School of Creative Industries

BA (Hons) Animation

BA (Hons) Full-time 3 years, Part-time 6 years, Full-time 1 year

The BA (Hons) Animation course helps you combine visual ideas with sound and time to create an on screen experience for your audience.

The BA (Hons) Animation course helps you combine visual ideas with sound and time to create an on screen experience for your audience.

Award
BA (Hons)
Start date(s)
16 September 2024
UCAS Code
W271
Course specifications
Course length
Full-time (3 years),Part-time (6 years),Full-time (1 year)
Campus location
University: City Campus,Colaiste Dhulaigh College, Dublin
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

The BA (Hons) Animation course helps you combine visual ideas with sound and time to create an on-screen experience for your audience. On this course you learn: ideas generation, visual storytelling, storyboarding, scriptwriting, sound design, character design, character animation, experimental animation, 2D animation, 3D animation, stop motion animation, film editing and compositing. At your fingertips you will have the power of software suites such as Adobe and Autodesk which are renewed annually. Specifically in animation we use Maya, Mudbox, TV Paint, After Effects, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. We also use pencils, paper, clay and anything else that communicates a brilliant idea!

Animation Graduate Stories, read more details

 

What's unique about this course?

  • Brand-new state-of-the-art facilities as part of £4m screen school investment.

  • You will explore a range of styles and we cover any approach to the art of animation, depending on your talents and skills. 

  • The animation course is a key contributor to the FLIP Festival and winner of prizes including a Royal Television Society award.

What happens on the course?

The course is delivered via a variety of teaching methods, including studio and workshop teaching, seminars and presentations. You will complement your practical studies with theory-based modules that investigate the current contextual and historical aspects of the subject. This includes the study of film language, narrative, non-narrative and conceptual approaches to ‘genre’ and related contextual issues.

Drawing and observation are the foundations of animation. Drawing is used to study and analyse movement as well as being a powerful medium for self-expression and an invaluable tool for conceptual development. Important related skills such as pre-production planning, video editing and digital sound are also taught.

Animation is part of our new multi-million pound, Screen School.

Screen School represents a radical transformation of our educational offer – providing an impetus for our ongoing commitment to regional upskilling, nurturing talent for the careers of tomorrow for local regeneration. Ongoing course development will dovetail with industry requirements, economic regeneration and social mobility of students in our increasingly ‘buzzing’ region to offer a new epicentre of screen based creativity for the West Midlands.

Games and Animation students have access to all Screen School facilities but specifically our Motion Capture Suite, green screen and extremely versatile multi use studio.

Our sound recording room and games base room with consoles are perfect for Esports events and our dedicated Gaming PCs allow the latest creations to be tried and tested. Our Animation Base room within Screen School is complete with Cintiq drawing pads as well as six Individual Stop Motion Animation Booths. All animation and games design students have access to large areas of Animation Teaching Space.

Additional Information

BA (Hons) Animation 

Wolverhampton School of Art

  • For more information about the Wolverhampton School of Art: visit our home page.
  • Discover more about our outstanding facilities – visit our facilities pages.
  • Learn about the creative industries and everything we do to make your creative career a reality on our Creative Futures page.
  • Check out the work of our 2024 graduating students on our Degree Show and MA Show pages.
  • Find out what our students say – view testimonies from successful graduates on our Case Studies page.
  • Research – learn about the Centre for Art and Design Research and Experimentation (CADRE) and FEINART, our ambitious and innovative pan European training network.
  • Wolverhampton School of Art hosted the prestigious British Art Show 9 in 2022. 
  • Artsfest – our established programme of arts and cultural events continues to bring you the very best this region has to offer!

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Animation graduates can go on to a variety of different jobs and roles including (but definitely not limited to!)

Motion graphics artist, character animator, character designers, concept artists, art directors, feature/shorts/commercial directors, 2D digital animator, 2D drawn animator, 3D digital animator, stop motion animator, animation supervisor, animation producer, production manager, production assistant, CG modeller, compositor, digital painter, rigger (2D or 3D), editor, model maker, set builder, layout artist (digital or analogue), lighter, match move artist, rotoscope artist, VFX artist, SFX artist, storyboard artist, scriptwriter. 

