA Honours

Why choose Animation BA Honours at Middlesex?

If you aspire to work in animation, this degree will enable you to develop your creative and technical skills, ensuring you gain the experience you need to work in today's highly competitive and exciting animation industry.

In our high-spec animation facilities, you will use the latest software and work alongside specialist technicians with extensive professional experience. Our facilities feature stop motion studios, 3D printing, puppet and model making, and a brand-new 80-workstation digital media workshop.

We have excellent industry connections and our graduates go on to work at some of the top animation studios in the UK and abroad including Aardman Animations, Netflix, Blink Ink, Lupus Films, Tiger Aspect Productions, Blue Zoo, Passion Pictures, Spa Studios and IOD Productions.

What you will gain

At Middlesex, you won’t just learn to animate: you’ll also become a fully-fledged filmmaker and storyteller. In our state-of-the-art studios, we'll help you develop your skills in every step of the filmmaking process, including concept art, pitching, storyboarding, scriptwriting, character and effects animation, sound design and editing.

You will learn from award-winning animation directors who work closely with industry partners to share their knowledge and facilitate specialist workshops and lectures. Partners include art and design agencies, animation studios, visual effects companies, content providers and games developers.

The work you create with us will become part of your animation portfolio, which will help showcase your skills and experience to our industry network and beyond. You will leave ready for a career at one of the top animation studios in the UK or abroad.

We have an excellent record of placing our students on Master’s programmes such as the Royal College of Art and the National Film & Television School, and some go on to undertake practice-based PhDs.

What you will learn

You will have the opportunity to experiment with a broad range of styles and processes, including traditional and digital 2D animation, stop motion, and 3D computer graphics. You’ll get to study all of the software and skills needed to succeed in these different forms of animation, as well as their underlying technical principles and artistic applications.

In class discussions and lectures, you'll learn about the history of the medium and discover new approaches to animation practice.

In our state-of-the-art animation studios, we'll help you develop your animation skills including scriptwriting, character development, video and sound editing.

We'll help keep you ahead of the latest technological innovations and trends with regular workshops with guest speakers, such as award-winning directors Joanna Quinn, Kitty Taylor and Merlin Crossingham and prolific voice actor David Holt.

You will learn to:

• Develop your own ideas and turn them into compelling and emotive screenplays
• Develop strong and believable animated characters that your audience can empathise and engage with
• Explore and experiment with image making as a means to developing a personal visual language
• Effectively use film language to communicate concepts, characters, personality and emotion
• Plan and manage all aspects of animation production and deliver on time according to an agreed schedule
• Use film editing techniques to effectively convey concepts and narrative
• Use sound recording and editing techniques to create professional soundtracks for your films
• Research into and think critically about cultural products and contexts.

3 great reasons to pick this course

• Student satisfaction: Our Animation BA regularly receives top marks for 'overall satisfaction' in the National Student Survey
• World-class animation facilities: with access to digital and traditional studios and darkrooms and industry-standard equipment
• Our graduates work at top animation studios: including Aardman Animations, Lupus Films, Tiger Aspect Productions and Blue Zoo

Part-time study

Study at your own pace alongside work and other commitments and get the skills and knowledge you need to progress in your career.

When choosing a part-time course, you will study the same modules as the full-time course but over a longer period.

Find out more about the many benefits of studying part-time at Middlesex University.

About your course

Year 1 overview

We begin in the first year with simple but engaging exercises designed to teach the core principles of drawing movement, and introducing students to the industry-standard software they’ll use to bring those drawings to life. You will develop a personal approach to animation and learn to apply an understanding of film language, narrative and the technical processes of animation to the creation of your own animation sequences. You will learn about changing practices in the history of animation and explore and experiment with different forms of graphic media.

Year 2 overview

The second-year focusses on taking these principles even further to create compelling characters, performances, and narratives. We also begin to introduce students to the realities of studio practice, preparing them for work in the animation industry with an emphasis on collaborative projects and more challenging creative briefs.

