MA 3D Computer Animation

Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions

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For September 2020 entry: In order to take advantage of new approaches to learning and teaching, as well as developments in industry to benefit our students we regularly review all of our courses.

This course is currently going through this process and we will update this page in April to give you full information about what we will be offering once the review process has concluded.

This Master’s in 3D computer animation is the perfect launch-pad for a career in a wide range of disciplines, including concept design, character and creature animation, modelling, lighting, rigging, texturing, compositing and simulation.

The course will help you acquire the skills needed to work in a number of areas where computer animation is applied, including films, animated features, computer games, television production, commercials, illustration, scientific visualisation, flight simulation, virtual environments, architectural visualisations and interactive media.

We enjoy very strong links with industry, due largely to the ubiquity of NCCA graduates in the film, game and television industries. Our graduates have worked on films such as Jojo Rabbit, The Avengers, The Avengers: Endgame, The Irishman, The Lion King, Star Wars Rise of Skywalker, Blade Runner 2049, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald and Dunkirk. We host regular visiting practitioners lecture series where you'll be able to learn about the 2D and 3D industry from practicing artists and companies, including our graduates, as well as attend regular Masterclasses from professionals. Over the past five years we have attracted some of the best Visual Effects, Animation and Games studios from around the world to present to our students.

We’ve created a professional studio environment, facilities include a full suite of industry standard 2D and 3D software, a full Motion Capture studio, a High-Definition Television Studio and a creative atmosphere in which collaboration with students from other Master’s courses provides a realistic setting to discover what it’s like working with other creative and technical people.

MA 3D Computer Animation is one of three Master's degree pathways created by the National Centre for Computer Animation NCCA. All pathways share a great deal of core teaching, but also have specific pathway teaching. If your primary area of interest is mostly digital effects and moving image theory, then our Digital Effects programme may be a better choice for you. If your skills are mostly technical or programming-based without much in the way of original artwork, then our Computer Animation & Visual Effects programme may be the better choice.

Watch our playlist of students’ work to see what you could be creating on this course:

Image description — Computer animation suite

Key information

Next start date:

September 2020, September 2021

Location:

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Duration:

1 year full-time

Accreditations:

ScreenSkills

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject. A portfolio is also required in support of your application. For more information see our full entry requirements.

International entry requirements:

If English is not your first language IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component of writing, speaking, listening and reading. For more information see our full entry requirements.

Accredited by:

Course details

On this course you will be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry.

The course is split into four terms, each lasting ten weeks. The first three terms are the Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip), and the final term is the Master’s term.

Download the programme specification (pdf 543kb)

Core units

Computer Animation Principles: You’ll investigate the underlying theories within computer graphics and animation, in parallel to the development of practical skills.
Computer Animation Techniques: This unit aims to enable you to develop skills and knowledge in computer animation principles and practice. Software tools and best practice are underpinned by the theories introduced in the computer animation principles unit.
Computer Animation Principles & Techniques: You'll develop skills and knowledge in computer animation principles and practice, which will help to improve the quality of your productions. You'll also become conversant in the language, concepts and techniques relating to the course.
Moving Image Theory: Containing the general image theory elements of the programme, this unit incorporates lectures on art, science, technology, digital cinematography, supporting screenings of films and animations, computer animation, digital effects and computer games.
Group Project: Working with students from all three postgraduate courses (MA3D, MA Digital Effects) you'll present a concept for a short animated piece.
Personal Inquiry: You’ll pursue research in areas that interest you. This begins at the start of term two, and is assessed at a research symposium in the middle of term three.
Master's Project: The focus of the fourth term is on completing the Master’s component of your education. This project can be a standalone project or a continuation of the group project unit. In either case you can work alone or with other students. The year ends with a computer animation show, which gives you the opportunity to showcase your work to industry professionals and potential employers.

Resources, equipment and technology

24/7 access to your studio
2 x 24” Cintiqs in the studio
Access to Green Screen facility
Access to Mocap facility
Programme-specific Software: Maya, Mari, Z-Brush, Nuke, Adobe Creative Suite, Substance Painter, Marvellous Designer, Unreal Game Engine, Unity Game Engine, Advanced Skeleton, Ziva, Mudbox, Motionbuilder, V-Ray, Maxwell Renderer, Shotgun, RealFlow, Houdini Engine plus a host of plugins to aid production.
Cameras, lenses, tripods, sound recording devices and other resources associated with production.
Departmental Software: RC++, OpenGL, Qt, Maya, Houdini, Renderman plus many more.

