Animation (MA)

Follow your passion and gain the skills necessary for a career in the rapidly growing industry of animation. You will gain an understanding of animation production methods and enhance your creativity. Our industry partnerships will give you the opportunity to gain insight into the animation field through guest lectures and workshops. 

There is an increasing demand for skilled animators. Entertainment content across platforms such as streaming services and the expansion of digital media in advertising are fuelling this. Investigate design methodologies, strategies and styles to develop your unique creative perspective.

Course overview

• The versatility of animation allows for diverse storytelling and artistic expression, appealing to audiences of all ages and interests. Advancements in technology have made animation production more accessible and cost effective. This, paired with the increasing demand for entertainment content, has caused a rapid growth in the animation industry, plus a need for animators. 
• Become an active part of our creative community of practice and research active staff and postgraduate students. Work closely with students from other design disciplines, such as virtual and augmented reality. Study a unique set of modules that include entrepreneurship and design thinking, which will enable you to make well-informed decisions and apply these to your design outcomes. 
• We work closely with our industry partners, including animation studios, production companies and creative agencies. You will have opportunities to attend lectures and workshops led by industry experts to learn from their insights into industry practices and trends. There is potential for you to establish your own business venture with support of the Kickstart scheme at York St John University.

Explore projects informed by ethical and cultural considerations in animation. This includes:

• Intellectual property
• Representation
• Diversity
• Inclusivity
• The impact of animated media on society

This will enable you to recognise the ethical considerations and the social impact of emerging technologies. You will also be introduced to a range of historical and emerging challenges with the animation industry, including artificial intelligence and gender representation.

Career outcomes
Where could Animation MA take you?

• This degree could lead you to a career working in animation in a range of industries including television and marketing. Through working on practical activities with links to industry you will gain key professional skills. You will also gain a variety of transferable skills that would be valuable in other industries, such as problem solving and creativity.

You will have an advantage in career paths including:

• Animator
• Game artist, developer or designer
• Illustrator
• VFX artist
• Advertising art director
• Television of film producer

Stand out from the crowd with postgraduate study.

• Far fewer people have postgraduate degrees than undergraduate qualifications. This gives you something extra to set yourself apart in a competitive graduate job market. 

Our careers service, LaunchPad, provides career support tailored to your ambitions. Through this service you can access:

• Employer events
• LinkedIn, CV and cover letter sessions
• Workshops on application writing and interview skills
• Work experience and volunteering opportunities
• Personalised career advice

This support does not end when you graduate. You can access our expert career advice for the rest of your life. We will help you gain the experience and confidence you need to succeed.

Teaching and learning
You will be taught through a range of teaching methods such as:

• Lectures
• Workshops
• Visiting speakers
• Field visits
• Work related learning
• Supervised practical projects
• Seminar discussions

Our teaching draws on both our research and professional experience. This means your learning is informed by the most current thinking in the subject area.

Assessment
This course is assessed only through course work, which could include:

• Portfolio work
• Creating artefacts
• Presentation of visual works
• Research reports

You will receive feedback to enable progression into the next project, usually at the same time as your portfolio review to allow for ongoing comprehensive assessment.