Year 3 overview

The third year allows students the freedom to develop their own major projects, which will serve as dynamic showcases of their skills. Students can choose to direct a complete film or specialize in a particular aspect of animation production. You will consolidate your skills to a professional standard and fully prepare for a career in the animation industry, identifying potential career paths and preparing a graduation show reel, portfolio and promotional material. You will research and write a contextual dissertation that connects to your practical areas of interest.

Modules

• Techniques and Practices I (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Creation and Ideation (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Techniques and Practices 2 (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Animation Production (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Developing Characters & Narratives (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Expanded Animation Principles (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Collaborative Animation Filmmaking (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Animation Industries (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Professional Animation Production (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Critical Animation Research (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Major Project (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Portfolio & Showreel Development (30 credits) - Compulsory

Teaching and learning

Teaching

Our teaching style is thoroughly interactive, combining demonstrations of important animation techniques with engaging intellectual discussions, one-to-one tutorials, and supervised studio-based practice. We aim to provide you with a boutique learning experience, tailored to your own creative interests and career ambitions. Our academic team includes multi-BAFTA winning directors, leading animation researchers, dedicated technicians, and skilled working animators with credits at Warner Bros, Nickelodeon, Channel 4 and the BBC

Where will I study?

You will be studying mainly in our Grove building, a vibrant hub which houses all our arts, design and film courses. The Grove is equipped with specialist animation studios fitted with state-of-the-art facilities for analogue and digital production.

Timetable

Whether you are studying full or part-time – your course timetable will balance your study commitments on campus with time for work, life commitments and independent study.

We aim to make timetables available to students at least 2 weeks before the start of term. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on-campus sessions.

Teaching vs independent learning

Teaching group sizes will vary to suit the needs of the individual project. Core sessions will be delivered to classes of around 25 students, along with technical workshops aimed at smaller groups. Our excellent staff-student ratio means that our lecturers also have plenty of time to spend working with each individual in one-to-one tutorials.

Students will typically receive around 13 contact hours each week, spread evenly across three days.

Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through self-study which will involve working on your animation projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments. The focus on independent learning will increase as the course progresses, with the final year emphasizing the students’ use of initiative and their ability to apply the skills which they’ve developed.

Academic support

Our excellent teaching and support teams will help you develop your skills from research and practical skills to critical thinking. And we offer free 24-hour laptop loans with full desktop software, free printing and Wi-Fi to use on or off campus.

Assessments

This course’s assessments are 100% coursework based – that means there are no sit-down exams.

The majority of your assessments will consist of practical projects, in which you will be asked to produce either a finished film or a portfolio of short pieces of animation. You will also be assessed on other examples of your artistic practice, including life drawing, concept art, and storyboards. These projects will be assigned both individually and in groups, and their structure is designed to authentically mimic the process of animated filmmaking in a real-life studio environment.

In order to demonstrate your commitment to research and your understanding of the animation medium, you will also be asked to write short essays. This will culminate in a longer written dissertation in your final year, for which you will research a subject of your choice.

Feedback will be given in written form upon the completion of each assessment, as well as in one-to-one tutorials and group critiques throughout the duration of the project.

Facilities and support

Facilities

Our specialist facilities are recognised as among the best in the country. You can also hire specialised equipment for your assignments. There is a wealth of specialist technical help with professionals dedicated to helping you achieve excellence.

• Industry standard applications including Cinema 4D, Adobe Creative Suite, TV Paint, Cel Action, Pro Tools and Dragonframe
• State-of-the-art sound recording studios for voice-overs and sound effects
• 12 individual Stop Motion studios with a range of industry-standard cameras, lenses and lights
• State-of-the-art digital print out facilities
• Large numbers of studio and lab computers
• A brand new 80-workstation digital media workshop
• Traditional darkrooms
• The Sheppard Library with over 75,000 books
• Media and Visual FX studio
• Digital Media Workshops.

Our recording studio houses industry-standard equipment, with a dedicated technician on hand to train and provide support. You can also hire specialised equipment for your assignments. There is a wealth of specialist technical help with professionals dedicated to helping you achieve excellence in our workshop areas.

