University of Hertfordshire

Undergraduate courses on the Digital Animation Programme

The four Degree courses of the Digital Animation programme (2D, 3D & VFX, GA & D, CC) share a common first year where you will receive training from our enthusiastic team of ex-industry lecturers. As an Art first course the main focus of the first year is to level up both your traditional art skills (life drawing, perspective drawing, colour theory), complemented by digital skills (photo bashing, 3d modelling, digital painting).

BA (Hons) 2D Digital Animation

You want to produce stunning animations and discover your unique style. You want to immerse yourself in character design, motion graphics and interactive storytelling. You dream of creating the illusion of movement and you have a sketch book full of ideas. Now’s the time to master your dreams. We’ll teach you all aspects of digital animation development and the production process. You’ll develop specialised skills in storyboarding, keyframing and colouring. You’ll spend time mastering digital puppet animation, motion graphics and 2D game design. Extend your knowledge of traditional animation techniques and apply them to today’s digital world.  You’ll produce ambitious work showing an expert understanding of technique, software proficiency and high production values. Your wide skillset will be in high demand, allowing you to move between companies and adapt to the varied demands of the industry. This is your chance to be creative. To tell that story. This is your chance be you.

Duration: 3 years Full-time Annual Fees: £9,250 Home / £15,500 International Intake: September

BA (Hons) 3D Animation and Visual Effects

This course trains students to be work in the animation and Visual effects industry. During the course you will receive training in both artistic and technical aspects of production supported by our expert team of lecturers. The animation and visual effects industry has many roles and during the course we will support you in identifying and developing your specialism through elective module choices. Graduates of this course go on to work as 3D animators, 3d Modellers, Technical Artists, Compositors, Pipeline Technical Directors, Lighting and look dev artists in studios worldwide. In addition to the technical skills developed on the programme, you will develop the necessary soft, presentation and analytical skills that will prepare you for a long term career in the 3D animation and visual effects sector.

Duration: 3 years Full-time Annual Fees: £9,250 Home / £15,500 International Intake: September

BA (Hons) 3D Games Art & Design

Games merge art and play, on this course you will be prepared for a future career in the Games industry by building assets, developing prototype games and producing cinematics. The art side of the course will teach you the skills needed to produce efficient game ready assets. on the design side you will learn how to construct playful spaces that tell stories that are functionally complete. by the end of this degree you will be ready to work in an existing studio of spin out your own indie making your own games. The BA (Hons) Games Art and Design is a Tiga Accredited course.

Duration: 3 years Full-time Annual Fees: £9,250 Home / £15,500 International Intake: September

BA (Hons) Comics and Concept Art

Do you dream of characters and worlds for them to live in. You’re constantly thinking up stories and scenarios that will intrigue, excite and engage your audience. You have a sketch book full of ideas. You want your fans to escape to a world of your creation. You may dream about becoming a freelance comic artist, an independent author or even publishing your own comics. Perhaps your desire is to run your own web comic series online? You could even become a concept artist working within the animation, games and film industries. This degree keeps all these career options open plus many more. The design, illustration and storytelling skills you’ll gain are in high demand by the sector. Plus, you’ll learn essential transferable skills in pitching ideas, project management, self-promotion and problem solving. Now’s the time to take your passion to the next step, to immerse yourself in your craft and discover your potential.

Duration: 3 years Full-time Annual Fees: £9,250 Home / £15,500 International Intake: September

BSC Creative Media Technology

Discover and the art of unleashing innovative and creative endeavors in the realm of creative emerging technologies, commonly referred to as ‘Createch,’ with our degree course. Gain proficiency in a structured methodology encompassing design, planning, project management, and the utilization of dynamic resources within emerging technologies. Delve into the world of emerging coding, empowering you to undertake infrastructure projects and orchestrate large-scale events involving moving images, projection mapping, immersive environments, digital imaging, digital apps/products, AR, VR, and gaming. Immerse yourself in hands-on experiences through engaging live assignments directly linked to the creative industries, such as collaborations with renowned entities like Warner Brothers and Elstree Studios. This program is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to initiate, develop, and bring to fruition distinctive and creative projects in the exciting and ever-evolving field of creative emerging technologies.