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Your application

This Masters in 3D computer Animation programme has been specifically designed for students who wish to pursue a career in the field of computer animation, and is the perfect launch-pad for a career in a wide range of disciplines, including concept design, character and creature animation, shader development, groom, modelling, lighting, rigging, texturing, creature FX, real-time visualisation, rendering, look development, compositing and simulation.

Although our graduates work in a wide range of 3D fields, we place particular emphasis on future employability for film, games, television and visualisation. Applicants should be passionate about art, design and technology, whilst remain grounded, personable and determined to learn as much as they can whilst with us.

Selection methods

Background and experience

Our students come from a broad background and age group. Applicants in the past have studied or worked in the field of fine art, illustration, painting, sculpture, graphic design, architecture, traditional animation, 3D visualisation, scriptwriting, performance arts and photography. This is by no means an exhaustive list but should provide an idea of the creative disciplines successful applicants have originated from.

Computer knowledge is not a prerequisite, neither is having worked in 3D before. We are more concerned with your aesthetic and/or technical abilities, as well as a passion for study this area.

Portfolio

You will be asked to submit a portfolio in support of your application. Your portfolio should contain a full range of visual material which illustrates your talents and working methods. It is not essential to include 3D work; we are more interested in your aptitude as an artist or designer.

The portfolio only needs to contain your strongest work; pieces which you are comfortable discussing with your peers. Sketch books and notebooks are also advantageous as we are interested in how you generate ideas, your observational skills and their aesthetic appeal. Works in progress are also fine.

Your portfolio will be reviewed by one of the tutors on the course and you may be invited to attend an online interview to discuss your application further

How and when to apply

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject
A professional qualification or diploma recognised to be equivalent to an honours degree
Industrial experience deemed to be equivalent to an honours degree

Applicants are also required to submit a portfolio in support of their application for this course.

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

International entry requirements

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

China: 学士学位 (Bachelor degree) with a minimum of 65% overall
Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution in Nigeria
Thailand: Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution.
Vietnam: Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of at least 7.0, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.
Turkey: Bachelor’s Degree (Lisans Diplomasi -four years) to be considered for a postgraduate course at BU.

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with minimum 6.0 in writing, speaking, listening and reading or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

Careers

Graduates from our computer animation courses are highly sought after within the industry. Our alumni have worked on many high-profile projects, including movies such as Venom, Paddington 2, Avatar, Star Wars, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, Shrek, Guardians of Ga'hoole, the Harry Potter series, Sucker Punch, Happy Feet, Monsters vs Aliens, James Bond and Judge Dredd, among many others.

They have also been involved with the animation for a range of computer games, such as Grand Theft Auto, Crysis 2 and Fable II. Our graduates have worked for a number of the world's top VFX and computer games studios, including Pixar, DreamWorks, EA Games and Sony Picture Image Works.

All information shown has been taken from Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) or BU institutional data unless otherwise stated.

Our graduate award winners

In 2016, we had two graduates collect awards for their work:

Mark Ardington won an Oscar for his work on ‘Ex Machina’
A BAFTA went to Paul Kavanagh and the ILM Team who created the effects for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.

In February 2011 and 2015, NCCA graduate Andy Lockley was awarded an Oscar for his role as Visual Effects Supervisor on the Christopher Nolan film 'Inception' and ‘Interstellar’ respectfully; whilst a number of our graduates who also worked on the film shared in the celebrations.

A number of our courses have the ScreenSkills Tick, which indicates the quality of our computer animation degrees and shows that we offer training that prepares you for a career in the sector. The ScreenSkills Tick is awarded by ScreenSkills, the sector skills council for the creative industries. We’ve worked very closely with ScreenSkills to develop a range of ground-breaking short courses aimed at media professionals.

All of our accredited courses have undergone a rigorous assessment process conducted by experts working in the creative media industries and our strong industry links have played an important role in gaining us this accreditation.