Entry level jobs after graduation might include being a runner, a trainee model maker, a production assistant, a junior animator or an inbetweener.

Other post graduate options include paid internships, traineeships or further specialised study such as an MA or other professional postgraduate qualification. Staff at Wolverhampton are always happy to advise on and discuss your career ambitions.

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

At Wolverhampton you will become familiar with both computer-based and traditional animation techniques combining visual and audio skills together with structured time and motion.

You will hone your editing, creative use of sound, compositing and idea generating expertise as well as developing a critical awareness of the subject and establish your own creative individuality.

You will explore a range of styles and we cover any approach to the art of animation, depending on your talents and skills. The course is delivered via a variety of teaching methods, including studio and workshop teaching, seminars and presentations. 

The animation course is a key contributor to the FLIP Festival and winner of prizes including a Royal Television Society award.

Animation visiting lecturer, Carl Hadley won a BAFTA in 2017, read more details.

The member of academic staff who leads this course is Paul Hale.

              

Technical hands-on modules will develop the craft of animating through 2D digital, traditional and CGI methods. You will not only be able to use a variety of software (Maya, Flash, Photoshop, Premiere Pro) by the end of Year One, but will also be able to animate complex human movement and speech.

The third year focuses on preparation for employment and personal career strategies. You may produce any style of work you wish through negotiated study modules. You may opt to produce one large film or to undertake experimental work, ranging from fine art approaches to commercial sequences.

 

 

Location Mode Fee Year
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2022-23
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2023-24
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2024-25
Home Part-time £3120 per year# 2022-23
Home Part-time £4625 per year# 2023-24
Home Part-time £4625 per year# 2024-25
International Full-time £13450 per year 2022-23
International Full-time £14450 per year 2023-24
International Full-time £14950 per year 2024-25

Additional Course Costs

Additional Materials: £50 to 250 per semester - Prices vary according your subject of practice.

Additional Field Trips: £50 to 500 - Prices will vary according to location.

Additional Events: £350 - Degree Show/New Designers. Costs will vary according to the medium and mode of your practice but considerations will be around materials, installation and presentation.

Further information on these additional costs will be provided prior to the start of your studies.

Further information on these additional costs will be provided prior to the start of your studies

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed

Typical entry requirement: 96 UCAS points including a level 3 qualification in Art and Design.

  • A Levels - grades CCC / BCD
  • BTEC L3 Extended Diploma or OCR Cambridge L3 Technical Extended Diploma - grades MMM
  • BTEC L3 Diploma - grades DD
  • Access to HE Diploma (60 credits) of which a minimum of 45 must be at Level 3 (96 UCAS point equivalence, minimum 45 credits at merit)
  • UAL L3 Extended Diploma in Art and Design or Creative Media Production & Technology - grade M
  • QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) Level 5 and Level 6

Use the UCAS Tariff calculator to check your qualifications and points

Other Requirements

Those meeting the entry requirements may be shortlisted for a Portfolio Review. Further details can be found at https://www.wlv.ac.uk/apply/how-to-apply/4---after-youve-applied/subject-specific-applications/. Applicants will also be required to provide satisfactory reference.

Students must have studied a minimum of two years post GCSE level. However, it is expected that some applicants will be mature students with work experience, who wish to further their career development. These applicants will be processed through standard procedures, which may involve an interview as part of the process. Please see http://wlv.ac.uk/mature for further information.

“The BA (Hons) Animation course equipped me with the skills required for the creative industries. With encouragement and support from the tutors, I continued onto further success by directing my own films and projects, including one for the Channel 4 ‘Animator in Residence Scheme’.

I have recently been a teaching assistant, producing short films, and will continue to collaborate with members of the department with a project commissioned by Collide.”

Reena Kalsi,

BA (Hons) Animation

 

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

Most students will be able to apply for a loans to pay for these subject to eligibility. To find out more information please refer to the government Student Finance website.

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as having Overseas Fee status. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) click here.


Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: See How to pay.

For more information please contact the Gateway.


Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund.

for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

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