Gain a powerful insight into the world of visual effects production, digital arts and animation with all the tools, techniques and practical experience required to succeed as one of tomorrow's industry professionals. Subject areas include 2D and 3D animation, filmmaking, post-production, motion design, matte painting, digital compositing, visual effects supervising, creative coding, audiovisual installations and interactive art.

Through practical workshops, collaborative projects and critical feedback, you’ll build a foundation in the fundamentals while keeping an eye set on the future of visual effects and technological arts. Our holistic and cross-disciplinary approach covers all the bases. You’ll master the latest time-based and 3D technologies, the project management skills that will bring your ideas to life and the principles of image composition and storytelling that remain timeless.

Our project-based curriculum puts you at the centre of your learning experience, and you’ll be surrounded by an international community of multidisciplinary creatives to collaborate with. Whether you're interested in gaming, animation, immersive installations or on-set visual effects, this programme provides you with the knowledge, gear, facilities and guidance to realise your creative, professional and personal goals. 

You can study this programme either as a full three-year BA degree or the first year only as a one-year HE Certificate.

Render yourself into greatness:

We are focused on your growth as a whole person. Not just as a savvy VFX artist with a wide-ranging skill set, but also as a great collaborator, team member and someone with goals, aspirations and clear purpose. On our programme, you will build technical skills quickly but we will also help you to push your abilities further. The result is a huge stride towards authentic self-expression, as well as a portfolio and know-how ready for a career in a blossoming industry.

Our expert tutors will encourage you to investigate your personal interests during your studies. Whatever your creative background or approach, our programme provides you with the framework and the skills to realise your unique vision and forge your own path. You’ll learn how to problem-solve, tell stories visually and discover the work that feeds your curiosity and keeps you riding the wave of technological progress.

Is this programme for you?

You should be interested in some or all of the following:

• The potential of storytelling within digital media.
• Collaborative practice that reaches across disciplines.
• Refining your creative skills and artistic voice.
• Working within the visual effects or film industries.
• Developing initiative and a problem-solving mentality.
• Visual art in digital environments.
• Making work that contains your creative fingerprint.

Career opportunities:

The Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation courses will open up many potential career paths for you. If you complete the first year of study, you will have the skills needed to work as a technician. This includes roles as an assistant editor, special effects technician or production assistant in a freelance context. A deeper dive into the full three years opens up many more routes.

You can step into roles such as visual effects artist, crafting digitally-generated visual elements imagery. You might take on the role of a visual effects producer, overseeing the VFX work on various projects. The course prepares you for a wide array of technical roles, including special effects technician, colour grading artist, rotoscoping artist and digital compositor. You can venture into the realms of animation, becoming a 3D or 2D animator, or dive into motion design to create captivating visual sequences. Become the go-to post-production engineer or delve into the creative process as a production designer, working on visual design, set design and set construction. 

You can use your experience in game design to move into the games industry. You will also be in a position to become a media artist, working on audio-visual projects, installations and interactive experiences, or become a media creator, designing visual effects software and plugins. Lastly, you may choose to work in academia, sharing your knowledge and passion with the next generation.