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Animation

BSc (Hons)

Typical offer for 2025
Duration
UCAS code

Suitable for applications.

Overview

This BSc degree in Animation is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills and vocational experience needed to enter this dynamic and rapidly growing industry.

With access to high-tech facilities such as our six camera Motion Capture Studio, you’ll use innovative techniques and practices to create professional standard digital animations, and develop a strong foundation of knowledge in areas such as:

  • classical animation techniques
  • storytelling
  • still and moving image capture/manipulation
  • design, cinematography, modelling and animation
  • concept art
  • digital sculpting and compositing
  • CGI lighting

This comprehensive programme is part of Screen Yorkshire’s prestigious Connected Campus initiative and carefully blends creativity and conceptual development with technical theory to produce talented multi-skilled graduates who are primed to embark on exciting and stimulating careers within the world of animation.

With opportunities to collaborate with partners in Qingdao (China), attend workshops and talks by award-winning professionals like James Butler (Animator, Peppa Pig), Iki Ikram (VFX Artist, Last of Us, Uncharted) and Ben Smith (Director, StarDog and TurboCat), as well as the chance to work on a bespoke studio project in your final year, you’ll develop into a competent and confident professional all set to enjoy a fulfilling career in animation.

Bradford was a major platform for me to grow...I'll never regret the times I spent there nurturing my learning and making great friends. The facilities at the University of Bradford labs and the library were indispensable for my own research, and the teachers always supported us no matter what we chose to do. Ravi, Senior Animator at Dreamworks Animation, BSc (Hons) graduate

Entry requirements

Typical offer - 112 UCAS tariff points.

 

A levels

BBC - there are no subject specific requirements.

T levels

Merit - there are no specific subject requirements.

BTEC Extended Diploma

DMM — there are no specific subject requirements.

Applicants on Access Programmes

Meet UCAS tariff of 112 points. There are no specific subject requirements.

International Baccalaureate Requirements

112 UCAS tariff points to include at least 80 points from 2 HL subjects.

Plus HL 3 or SL 4 in Maths and English Language and Literature A or English B.

Plus minimum of

GCSE English and Mathematics at grade C or 4 (equivalents accepted).

English language requirements

Minimum IELTS at 6.0 or the equivalent.

If you do not meet the IELTS requirement, and you have a UKVI approved IELTS, you can take a University of Bradford pre-sessional English course. See the Language Centre for more details. For further information on English Language requirements please see the dedicated international entry requirements page.

Foundation Year entry

If you are a UK student and do not meet the entry requirements for this course, our Foundation Year has a route to Animation BSc (Hons).

Foundation Year entry requirements

72 UCAS points or equivalent plus an English Language and a Maths qualification equivalent to GCSE Grade 4.

Study and progression requirements

Pass each module and achieve a programme average of at least 40%.

In addition to the relevant core modules, you must study Creative Industries.

If you do not have the required Maths entry qualification you must also study Maths and Stats for Higher Education.

If you are an international student and do not meet the entry requirements for direct entry onto this course, you may be interested in our International College.

Transferring from another university

If you are currently studying at another university and would like to transfer to the University of Bradford, this course accepts students into the second or third year. This is called advanced entry.

Applications for advanced entry will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must include an official transcript (not a screenshot of a portal), all module descriptors, and relevant qualifications. Module descriptors must include learning outcomes.

Applications must be submitted through UCAS and the required documents emailed along with your UCAS Personal ID no later than 31 August prior to the course starting in September. Relevant documents should be emailed to [email protected]

What you will study

All module information is for 2023 entry, and is subject to change.

Placement Year

This course offers you the opportunity to take up a placement year working in industry between your second and final year.

During the second year of your study we organise a number of activities to help students find placements. These include sessions on CVs, interviews etc. from the Careers service at the University and presentations by both employers and previous year's students on their placements.

Students who endeavour to, and take up the placement year will have support and guidance from a placements tutor throughout to monitor and support your progress.

