Undergraduate

Animation

BA (Hons)

Study options

BA (Hons) - Full time, 4 years - with foundation year

BA (Hons) - Full time, 3 years

BA (Hons) - Part time

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Open day

What is Animation BA (Hons)?

Created in conjunction with industry leaders, the course is taught by practising professionals who’ve worked on animation projects for the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Dreamworks, Aardman Animation and Sony Computer Entertainment.

Working in our industry-spec animation studios, you’ll use the latest industry-standard animation equipment, including Adobe After Effects, Adobe Animate and Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Maya, TVPaint, Toon Boom Harmony and Wacom Cintiqs.

You’ll have the freedom to develop your own style and career path. Learning from award-winning animators you’ll develop the skills you need to flourish in this rapidly-changing industry. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit animation studios and festivals in Bristol, Manchester, Cardiff, London and France – allowing you to network and showcase your work with animation professionals.

Study style

Consisting of 80% practice and 20% theory, the course is built around workshops and portfolio development. You’ll be able to work on live projects and industry-led work experience placements. Previous partners have included the BBC, A Productions, Aardman, Rumpus, Reflective Films and The Annecy Animation Festival.

In your final year you’ll attend 2 full-day workshops in the Aardman Animation studios in Bristol – arranged by the Aardman Academy and taught by Aardman’s world-class in-house talent.

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Entry requirements

Passion and creativity, not tariff points
- Because we want to offer this course to creative students with talent and potential (and because we know that exam grades don’t always tell the whole story), we make offers following an interview instead of using tariff points.
  
  You will need to have, or be studying for, a NQF level 3 qualification – that’s A-level/BTEC/Welsh Baccalaureate or equivalent.
  
  Once you apply, we will invite you to interview so we can decide whether to make you an offer.
  
  Check out our Interview Guide to learn what to expect and help you prepare.
Haven't got enough tariff points?
- This course is available with an integrated foundation year to help you prepare.
Mature students
- We welcome applications from mature students (aged 21 and over) and do not necessarily require the same academic qualifications as school leaving applicants though the entry requirements still apply.
  
  Some courses require several years of working experiences in the relevant industry.
International students
- Please read the entry requirements for your country – and you’re welcome to contact our admissions team if you have questions.
Required subjects/grades
- English and Maths Grade 4/C in GCSE (or equivalent) are normally required.

Course modules

Fees and costs

See the further details of fees and potential extra costs when studying a course at the University of Gloucestershire.

Start date	Location	UCAS code	Fee (UK) per year	Fee (international) per year
Sep 2021	Park, Cheltenham	W615	£9,250	£14,700
Sep 2022	Park, Cheltenham	W615	—	—

Possible careers

Graduates from this course can go on to work as:

Animation Director
Technical Director
2D Animator
3D Animator
Production Designer
CG Modeller
Model Maker
Render Wrangler
Layout Artist
Storyboard Artist
Digital Background or Matte Painter
Concept Artist
Illustrator
VFX Artist
Compositor
Digital Prep Artist
Pre-Vis Artist
Roto Artist
Match Move Artist
Animation Production Manager
Animation Production Coordinator
Production Runner
Producer.

Industry links

We have links with Humber College (Toronto), VanArts School (Vancouver) and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (Calgary) in Canada – as well as Aardman Animation, Rumpus, Manchester Animation Festival, Cardiff Animation Festival, Annecy Animation Festival and Bristol Animated Encounters.

Develop your own style

You’ll learn in an environment with state-of-the-art facilities, expert lecturers and leading industry links. You’ll develop your own animation style and specialise in your chosen career path.

Learn 2D and 3D animation from industry experts

You’ll learn from lecturers with successful careers in the world of 2D and 3D animation. Their projects include developing Max Bear, How to Train Your Dragon, Tweenies, Total Recall and Bottom Knocker Street.

Showcase your work at Europe's largest animation festival

Travel to the French town of Annecy for the largest animation festival in Europe – the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.

Design Studies - Student Voice - NSS 2020

Our Design Studies courses rank top 25 in the UK for student voice according to the National Student Survey 2020.

Trips and experiences

Every year you’ll have the opportunity to go the French town of Annecy for the largest animation festival in Europe – Annecy International Animated Film Festival. This is a great opportunity to showcase your work and network with leading industry players such as Disney, Dreamworks, Illumination, ILM and Sony.

"It gave me the confidence and determination to push myself as an animator."

“I’m a CG Animator at Cloth Cat Animation. The course has been great for me because I was able to explore different areas of animation to see what I liked most. On a work placement, I helped on a BBC Bitesize animation at Sun and Moon in Bristol. I genuinely loved my time on the course because the lecturers and other students were like a family and always passionate and full of encouragement, it gave me the confidence and determination to push myself as an animator.”

Luke Clark, Animation student

Student sat a computer wearing headphones

“I’ve worked on many productions throughout my animation career"

“A real highlight for me was when my wife and I were first commissioned, by Channel 4, to produce a 24 minute Christmas special based on our food loving character, Max Bear. This pilot episode, first broadcast on Christmas Day 1998, was very well received and closely followed by a series in 2000 featuring the voice of Tom Baker. A new Christmas Special was produced in 2008 and a series in 2011 – it was a huge achievement for an independent company.”

Bryan Panks, Academic Course Leader for Animation

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