*All information shown has been taken from Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) or BU institutional data unless otherwise stated.

Typical starting job roles

Industries worked in

Studios graduates have worked at

Framestore
Double Negative
MPC
Outpost VFX
Blue-Zoo Animation
The Foundry
Creative Assembly
Union VFX
Jellyfish Pictures
Playground Games
Weta Digital
Rock Paper Film
Method
EA
Fortune Fish
TT Games/Travellers Tales
Random 42
Animal Logic
Frontier Developments
Darkside Studio
Axis Animation
Illumination MacGuff
Free Radical Design
Aardman Animations
Lionhead Studios
The Mill
Glassworks
Industrial Industrial and Magic
Pixar and DreamWorks
Illoura VFX
Cinesite
Ninja Theory
Sony Cambridge
Sony Liverpool
Rock Star North
Codemasters
Criterion Games

Survey on Bournemouth University Alumni Facebook Page (2016).

Further study

Costs and fees

You can find full information about the deposits required and how to pay your fees in our postgraduate fees and funding section, including details of the Postgraduate Loan (subject to fee status).

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per annum. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course.

Find out more about living expenses for postgraduate students

No hidden extras

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement.
A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
Disability and additional learning support
The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Costs of living and other expenses you need to consider

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
Optional fieldwork travel, outdoor wear and footwear (where applicable)
Text books, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses
Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.

Repeat units

Financial help available from BU

Deposits

International (non-EU) students need to pay a non-refundable £2,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. You may also benefit from guest lectures from industry, including our alumni. Please note that teaching staff can change.

Adam Twycross – Lecturer in Computer Animation

Adam runs the National Centre for Computer Animation’s (NCCA) MA programme in 3D computer animation where he teaches fundamentals of design, modelling techniques for production, human anatomy, Maya and ZBrush. Specialising as a 3D modeller, Adam’s production credits include the Xbox 360 game Disneyland Adventures and the Games Workshop graphic novel Macragge’s Honour.

He is part of the team behind the BFX Festival and is currently researching the development of British comics. Adam has been interviewed for various news outlets discussing animated films, UK film and television production, education in animation, tax breaks for the games industry, and the BFX Festival.

View Adam Twycross' staff profile

Sofronis Efstathiou – Principal Academic

Sofronis has worked in the Film and Games industry for Animal Logic (based in Sydney, Australia) and Microsoft’s Lionhead Studios (UK) on projects such as "Happy Feet", "300" and "Fable 2", training artists and production staff on projects that would go on to win an Oscar, a BAFTA and a Games BAFTA.

Sofronis (aka Saf) teaches fundamental of design, rigging, advanced animation processes and toolsets, shaders, lighting; a variety of 2D and 3D tools such as Autodesk’s Maya and a host of professional third-party tools.

Sofronis has worked with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe whilst also designing a 2D Animation curriculum with twofour 54 tadreeb and Turner Broadcast Systems, for the rollout of a course in Abu Dhabi that closely mirrors the Cartoon Networks production pipeline. Having proposed and developed a new Bournemouth festival and VFX/Animation competition with colleagues at Bournemouth University, Sofronis is now the BFX Festival Director, an event that attracts some of the world’s very best film, VFX, computer games and animation studios - http://www.bfxfestival.com/

View Sofronis Efstathiou's staff profile

Adam Redford – Senior Practice Fellow in Computer Animation

Adam graduated from the National Centre for Computer Animation in 2006 with a Master of Arts degree in Digital Effects. He then went on to work in the feature film visual effects industry in London for six years, during which time he worked on a number of successful and award winning films including Gravity, Harry Potter, Narnia, Prince of Persia, John Carter, Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans, and Sweeny Todd amongst others. He is now leading the BA (Hons) Visual Effects undergraduate degree at the National Centre for Computer Animation.

View Adam Redford's staff profile

Paul Champion – NCCA and BFX Competition Demonstrator

Paul brings over a decade of experience as a professional CG trainer and digital artist to the role of NCCA and BFX competition demonstrator.

