Animation Game Design University Undergraduate

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.

You'll have the opportunity to work on industry-led briefs and entries for festivals and competitions such as Encounters, RTS awards, 11 Second Club and E4 Stings. We're affiliated with Game Republic too, it's all part of our commitment to help you become industry ready.

We place Animation and Games Art within the broader context of design to help you keep your career options open. You will also have the creative freedom and flexibility to develop your specific areas of interest, gaining transferable skills crucial for employability.

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 Film Production & Photography courses (which include BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art) are ranked 14th in the UK (The Guardian University league tables, 2022)

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

Our student work

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 you will learn classical animation techniques and core digital skills. You will also learn about the broader context of design with students from other design subjects. In the second year you will be introduced to more advanced approaches such as 3D, character rigging and motion capture.

You will have the opportunity to apply to undertake an optional placement year out in industry between your second and final year, this is sometimes known as a sandwich degree.

In your final year you will build your portfolio, undertake a personal research project that will lead into your Final Major Project. You will exhibit your work at our Design Degree Show, which will be visited by industry experts and potential employers.

Part-time study

If you study this course on a part-time basis you will typically complete 40-80 credits in a year, rather than the 120 credits of full-time students. All modules are taught during the day time and you will be studying alongside full-time students.

View student work on our Sunderland Creatives website.

Year 1 (national level 4):

Core modules:

Fundamentals of Animation and Games Art (60 credits)

Learn the fundamental principles of animation using traditional studio practices in 2D drawn animation through weekly character-based exercises that will culminate in a short, animated sequence using Toon Boom Harmony software. Be introduced to the Adobe Creative Suite in a separate creative brief related to game design. Attend weekly life drawing classes to enhance your figurative and imaginative drawing skills and engage in contextual and visual research to support and enhance your practical work.

Creative Exploration (40 credits)

Create short sequences as part of a team using a variety of traditional techniques such as Pixillation, Direct animation, Smudge 'n Click, Cut-out and Stop Motion, building on the principles and skills learnt in semester 1 and exploring visual storytelling further. Produce a short film for a student-led competition and public screening to showcase your first year's work. Continue to attend weekly life drawing classes looking at expressive and experimental drawing techniques. Be introduced to 3D software and tools in a series of creative workshops and have the opportunity to collaborate with BSc (Hons) Game Development students and participate in local Game Jams.

Design Theories, Practitioners and Context (20 credits)

Develop a knowledge and understanding of the important theoretical and historical contexts which have shaped modern design, opening up creative possibilities in your work. Gain a broad view of design disciplines, through lectures and seminars intended to provoke wider debate. Develop analytical and research skills by exploring subjects in design theory and history through assignments. Finish the module with an understanding of various historical and theoretical ideas, intended to encourage you to challenge conventional thinking.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Core modules:

Advanced 3D (40 credits)

Produce a collection of 3D animations culminating in an interactive, playable character. Produce a 3D digitally sculpted model and environment. Produce a short, animated lip-sync performance sequence working to a pre-recorded soundtrack.

Preproduction Practice (20 credits)

Follow the preproduction pipeline for creating either a pitch bible for a children's tv series or a games document for a 7-PEGI game from visual and contextual research through concept art, story art, character design, environments, assets, linear and non-linear storytelling. Create an animatic or walkthrough to demonstrate your concept's viability. Pitch your idea in a short presentation at the end of the module. Work individually or as part of a creative team. Collaborate further with BSc (Hons) Game Development students.

Advanced Visual Effects and Motion Graphics (20 credits)

Create a music video for an artist of your own choosing either as part of a collaboration, or working alone. Study the application of advanced After Effects e.g. rotoscoping, tracking techniques, using green screen and keylight - and choose to apply any creative technique to your work. Explore the genre and contextual background to music and animation in film and games, to the title sequence as an art form as well as create an ident for yourself. Help to organise a showcase of your work at a public screening at the end of the academic year.

Global Challenges and the Ethical Designer (20 credits)

Develop a critical understanding of important issues linked to design such as the environment, globalisation, gender representation, equality and diversity. Be encouraged to consider your ethical role as a developing designer. Be introduced to ways of considering a major piece of written work (the dissertation in Stage 3), based on a subject relevant to your own practice. Finish the module with a developing design philosophy that potentially impacts on your ways of working and thinking in terms of studio practice.

Experiencing the Creative Industries (20 credits)

Experience a short work placement with an employer. Alternatively, gain other experience of working in the creative industries. Examples include: live jobs; competition briefs; a creative placement; and a collaboration with fellow students from relevant subject areas.

Year 3:

Work placement (optional)

Final year (national level 6):

Core modules:

Professional Engagement (40 credits)

Work on a chosen live brief as well as a piece to showcase your skills and enhance your showreel/portfolio. Employability Day will enable you to meet successful alumni from this and other Design courses and hear about their experiences after graduating and tips on employability. Create a Professional Engagement Document, which will show how you have interacted over the past two years with industry professionals either through placements, social media, visits to festivals and studios or other networking events. Focus on CV writing and interview techniques as well as the creative and technical skills required for your chosen specialism to enhance your employability.

Design Dissertation (20 credits)

Research an approach, concept or practice relevant to your specialism that is intended to support your practical work in your final major project. An example of this from a recent graduate was the study of Magic Realism, which directly fed into the narrative of their graduation film. Demonstrate academic research methods to formulate a written piece of 6,000 words.

Design - Final Major Project (60 credits)

Build on the skills and knowledge, both technical and creative, that you have gained across all previous modules to create a piece of work that best reflects your specialism and will, hopefully, take you into professional employment. Choose to work individually or as part of a team. Set up and exhibit your work in the final year Degree Show, which is open to the public and industry practitioners.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is:

Qualification	Minimum grade
Singapore / Cambridge GCE A-level	112 UCAS Points

If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

Direct entry to Level 2 or 3: Applicants wishing to be considered for direct entry to Level 2/3 of a programme should contact the Student Helpline on 0191 515 3000.

If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.

If you are studying a HND or Foundation Degree you may be able to enter onto the final year of our degree courses. For more information, please contact studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk

Portfolio requirements

We are interested in your creative potential so please prepare a portfolio of work you have completed so far. We are not looking for perfection as we appreciate you may still be developing work. We would like to see:

A variety of work – we want to see a range of styles and technique
Work completed in or outside of your studies
Research: examples of various forms of investigation
Photographs of 3D, and large 2D, work
A USB stick or online link with any digital and screen-based work
Sketch books and development work including:
- Examples of character design/development
- Observational sketches
- Examples of sequential illustrations - e.g. rough storyboards

If you are an international applicant, please send a link to your online portfolio.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

Full-time fees

The annual fee for this course is:

£9,250 if you are from the UK/Europe*
£13,000 if you are an international student

Part-time fees

Tuition fees for part-time students are £6,935 per 120 credits.

Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.

*European Union (EU), EEA (European Economic Area) and Swiss nationals classed as international, however 21/22 entrants will receive a European student fee scholarship and will pay the (undergraduate) home tuition fee rate of £9,250 for the duration of their studies. The discounted fee will be reflected in your offer letter. Learn more in our Help and Advice article .

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

W221casestudy — Hannah Potter, BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art graduate, CBBC Scream Street Shorts winner

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 will 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, our students are actively 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 Jardine 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 are 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, broadens your experience, to build your confidence and help develop your career path.

Meet the students

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