BA (HONOURS) Animation at Sheffield Hallam University

Course summary

• Work across a variety of forms including 2D drawn and digital-based animation, stop motion and 3D CGI animation.
• Specialise in your preferred animation discipline for your major project film.
• Produce a portfolio of project work to showcase your skills to potential employers.

Learn a broad range of techniques and theoretical knowledge underpinning the form, including storyboarding, life drawing and concept art with this practical animation course. You graduate with the experience necessary to work in the animation industry, or in a wide range of other sectors that require creative professionals with animation skills.

Throughout the course you will experience a range of teaching methods, from specialist workshops and media labs to lectures and seminars, individual tutorials and group work. You will be able to develop your own area of interest and specialise in your preferred discipline for your major project film (including 2D drawn, stop motion or 3D CGI animation).

You learn through

• coursework
• portfolios
• projects
• written reports
• peer critique groups

There are opportunities to study abroad at one of our partner universities with the possibility of funding through the Erasm

Work placements

You will have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement in between your second and third years. This gives you a real-world experience to prepare you for your future career.

Field trips

To help create a stimulating environment and to ensure that you gain the latest industry knowledge, you attend animation festival trips, film seminars and guest lectures by industry experts. Our industry links include Aardman, Double Negative, Frame Store, MacKinnon and Saunders, Cartoon Saloon, Finger Industries and Mew Lab.

Competitions

In your third year you have the opportunity to submit your work for the Nick Park Award, an annual competition exclusive to Sheffield Hallam students which is judged by the team at Aardman. You may also have the chance to  enter other prestigious competitions, such as the annual Royal Television Society Yorkshire Student Television awards, where our students have won multiple prizes. 

Future careers

This course prepares you for a career as a

• stop motion animator
• 3D CGI animator
• set designer
• puppet builder
• lighting technician
• texture artist
• modeller
• rigger
• compositor
• producer
• editor
• storyboard artist
• character designer

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for

• Industrial Light and Magic
• BBC (CBeebies)
• Double Negative
• Warner Brothers studios