Tasked with helping budding digital artists improve their skills and efficiency he recognises and values the importance of inspiring and motivating students to challenge themselves when learning. Versed in a wide range of software and techniques used in production pipelines he harnesses that knowledge to guide, mentor, help and inspire students to overcome technical barriers, develop their ideas and strive to create their best work within deadline.

In a rapidly developing industry Paul keeps his knowledge base current by trialing new software features as they become available and is also part of the Autodesk Maya Beta testing Program.

Paula Callus – Senior Lecturer in Computer Animation

Paula Callus is a senior lecturer at the National Centre of Computer Animation at Bournemouth University. She holds a PHD in "Sub-Saharan African Animation" from The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and has published on animation from this region. Previous experience includes educational consultancy and training for UNESCO's “Africa Animated” projects and compiling animation programs for various festivals such as Africa in Motion (Edinburgh), Cambridge African Film Festival, Meknes Animation Festival (Morroco), Africa at the Pictures (London).

View Paula Callus' staff profile

Guest speakers

Over the past five years we have attracted some of the best Visual Effects, Animation and Games studios from around the world to present to our students.

Studios who have visited BU

Disney Animation Studios - Moana, Big Hero Six, Frozen
Pixar - Monsters University, Toy Story
Framestore - Gravity, Guardians of the Galaxy 2
MPC - Alien: Covenant, Maleficent, The Jungle Book
Iloura - Mad Max: Fury Road
Animal Logic - The Lego Movie, Ninjango
Double Negative - Ex-Machina, Interstellar, Inception, Godzilla
The Mill - Chemical Brothers/Beck Music video, Cif advert
Illumination Mac Guff - Despicable Me, Minions
Frontier Development - Elite: Dangerous
Foundry 42/Cloud Imperium Games
Creative Assembly
Random 42
Blue Zoo
Microsoft
AMD
Glassworks
DreamWorks
Playground Games - Forza Horizons
Next Limit,
Golaem
Epic Games - Creators of the Unreal Game Engine
Chaos Group - V-Ray
Realise Studios
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Blue Sky Studios
Karrot Entertainment
Dave McKean - illustrator for Batman: Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
The Foundry
Media Molecule
Nvizible
Super Super Films
Amuzo
Axis Animation
Industrial Light & Magic - Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Course changes

Changes in 2019

Date	Changes to this course
12/09/2019	Where the change was made: Your application Change: Portfoliio requirement added. Applicants are required to submit a portfolio in support of their application and may be invited to attend an online interview to discuss their application further. Previous text: N/A

Changes in 2018

Date	Changes to this course
13/11/2018	Where the change was made: Selection methods Change: Portfolio requirement removed Previous text: For this course, you will need to provide a digital portfolio of your work with your completed application form. Your portfolio should contain a full range of visual material which illustrates your talents and working methods. It is not essential to include 3D animated work. Successful candidates may then be called for an interview and expected to bring a full portfolio including both digital and traditional work, overseas students may be interviewed on the phone but must send examples of work. The course leader has created a short video of student's portfolios who successfully gained entry onto the course. Please note that the 3D work in places is weak, as mentioned previously, this did not concern us. We are more interested in the ideas, observational skills and aesthetic appeal.
25/01/2018	Where the change was made: Key information, Entry requirements. Change: A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent. Previous text: A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent. An art portfolio or collection of creative work, a show reel and an interview will be required.
25/01/2018	Where the change was made: Selection criteria. Change: Successful candidates may then be called for an interview and expected to bring a full portfolio including both digital and traditional work, overseas students may be interviewed on the phone but must send examples of work. Previous text: Successful candidates will then be called for an interview and expected to bring a full portfolio including both digital and traditional work, overseas students may be interviewed on the phone but must send examples of work.
25/01/2018	Where the change was made: Full entry requirements. Change: An interview may be required for this course. Previous text: An interview is required for this course.

What our students say

Emanuel Bonnici

The course is well connected with industry and prepares us for our future careers with visits from industry professionals who share their experiences with us.

Hear from our staff

Steve Harper

We take people from broad backgrounds and introduce them to the wonderful world of computer animation.

Hear from our alumni

Ahmad Habash

The World Health Organisation contacted me after seeing my graduation project and they told me yup, we just want you to do this film for us. That was how it happened.