Introduction:
MA Animation is a taught MA, with equal value placed on developing your authorial voice, unique vision and creative originality, alongside your advanced technical skills and professional practice development
Our course will provide you with the opportunity to develop specialist skills and knowledge, through research and focused study, to enhance your understanding of the subject area and support your future employment goals.
The course will allow you to develop a distinct visual language to enhance animated storytelling for a specific target audience. You will also get the opportunity to evidence, articulate and evaluate your own creative process when responding to creative challenges and briefs.
Optional workshops to support your skills development and understanding of software, production processes and practice, are offered throughout Terms 1 and 2. Workshops cover a breadth of subjects, including; Animating in 3D, 2D and Stop-motion, 3D Modelling, sculpting, texturing and lighting, 2D character design, concept art and storyboarding, there are also life drawing sessions available.
Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to both work individually, and also as part of a wider creative group. There is both a strong emphasis on self-directed study and independent learning, delivering the opportunity for you to express your own interests within the course – and also the course provides the basis to demonstrate qualities, attitudes and behaviours of working creatively as part of a creative collective.
- Opt for an additional research module if you’re thinking of progressing to PhD or Professional Doctorate study
- Attend lectures held by industry professionals from leading animation studios and take advantage of our extensive industry links
- Develop a project tailored to your own personal interests and career aspirations and visit animation festivals in the UK and Europe
- 83% of NTU's research submitted to the 'Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory' Unit of Assessment was assessed to be world-leading or internationally excellent in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
Careers and employability
Career Prospects
The course promotes industry research and networking to establish relationships with relevant animation companies. Students will leave with a body of work that reflects their skills and currency to potential employers.
This course leads to a wide range of potential careers that include storyboard artist; character designer; environment and prop designer; pre-visualisation artist; CG modeller; 2D and 3D animator; stop-motion animator; and experimental animator.
You also have the opportunity to enter into a diverse industry including feature and televisual production, advertising, games production and independent production, through to more peripheral digital media industries such as architectural pre-visualisation.
Some graduates also use this course to support careers in teaching, lecturing and journalism, or to progress on to MPhil or PhD study.
What you’ll study
The main focus of the course will be on the exploration and refinement of your skills. Develop content specific to your research area, as well as attending contextual lectures in which you’ll investigate global animation history, theory and practice. This course will prepare you for a career in a commercial production studio, in games production or feature animation. Additionally, you may choose to work in visual effects production or as an independent filmmaker.
ModulesTerm 1
- Culture and Collaboration: Required
- Animation Aesthetics and Practice: Required
My name is Kavisha Prince Anthony, and I always had a dream of studying abroad. Thankfully, that dream came to life since I applied to the Study Advisor. I was able to receive my visa within four days. I also had some visa refusals in the past; I had about six UK visa refusals in the past, but thankfully, it was not an issue since the Study Advisor was able to make things work this time. I highly recommend Study Advisor for your dreams of going abroad, whether it be the UK or any other European country there is.