After completing the year, students return to study the third academic year of their course, and we often find students return with a drive to continue their studies.

Many students continue their relationship with their placement employers working for them part-time, developing Final Year Projects with them or going back to them into graduate positions.

Learning and assessment

Learning takes place in a wide variety of formats. Some days you will be in lectures and seminars, others you will be having personal tutorials, having a casual chat in a group project, or even having a transatlantic discussion with an industry professional.

All modules require you to undertake independent study, supported through distance learning technologies such as our Virtual Learning Environment.

Reading lists and suggested resources for independent study provide further direction, and regular contact hours and informal feedback throughout the course provides you with ongoing guidance and support. Assessments for modules mostly take the form of practical coursework, lab tests and written exams.

Official programme specification

Our facilities

Access state-of-the-art motion capture equipment - using Vicon motion capture cameras, you can record the movement information of human actors which can be fed into specialist software, manipulated, and transferred to models.

Fees, finance and scholarships

Tuition fee 2025

  • UK: £9,535

  • International: £24,456

Additional costs

There may be additional costs that you may incur as a student. Though these are not essential to your programme of study you need to be aware of them as a student of the University. A list of the sort of costs you might expect can be found on our fees and finance section.

Financial support

See our fees and financial support section.

Scholarships

Every year we award numerous non-repayable scholarships to UK, EU and international students on the basis of academic excellence, personal circumstances or economic hardship. For full details, visit our scholarships section.

Career prospects

This course will prepare you for a successful career in computer animation. We are very proud of our graduates: they have gone on to work in the UK and overseas for organisations including the BBC, Warner Brothers, Vicon, MGM, Industrial Light and Magic, Disney, Universal, Weta Digital, Pixamundo, Dreamworks, Andy Serkis’ Imaginarium and many others.

Our graduates have worked on blockbuster movies including Avatar, Hugo, Gravity, Inception, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Warhorse, The Dark Knight trilogy and all of the Harry Potter films as well as numerous games.

Career support

The programme has been designed to meet the needs of industry.

We have regular industry student engagement, and as many of our staff still work on their own projects and commercial work they are best placed to offer advice on the best way to approach industry to secure employment.

The University is committed to helping students develop and enhance employability and this is an integral part of many programmes.

Specialist support is available throughout the course from Career and Employability Services including help to find part-time work while studying, placements, vacation work and graduate vacancies. Students are encouraged to access this support at an early stage and to use the extensive resources on the Careers website. Discussing options with specialist advisers helps to clarify plans through exploring options and refining skills of job-hunting.

In most of our programmes there is direct input by Career Development Advisers into the curriculum or through specially arranged workshops.

Student with back towards the camera, arms spread, overlooking a sea. The student is wearing a shirt saying 'See the world'.

Study abroad

All of our courses offer the opportunity to study abroad, with two semesters in an international partner institution.

Recently two of our Animation students studied in Japan.

Study support

A comprehensive support network is here for you to ensure you reach your academic potential and go on to further success in the future.

You’ll benefit from a range of support services, including:

  • Personal Academic Tutor
  • student support / administration team
  • Academic Skills Advice service
  • Career and Employability Services
  • Disability Service
  • well-stocked libraries and excellent IT facilities

Our academic team is friendly and easy to access. We always answer communication promptly and all have regular office hours to provide advice and support.

Research

All our staff are research active, and are pushing the boundaries of their disciplines.

The University of Bradford has a strong pedigree of world-leading research, and our aim is to ensure that students benefit from our staff’s insight into the future of their subject.

The integration of new and innovative research findings into our curriculum, known as Research Informed Teaching, is a core value and one of the key principles driving the design of our programmes and our modules.

This is the current course information. Modules and course details may change, subject to the University's programme approval, monitoring and review procedures. The University reserves the right to alter or withdraw courses, services and facilities as described on our website without notice and to amend Ordinances, Regulations, fees and charges at any time. Students should enquire as to the up-to-date position when applying for their course of study.