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BA (Hons)
Undergraduate degree - single honours
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed under 'Typical offers' in the main column below. For combined courses, please check both subjects. If your qualification is not listed, please email admissions@bathspa.ac.uk with your specific details.
The scope for digital animation has exploded in recent years, with the continuing development and popularity of 2D and 3D computer games, animated film, mobile apps, science visualisation, public art and virtual reality.
As 3D viewing and augmented reality technology continues to develop, animation professionals will need to be adaptable and resilient to emerging trends and changes in this fluid, futuristic landscape.
Digital Animation aims to prepare you for a professional career in animation, by exposing you to a range of contexts and skills that will equip you to work in a range of industries. By analysing the latest technologies and approaches to animation, you'll look to the future of film-making and moving image viewer consumption in a city that prides itself on being a creative technology and entrepreneurial hub.
The preliminary and intensive Integrated Foundation in Art and Design is designed to develop your ideas, skills and confidence in readiness for progressing to year one of your degree programme.
This year 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 Professional Placement Year, you'll work to secure your placement, constructing a development plan with your module leader and your placement coordinator from our Careers and Employability team.
On your return to University for your final year, you'll submit your Placement Portfolio, detailing your development on your placement, for assessment.
Digital Animation explores the changing face of a popular art form: bringing images to life.
You'll explore the fundamentals of animation practice within the latest technological advances and trends, and, over the three years, learn core skills that will aid you in becoming an employable graduate.
These fundamental skills will include drawing, image making crafts, computer graphics, stop-frame animation, coding, 3D modelling, 2D motion graphics and compositing.
You will test these skills through a variety of modern applications such as outdoor projection, virtual reality, augmented reality, film, TV, online video, computer games, the web and mobile apps.
The combination of these technical skills with research into the contexts, history and theory of animation and narrative practice will ensure both practical ability and critical literacy in our Digital Animation graduates.
A range of summative assessment tasks will be used to assess your understanding in each module. You’ll deliver a varied and balanced collection of artefacts including (but not limited to) showreels, portfolios, interactive stories and web apps. Project work is supported by contextual essays, reflective commentaries, sketchbooks, reports, pitches, presentations, debates and b/vlogs.
You’ll be taught through creative workshops, seminars and project sessions. These sessions are supported by individual and team tutorials throughout your degree programme.
In seminars you will be encouraged to critique and develop new ideas.
The course is supported by skilled technicians to guide you with technical problems and training.
You'll also experience theoretical lectures and have access to a visiting lecturer series.
This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen. Please check the programme document (below the main image on this page) for more information.
Modules for the integrated Foundation year option are listed on the Integrated Foundation Year for Art and Design page.
Our Art and Design courses are based at our Locksbrook Road (2019) and Sion Hill campuses.
You’ll benefit from access to:
Our new Locksbrook Campus is truly a unique and inspirational space, providing a state-of-the-art learning environment for you to flourish. Located next to the River Avon in Bath city centre, the open-plan building has technical workshops surrounded by open, flexible studio spaces, as well as large, open social areas.
Students can apply for Erasmus+ and Exchange programme opportunities offered by Bath Spa University.
We have links with a variety of companies, including specialists in web and digital design, media and animation. During your animated Art and Design portfolio project, you will be specifically asked to engage with external clients and organisations. We are also developing links with a limited number of local animation industry courses.
You’ll have access to countless collaborative possibilities. Join forces with students studying animation, film-making, publishing, dance, music technology – the list goes on – to create unique and compelling digital work.
We encourage you to participate in regional game jams, animation festivals and sandbox events. A programme of internal ‘build’ competitions provide chances for you to test out new ideas and collaborate with peers or creatives pursuing other subject areas.
Project Pickaxe
An ongoing MineCraft build of our Newton Park campus.
MediaWall
Creative Computing students design and contribute to installations for MediaWall.
Serious Games
Collaborations with Bath Spa’s Institute of Education on multiple games that tackle real-world problems. These projects almost always combine aspects of animation, gaming and software development.
Please note: Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland are no longer eligible for the UK (Home) fee status. Please refer to the international student rate.
Year 1 | £9,250 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2022 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2023 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2022 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2023 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2023 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 1 | £4,625 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2022 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2023 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2022 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2023 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2023 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 1 | £15,530 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2022 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2023 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2022 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2023 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2023 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2025 |
During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. Otherwise, fees are the same as for full time study. This applies to UK, EU and International students.
Students should be excited about the new possibilities for digital animation and have an enquiring mind.
Art or design experience is important, but other knowledge could also be useful. For example: engineering, maths, physics, computer games, product design and music technology.
Good quality qualifications in non-art and design subjects are welcome, if you can demonstrate your passion for the subject.
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below:
English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants
IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.
Course enquiries
For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.
Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply webpages.
Applicants will be invited to bring a portfolio of creative work to interview, demonstrating their experience and interests. More details will be supplied to applicants upon invitation to interview.
Admissions service: +44 (0)1225 876 180
Email: admissions@bathspa.ac.uk
Course leader: Tim Webb
Email: t.webb2@bathspa.ac.uk
Website feedback to web@bathspa.ac.uk