Student support

We offer lots of support to help you while you're studying including financial advice, wellbeing, mental health, and disability support.

Careers

How can the BA Animation support your career?

With our focus on teaching industry-standard software and mimicking studio workflows, our graduates have gone on to hold roles such as animation director, producer, key animator, storyboard artist, art director, model makers, layout artist, background artists, character designers, and motion graphic designer.

In addition, our students have found great success as independent filmmakers, accruing numerous BAFTA nominations and appearances at major international film festivals.

Our course has very strong links with the UK animation industry, including studios like Aardman, Tiger Aspect, Lupus Films, Fonic Post Production, The Brewery VFX, Passion Pictures and Blue Zoo. The course has developed a reputation for the high calibre of its graduates: London-based studios like Lupus Film are making Middlesex their first port of call when seeking young animators, with our graduates making up a substantial portion of the crew on some of their most acclaimed recent films.

Middlesex has strong links with art and design employers. Our industry partners sponsor final-year students and give visiting lectures. Hundreds of art and design agencies, organisations and other employers attend our final-year degree show each year. Animation at Middlesex will prepare you for a career in many areas of the animation industry, with roles including:

• Animation director
• Producer
• Key animator
• Storyboard artist
• Art director
• Model makers
• Layout artist
• Background artists
• Character designers
• Motion graphic designer

Graduate job roles and employers

Our students have gone on to work in roles where animation skills are highly valued, for example, creating visuals for live music tours, concerts, events, theatre productions and operas. The BA Animation also enables entrepreneurial students to set up their own business. To name a few of our alumni and their work:

• Fatma Rikabi Sukuri (2022) - Production assistant at Scanline VFX
• Camrhon Mitchell (2021) - Stop motion animator on Aardman Animation’s feature film ‘Chicken Run 2’
• Sofia Negri (2020) - Animator for Pearly Oyster Productions and Walt Disney Company
• Luke Ramsey (2020) - Animator for The Brewery VFX
• Gemma Schnable (2020) - Animated film ‘Dysmorphia’ won the animation category for the #poweryourbreakthrough competition.
• Lydia Byron (2019) - Motion designer at Procreate
• Ryan Fairbanks (2018) - Colourist on ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’, Lupus Films, assistant animator at Studio AKA.
• Rhiannon Loki Fellows (2018)- Motion graphic designer at Mindful Education
• Rizwan Rafiq (2018) animator at Tiger Aspect, Hoopla Studio, Blinkink
• Gabija Zygaite (2018) - Designer at Eikon Group Limited
• Erica Hodne (2017) - Animator on ‘Mr Bean’, Tiger Aspect Productions
• Anna Pereira-Finn (2017) - Colourist on ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’, Lupus Films
• Giulia Riva (2017) - Clean up artist on ‘Klaus’, The Spa Studios, currently background artist at Gigglebug Entertainment
• Sofja Umarik (2017) – Owner of Elklore Animation. Directed ‘The quiet power of introverts’ | BBC Ideas, ‘The Quiet Power of Leadership’ in collaboration between BBC Ideas and Open University.
• Adara Todd (2016) - Production assistant on children's television at Tiger Aspect
• Eleonora Quario (2015) - Assistant animator on many productions such as 'Ethel & Earnest' (BBC) and Wes Anderson’s film 'Isle of Dogs'
• Rute Simōes (2022) - Assistant animator at Lupus Films

Most recently, 2021 BA Animation graduate Kate Mercer’s animated film ‘Walden’ won the Exceptional Merit award at the Nature Without Borders International Film Festival, and two of 2023 graduate Anna Maria Leventi's films have been selected for the London International Animation Festival

MDXworks

Our employability service, MDXworks will launch you into the world of work from the beginning of your course, with placements, projects and networking opportunities through our 1000+ links with industry and big-name employers in London and globally.

Our dedicated lifetime career support, like our business start-up support programme and funding for entrepreneurs, has put us in the top 10 UK universities for students who want to be CEOs and entrepreneurs (Hitachi, 2021).

