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BA (Hons) Animation & Games

Course Duration

Full-time: 3 years / Part-time: 6 years
Extended Degree: Full-time 4 years / Part-time: 7 years

UCAS Code

Course: W61M
Institution: P65

Globally the animation industry is estimated to be worth £170 billion, with the gaming industry predicted to be worth £140 billion by 2021.

Whether your interest is in film, television, video games, online content, VFX, motion graphics or VR, we’ll help you enter the market with the knowledge and skills necessary for a leading role in the industry.

In our state-of-the-art multimedia studio environment, you can explore the full range of the drawing, modelling, editing, rendering, and scripting techniques, giving you an unrivalled opportunity to take a multi-faceted view of the animation and games world.

100% of our BA (Hons) Animation & Games students agreed that “Staff have made the subject interesting", “My course has challenged me to achieve my best work”, “My course has provided me with opportunities to explore ideas or concepts in depth” and “Staff value students’ views and opinions about the course”.
- National Student Survey 2022
animation games student seated at desktop working on game illustration on the screen

Working within the creative incubator of our arts university, you’ll not only gain knowledge of the latest software used in the creative industry and develop collaborative skills across disciplines, but you’ll also be encouraged to develop as an emerging artist-designer with your own unique creative voice. You’ll have the opportunity to work alongside students from our award-winning Film & Screen Arts course and Film Studies, as well as collaborating with Animation and Games peers in interdisciplinary projects.

Our animation and games studio facilities are fully equipped with industry-standard hardware and software such as Unreal Engine, Substance Painter, Toon Boom, 3D Studio Max, Maya, Marmoset Toolbag, Z-Brush and Adobe Master Suite. You’ll have your own high-spec, cloud-render enabled workstation with drawing monitors, as well as access to VR devices, cintiqs, a stop-motion studio, green screen studio and a state-of-the-art 3D printing and scanning studio.

Some of the core specialisms you’ll study include pre-production concept art for the entertainment industry, 2D and 3D world-building, drawing, environment art, environmental and particle textures, gameplay, level design, 2D and 3D character design, stop-motion animation, 2D and 3D animation, and special effects.

Billie joe hutchins

Billie Joe Hutchins

Our course team is made up of professional animators, filmmakers and researchers who will assist you in building your own professional network. We have excellent industry links in the UK and internationally, developed through annual visits to both the FMX and International Trick film festivals in Stuttgart, Germany. In recent years our students have had work screened at Encounters (the UK’s leading short film and animation festival), visited Aardman Animation studios in Bristol, and contributed to high-profile European-funded animation initiatives, such as the Euranim video mapping project with workshops in Belgium.

The university’s annual Summer Show also provides an excellent opportunity for students from this course to engage directly with industry before launching their own careers.

"Studying Game Arts at Arts University Plymouth has been one of the best decisions of my life so far. It’s taken me around Europe and allowed me to meet so many inspiring people at events like FMX and the Video Mapping Festival in Lille, along with attending EGX and Brighton Develop."
Megan Shepherd
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With an overall satisfaction of 94%, BA (Hons) Animation & Games also had 100% student satisfaction in the following categories: “Staff are good at explaining things”, “Staff have made the subject interesting”, “My course has provided me with opportunities to explore ideas or concepts in depth”, “Marking and assessment has been fair”, “Feedback on my work has been timely”, “I have received helpful comments on my work” and “Staff value students’ views and opinions about the course”.

97% of students were satisfied with the teaching on their course and 95% were satisfied with the assessment and feedback. 94% of students agreed that “The course is intellectually stimulating”, “My course has challenged me to achieve my best work”, “I have received sufficient advice and guidance in relation to my course” and “The timetable works efficiently for me”. 93% agreed that “I have been able to contact staff when I needed to” and 90% were satisfied with the academic support provided and student voice.

88% were also satisfied with the learning opportunities offered, and agreed that “My course has provided me with opportunities to apply what I have learnt”, “The course is well organised and running smoothly”, “I have been able to access course-specific resources (e.g. equipment, facilities, software, collections) when I needed to”, “I feel part of a community of staff and students” and “I have had the right opportunities to provide feedback on my course”. 87% of students were also satisfied that “Good advice was available when I needed to make study choices on my course” and 85% were happy with the organisation and management of the course.