Animation

On this BA (Hons) Animation degree, you'll learn the fundamental principles and processes of animation practice while experimenting to find your own creative voice. You'll work towards areas of specialisms and benefit from industry insights as part of a supportive creative community with excellent connections to a local thriving scene.

You'll learn by doing through studio-based, practice-led learning and graduate with a professional showreel and the skills needed for portfolio careers, freelance practice or employment within the wider creative industries.

Year one

Principles and processes.In the first year, you'll be introduced to the principles and processes of animation practice, grounding your work in both creative and professional contexts. You'll experiment with traditional and digital techniques while learning the fundamentals of drawing, movement and storytelling.

Alongside this, you'll begin to develop productive working habits and an awareness of professional practice that will be scaffolded throughout the course. The year is supported by a range of inductions and workshops designed to help you build confidence, technical understanding and the early stages of your own creative voice, which will continue to evolve and strengthen at Levels 5 and 6.

Year two

Practical and applied.In your second year, you'll build on the foundations established in Year One, further developing your skills and practice in animation through increasingly ambitious projects. A variety of choice within the curriculum allows you to shape your learning and begin to hone your skills, exploring areas such as character animation, visual effects and animated narratives.

You'll begin to refine your interests and work towards areas of specialism such as 2D animation and 3D animation, while continuing to develop your creative voice.

Professional practice continues to be embedded, supporting your transition into more independent and industry informed work.

Year three

Professional creativity and individual projects.Your final year is project‑led, placing individual creative practice, professionalism and industry awareness at its core. You'll undertake ambitious, self‑directed projects that reflect your interests and strengths, allowing your creative voice to fully emerge.

Alongside this, you'll engage with professional practice through live briefs, industry‑informed teaching and contextual study, exploring how animation operates across commercial studios, cultural organisations and community-based projects.

You'll be supported through close staff supervision as you refine your work and articulate your practice, developing a professional showreel and the skills needed for portfolio careers, freelance practice or employment within the wider creative industries.

On this Animation degree, you'll learn through experiential learning in workshops and projects. Teaching is workshop-centred, with demonstrations and progressive skills training in animation workflows and industry-standard software.

Your learning will be supported by tutorials, critique sessions, and peer learning. You'll get ready for a career in industry through a curriculum focused on industry with live briefs/partner critiques and curriculum-informed studio visits.

You'll also benefit from integrated academic skills support, including research, visual analysis, reflective writing, and portfolio development.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our information on Your Learning and Teaching at BSU.

Assessment is entirely by coursework. This will be a combination of project work, practice-based submissions in line with industry-style outputs and formative feedback through tutorials/critiques.

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

There are opportunities throughout the programme to embark on work placements, subject to your interests and availability.

The broad nature of the course facilitates a wide range of employment opportunities for our students.

Our students could go on to work as

• Previs / real-time artist
• Layout artist / animation generalist (2D/3D)
• Virtual production technical roles
• Visualiser 
• Motion designer 
• Transferable progression into VFX, games and related moving image roles

Students will be supported to submit work to animation and screen-related showcases/festivals as the programme develops a festival/showcase component.

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

As a BA Animation student you’ll be based at both Newton Park and Paintworks in Bristol, where you'll have full access to purpose-built media production and post-production facilities. You'll have access to:

• Commons building
• TV and post-production studio
• Newton Park library

You'll also benefit from access to Locksbrook campus with its comprehensive digital workshops and specialist art and design facilities, including

• Our student service point at Locksbrook where you can purchase subsidised art and design materials, hire out equipment for free and collect Library resources
• Specialist technical workshops across all of art and design
• Access to studio space where you can work on projects and refine your practice.

Animation students can make full use of Bath Spa University's purpose-built media production and post-production facilities at Newton Park and Paintworks.

They can hire out equipment using SISO, Bath Spa University’s free equipment loan service. They also have access to:

• Adobe (Photoshop/Illustrator/After Effects)
• Hi-spec PC workstations and drawing tablets
• Software such as Unreal/Unity plus Toon Boom Harmony, Autodesk Maya, Blender