Animation BA(Hons)

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We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

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Portfolio advice 

Admission to this course involves reviewing your portfolio. After you apply, we will ask you to share a link to an online portfolio of your work. This enables us to see your potential and understand your approach and motivations.

We will ask you to log on to Student View to share your portfolio link. We will not be able to progress your application to Brighton until you share your portfolio.

• Find out about the specific requirements for your course.

Creating your portfolio
We’ve put together advice and guidance to help you create and share your portfolio and we run regular online portfolio advice sessions where you can get help from our expert team.

Top reasons to choose this course

• We take an experimental approach and blur the boundaries between digital and analogue processes.

• You will be learning in a city with a thriving digital industry and opportunities for building connections.

• We integrate theory and practice, so you graduate with a strong foundation in both fields.

• During your degree you will explore a range of design approaches.

• Your lecturers are a team of industry professionals.

• You will use specialist software and equipment.

• There is an emphasis on storytelling through imaginative projects using linear and non-linear narratives. 

• Animation is explored in response to contemporary culture and society. 

• Collaborate with other disciplines including music, sound art and design. 

• Placement opportunities give you the chance to make industry connections and gain valuable experience.

• There are opportunities to exhibit work and at the end of your degree you will participate in the graduate show, a large-scale exhibition.

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Year 1 

In year 1, you will explore animation through a series of creative projects. These projects will develop your skills in storytelling through a variety of experimental artistic techniques. 

Your work will be nurtured and developed through both group and personal tutorials, and inspired by a series of lectures from visiting industry professionals.

Under the guidance of expert teaching staff, you will immerse yourself in an exciting programme of lectures and workshops, shaping your projects and building your portfolio as you progress through the year.

In year 1 you will work alongside Games Art and Design students, sharing modules and collaborating on projects.

Modules

• Introduction to Animation

  This module introduces the core skills needed to plan and create simple animated sequences using industry standard software. You will develop creative thinking skills, explore experimental and creative approaches to animation and develop an understanding of appropriate animation workflows.

• Cultural Contexts in Animation

  In this module you will study historical approaches to understanding modern visual culture in relation to animation studies. There is an emphasis on social, cultural and technological contributors to developments in digital media and animation and you will be introduced to alternative viewpoints that offer a broad world view of visual media.

• Sequence and Narrative in Animation

  You will learn the basic concepts and components of sequence and narrative within animation through project briefs that explore storytelling, narrative form, pacing, play, presentation and an introduction to audience interaction. You will be introduced to basic working methods and studio practices while exploring emerging digital delivery formats.

• Animation Principles and Practice

  This module introduces students to the basic concepts, components and practices of animation focusing on practice that is underpinned by research and imaginative experimentation. You will investigate fundamental animation principles through projects that will explore and define working methods and studio practices. 

Year 2 

In year 2, you will focus on developing your creative potential, building on knowledge gained during your first year.

The projects you will be set have strong links with industry, so the skills you learn and practice reflect those that employers are looking for.

During your Animation degree BA(Hons) you will be encouraged to work collaboratively with other students to develop ambitious projects within the local and wider professional community. Your research and analytical skills will be developed through group discussion and documentation of project outcomes.

Modules

• Global Challenges – Visual Communication

  In this module, you will explore how visual communication can influence social, cultural, political and economic views and behaviours. You will consider how creative practice can be an impactful, change-making tool for communicating and highlighting challenges including equality and inclusivity, creative and sustainable economies, wellbeing and climate change.

• Visual Language and Personal Voice In Animation

  During this module you will explore a more experimental approach to animation by analysing examples of both historical and contemporary animation and looking at how more experimental work allows for the development of a personal voice. You will have the opportunity to explore new ways of working using different techniques to answer a specific brief with the aim of strengthening your own visual language.

• Advanced Animation

  You will build on your knowledge of animation in this module and enhance the skills required for planning and creating complex animated sequences. Topics include creating short animated sequences using industry standard software, camera animation, working with masks and shapes, advanced animation principles, colour correction and finishing techniques and text animation.

• Animation Critical and Professional Contexts

  You will examine critical theories concerning contemporary visual culture, design, screen media and entertainment in relation to animation studies. The module aims to expand your cultural and intellectual horizons by introducing viewpoints that offer a broad world view of visual media. You will refine and develop your skills of investigation, description, analysis, discussion and judgement through thoughtful and considered discussion and argument.