Global network

You’ll study with students from 122 countries who’ll hopefully become part of your global network. And after you graduate, we'll still support you through our alumni network to help you progress in your chosen career.

Work placements

Placements and internships greatly improve graduate employment prospects, and those who take part achieve excellent academic results through applying their learning in a professional setting.

We encourage all our students to undertake work experience during their studies whether through part-time work, volunteering or other means. The Animation department also organises live projects with industry practitioners so you can experience working on professional creative briefs.

Our specialist employability service and London location ensure that every year our students and graduates gain prestigious placement opportunities.

Entry requirements

Qualifications

• UCAS points: 112-128
• A-Level: BBB-BBC
• BTEC: DDM-DMM
• Access requirements: Overall pass: must include 45 credits at level 3, of which all 45 must be at Merit or higher
• Combinations: A combination of A-Level, BTEC and other accepted qualifications that total 112 - 128 UCAS Tariff points

We'll accept T Levels for entry onto this course (and our extended courses with a foundation year) with GCSEs in line with UCAS tariff calculation.

We'll always be as flexible as possible and take into consideration any barriers you may have faced in your learning. And, if you don't quite get the grades you hoped for, we'll also look at more than your qualifications. Things like your work experience, other achievements and your personal statement.

If you have relevant qualifications or work experience, we may be able to count this towards your entry requirements.

Our entry requirements page outlines how we make offers.

Portfolio

Entry onto this course requires a portfolio review, please see more information in the Portfolio tab.

Transfer courses?

If you have a qualification such as a foundation degree or HND or have gained credit at another university, you may be able to join us in year two or three. Find out how you can transfer courses.

Mature students (over 21)

We welcome applications from mature candidates, including those without formal qualifications, provided you can demonstrate relevant experience and ability.

Foundation year

If you don't meet the entry requirements, why not consider our Foundation Year in Visual Arts course to help you prepare for the full degree?

International students

We welcome students from the UK and all over the world. Join students from over 122 countries and discover why so many international students call our campus home:

• Quality teaching with top facilities plus flexible online learning
• Welcoming north London campus that's only 30 minutes from central London
• Work placements and networking with top London employers
• Award-winning career support to get you where you want to go after university.

Qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the accepted qualifications on your country's support page. If you are unsure of the suitability of your qualifications or would like help with your application, please contact your nearest international office.

English language

You will need to meet our English language requirements. And, don’t worry If you don't meet our minimum English language requirements, as we offer a Pre-sessional English course.

Visas

To study with us in the UK, you might need a Student visa. Please check to see if this applies to you.

Fees and funding

UK students

• Full-time: £9,535*
• Part-time: £79 per taught credit

*Depending on the duration of your study, your tuition fees for subsequent academic years may be subject to further inflationary increases (most recently, the UK government has suggested that increases may be linked to the All-Items Retail Prices Index – RPIX) in line with any additional rise in the tuition fee cap set by the UK government.

As a part of our commitment to an excellent student offer at Middlesex University, we pledge to invest the additional money from tuition fee increases into the student experience, and we are consulting at present on what these improvements will be and will follow up with further details.

International students

• Full-time students: £16,600
• Part-time students: £138 per taught credit

Additional costs

The following course-related costs are included in the fees:

• Free access to the resources, learning materials and software you need to succeed on your course
• Free laptop loans for up to 24 hours
• Free printing for academic paperwork
• Free online training with LinkedIn Learning
• Audio-visual equipment available for loan, including digital stills cameras, digital video recorders, digital audio recorders.

Scholarships and bursaries

To help make uni affordable, we do everything we can to support you including our:

• MDX Excellence Scholarship offers grants of up to £2,000 per year for UK students
• Regional or International Merit Awards which reward International students with up to £2,000 towards course fees
• Our MDX Student Starter Kit to help with up to £1,000 of goods, including a new laptop or iPad.

Find out more about undergraduate funding and all of our scholarships and bursaries.

Fees disclaimers

1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase undergraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

Based on the current fee, for a typical three-year degree, the total costs for your studies will be £28,605.

2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.