Duration: 3 years Full-time Annual Fees: £9,250 Home / £15,500 International Intake: September

BA Creative Media Arts

Explore and your ability to conceive, develop, and bring to life innovative and imaginative projects within the realm of creative emerging technologies, commonly known as ‘Createch.’ Our degree program extends the boundaries of creative arts in the realm of emerging technologies, emphasizing the possibilities within moving images, projections, immersive environment mapping, and VR games within the dynamic landscape of digital culture. Led by a diverse team of artists, designers, and developers, this course provides a platform for you to acquire expertise in specific areas of digital media, video production, visual effects, post-production, website and app development, mapping, VR.

Duration: 3 years Full-time Annual Fees: £9,250 Home / £15,500 International Intake: September

Post-graduate Courses

MA Games Art and Design

This course supports students who want to specialise in areas such as character design, hard-surface modelling, environment design or lighting and texturing as well as those who want to be generalists. We support all the standard software packages used in the industry and are constantly updating the range of technical instruction we offer. 

On this degree, teaching and learning is mainly based around enquiry-led project work, allowing you to develop the independence and autonomy that is required at the postgraduate level. This degree will be delivered through a mix of lectures, seminars and workshop where you will participate in multi-disciplinary group discussions to share, challenge and develop ideas, as well as being able to grow and expand specific discipline centered skills and understanding. You will also receive tutorials to develop your individual study trajectories and responses to assignment tasks and briefs.

For the majority of this course, you will be engaged in self-managed independent study, undertaking enquiries and research, developing skills, inventing and developing ideas, realizing project outcomes and exploring the cultural resonance of their work. All students on the postgraduate media programme engage in an interdisciplinary project as a part of their MA study, giving them an opportunity to work with students from other disciplines in an experimental and creative way. 

Duration: 1 years Full-time / 2 years part-time Annual Fees: £9450 Home / £16450 International Intake: September

MA Concept Art

The concept art Masters focuses on the generation of innovative visual identities; you will work on visual research and reference skills together with AI tools to inform your creative idea generation and then develop your drawing and other graphic skills (including digital tools) so that you can communicate your ideas to others in the production team. You will also develop some facility with 3D sculpting tools and Games Engines as increasingly concept artists are asked to produce reference models or scenes to paint over.

You will also delve into thinking about the cultural resonance of your work and about the audiences it is made for, about the nature of creativity, and the role of the cultural industries in a modern knowledge economy.

In addition to specialised theory and skills taught on this course, you will develop a range of project management skills, an ability to identify and manage your own learning while also exploring the opportunities and constraints inherent in commercial, professional and social environments.

Duration: 1 years Full-time / 2 years part-time Annual Fees: £9450 Home / £16450 International Intake: September

MA Animation

This award enables you to develop creative practical skills for directing animation. You will acquire experience using a range of digital processes, used in Animation and related fields, as means for communicating through visual narrative. Within this course you can choose to focus in a particular area of animation such as 2D animation, 3D animation or combine the areas to create new forms and ideas from the fusion of techniques and styles.

Much of the time students are engaged in self-managed independent study, undertaking enquiries and research, developing skills, inventing and developing ideas, realizing project outcomes, exploring the cultural resonance of their work. In keeping with contemporary professional practice, students will also have the opportunity to work in distributed groups where some members may be on campus and others online.

Duration: 1 years Full-time / 2 years part-time Annual Fees: £9450 Home / £16450 International Intake: September

MA Digital Media Arts

Digital media is everywhere in the modern world, affecting all aspects of our lives, our work, leisure and social and personal relationships. The MA Digital Media Arts award allows students to gain practical experience and knowledge of the ways that a range of contemporary digital media are produced and used, both alone and in combination. Working in one or more specialisms which can include video, kinetics, animation, games, photography, social and interactive media, students are encouraged to experiment with combinations of media through digital ‘sketches’ and then, through developing more extended works informed by their individual interests, to pursue a substantial, practical enquiry into an original creative application of digital media in a major project. 

Students typically explore areas such as interactive advertising, responsive objects and environments, networked information and social-media systems, interactive video, live performance technology and digital art installations.

Duration: 1 years Full-time / 2 years part-time Annual Fees: £9450 Home / £16450 International Intake: September

MA Character and Creature Animation (Online)

This award empowers you to shape your unique path. Develop animation practices that address contemporary challenges and launch your own creative projects. Become a visionary in the world of animation, leaving a lasting impact on diverse audiences.

Embark on a new journey in animation, Immerse yourself in diverse animation practices, from character performance to visual effects. Redefine your career path and seize opportunities as a character designer, visual effects artist, or game animator. Create immersive experiences and elevate visual storytelling.

Duration: 2 years part-time Annual Fees: £ 9900 Intake: September, January, and May