• Animation Industry Studio

  You will develop advanced knowledge and skills in animation by responding to a series of briefs within a professional practice context. Through lectures, group activity and self-directed study, you will learn pitching and networking skills and have opportunities to interact with audiences. The module will cover the creation of digital and analogue outputs; developing imaginative ideas for industry-style animation briefs; presentation in professional formats; and research methods for informing professional working practices.

Placement year

Gain valuable experience and earn money during an optional placement year following year 2. You’ll return to the final year of your degree with added confidence, additional real-world experience and valuable contacts. 

A placement year gives you the chance to work with established professionals in design studios, galleries, film sets, music labels, creative agencies, newsrooms and many other environments. You’ll be able to get an insight into creative workflows and come away with a portfolio filled with real-world projects that will stand out in a competitive job market.  

It can also help you discover your creative direction and passion for a particular area of work, helping you grow artistically as well as professionally.   

Our dedicated Placements and Employability team will support you in getting a placement that suits your interests and career goals by helping you with your CV and cover letter writing, applications, online testing and more. Plus, they’ll provide support and guidance when you’re on placement and make sure that everything is going well. 

Final year 

In your final year, the knowledge and skills that you have developed so far come together as you work on a final personal project. You will also write a dissertation in conjunction with Historical and Critical Studies.

Final year lectures and tutorials are taught by teaching staff and  visiting industry professionals. They include practical information about professional development, preparing you for your professional or academic life after university, and one-to one personal tutorials offering in-depth, personalised support for your continued development.

Modules

• Animation Contexts and Consolidation

  This module provides a context for your self-initiated investigations. It supports the consolidation of your work into deliverable outputs which reflect your personal, creative voice and builds an understanding of the overall context of your practice. Areas covered include narrative and sequence; storyboarding and prototyping; sound; photography; advanced animation, film and moving image; visual effects; and advanced research methods.

• Animation Research Project

  This extended research project gives you the chance to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of animation studies. Particular emphasis is placed on the critical discussion and analysis of this topic relevant to your area of interest. It will help you contextualise your animation practice in relation to contemporary and historical art and design.

• Animation Studio: Final Project

  Building on work from the year 2 Virtual Studio module, you will complete a self-initiated Final Major Project with a focus on animation. The module will help you refine your individual style and visual language and identify appropriate communication methods to deliver the work to your audience. It will help prepare you for the final exhibition and graduation and the showcasing of your work in a professional context.

• Professional Practice Animation

  During this module you will develop your professional practice, consolidate understanding of your specialist area and prepare for job applications post-graduation. You will undertake a work placement and/or a live brief and/or compete in national competitions which will give you practical professional knowledge. This will help you develop personal and professional networks, points of reference and contacts, and get real-world experience of the subject.

Meet the team

Professionals from the animation world support the course, keeping the curriculum at the forefront of modern practice and ensuring you develop relevant technological, artistic and communication skills.

Louise Colbourne

Louise is an artist and independent creative director, and recently co-authored a book called Hardcore; The Cinematic World of Pulp. She has produced and curated a series of independent art projects, often funded by the Arts Council, which have been shown at events and galleries such as: the Jerwood Gallery, Brighton Cinecity Film festival, Big Screen and film Gallery (Latitude Festival), Loop Video Art Festival, Liverpool Biennale, Whitstable Biennale and the ICA in London. Read more about Louise.

Micheal Chidubem

Michael is a multimedia and creative artist with a background in visual arts, graphics design, painting, mixed media, 2D/3D animation, motion graphics, VFX and music. His research interests include the impact of AI on the arts and the creative industries and exploring animation as a vehicle for inclusivity and dynamism in higher education. Read more about Michael.

Dr Tim Satterthwaite

Tim is the author of Modernist Magazines and the Social Ideal (Bloomsbury, 2020) and is active in two research areas. The first strand concerns the history of photo-illustrated magazines in the early twentieth century, and the second research area explores the Gestalt tradition in visual studies and the theoretical implications of the current science of perceptual organisation. Read more about Tim.

Jeremy is an academic and a teacher of drawing and visual communication. He comes from a background in illustration with a particular interest in drawing and animation. He has taught in a number of institutions and at a wide range of levels for 25 years. Read more about Jeremy.

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Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Brighton Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more...
• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• Read our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf) for more on University of Brighton tuition fees.

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