Computer Animation and Visual Effects BSc (Hons) at University of Bedfordshire

As the digital creative industries use more computer animation and visual effects in TV, film and design work the demand for people with both the creative and technical skills to support this has increased.

This course will support these emerging roles in the digital creative industries through a combination of practical and theoretical teaching in the creative process from idea conception to production.

You will produce digital content for entertainment, education and promotional purposes using industry standard tools developing your expertise in computing for the creative industries.

Why choose this course?

• Learn practical and theoretical aspects using a wide range of platforms for computer animation and visual effects from both technical and design perspectives.
• Study a range of disciplines from computer science to digital design and how they interact with a range of visualisation technologies created for platforms from television and film production, to video games design and web-based graphics.
• Gain expertise in computing for the creative industries, through attaining both technical and creative skills through hands-on experience creating digital animation and games with 3D graphics software, compositing and modelling packages.
• Explore CGI as you produce digital content for entertainment, education and promotional purposes using industry standard tools.
• Benefit from a course that gives you the knowledge and skills for a wide range of careers-including 3D modeller, technical animator, compositor and digital visualisation for emerging display technology platforms.
• Challenge yourself by integrating your new-found knowledge into a body of original work, enhancing your transferable skills of communication, problem solving and teamwork.
• Benefit from studying in the latest hi-tech software environment; all our laboratories and specialist teaching spaces are specifically for use by undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Department.

How will this course enhance my career prospects?

Employability is understood widely as encompassing knowledge, skills and a professional attitude which your tutors expect you to display in all your units. All University of Bedfordshire courses aim to help you to be prepared for the world of work. The Careers Service is there to support you throughout the three years of your study. Our curriculum gives you skills that are valuable for a career within Interactive Digital Technologies in particular but is also relevant for a much wider range of applications such as information analysis or decision support systems.

The final year unit `Social Professional Project Management in particular requires you to work in a team so as to apply a current project management methodology that embraces all of these knowledge areas in an integrated way while going through the stages of planning, execution and project control; you will work as part of a team, take responsibility and make autonomous decisions that impact on the project team performance.

Furthermore, the course has a strong vocational and employment related focus; this is exemplified in collaborations with institutions and professionals from the related creative industries. We aim to have assignments each year that are linked to a `live client whos representatives set a brief and give feedback on your `pitches or presentations, just as is common in the industry. We also have talks from guests such as game developers, studio managers and graduates who are now working in various fields. Along with your colleagues on the Computer Game Development course you will be able to participate in events like Game Jams or Hackathons and after some success in this in the games area we will develop this in the mobile and Internet areas also.