BA (Hons) Animation

If you aspire to embark on a dynamic and creative career in animation for film, tv, or games, then our course is the perfect choice for you. We are ranked 4th in the uk in the animation career review international animation school rankings 2024. 

• You develop the skills and expertise needed to thrive in the fast-paced and ever-evolving realm of animation.
• Throughout your journey, you collaborate closely with students from the games courses to craft fully functional and immersive games. Alternatively, you can join forces with visual effects and motion graphics students to craft thrilling and visually captivating feature film sequences or short films. Working with students from other courses gives you experience working with people from other disciplines, just like you would in industry

Top reasons to study animation at Teesside

• International acclaim: ranked 19th in the world in the Animation Career Review International Animation School Rankings 2024. (Top 50 International Animation Colleges – formal degree. 195 colleges considered). 
• £2,000 Accommodation Award: you may be eligible for £2,000 towards your accommodation fees if you live outside the TS postcode and are in your first year of study on a games or animation course. Find out more.
• Industry links: take part in Animex, our annual international animation and games festival featuring experts from Rockstar, Pixar, Disney and Sony.
• Graduate success: our graduates have worked on many movies and AAA games including Spiderman Far From Home, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Red Dead Redemption II.
• ScreenSkillsScreenSkills recognition: This course is industry recognised by ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the UK’s screen-based industries, and carries the ScreenSkills Select quality-mark which indicates courses best suited to prepare students for a career in the screen industries.

Course details Course structure
Year 1 core modules

• Animation Principles
• CG Essentials 
• Technical Animation 
• Visual Development for the Moving Image

Year 2 core modules

• 3D and VFX Techniques 
• Animated Effects 
• Professional Research and Development

And one optional module

• Journeyman
• Moviola

Optional work placement year
Work placement

• Final-year core modules
• AVFX Project
• Creative Industry Briefs

And one optional module

• Beta Arcade 
• Kino

How you learn

• You learn in our dedicated animation studios equipped with industry-standard software, as well as our onsite performance-capture studio, soundstage with motion control, and recording studio.
• You spend time in lectures and tutorials – lecturers cover the theory while tutorials focus on developing your practical skills. You are expected to manage your time to complete work outside of tutorials.
• Team working is featured throughout the course, preparing you for the formal group assessment in years 2 and 3. External guest speakers, seminars and workshops on current research and emerging topics are also a course feature.

How you are assessed

• We believe it is essential for you to learn through the experience of doing. Assessment for all modules is through practical projects, which you work on throughout the year. In Year 2, the Journeyman and Kino modules provide you with essential teamwork skills ready for industry. The project in the final year allows you the freedom to set your own project based on your skills, interests and career aspirations.
• Our Disability Services team provide an inclusive and empowering learning environment and have specialist staff to support disabled students access any additional tailored resources needed. If you have a specific learning difficulty, mental health condition, autism, sensory impairment, chronic health condition or any other disability please contact a Disability Services as early as possible.

Career opportunities

• Our graduates are working in major studios around the world including Rockstar Games, The Imaginarium Studios and Industrial Light & Magic. They have worked on feature films including Spiderman Far From Home, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Deadpool 3, and on AAA games including Red Dead Redemption II, Spiderman: Hidden Agenda and Baldur's Gate.
• You are encouraged to think about your future career from the outset. We have a number of events that develop your employability: our ExpoSeries is integral to your course and is an opportunity for you to interact with employers through ExpoTential at the end of the first year, ExpoTalent at the end of the second year and ExpoTees at the end of the third year. Each event is open to the public and has invited industry guests, ensuring that you have the opportunity to showcase your work to peers, the public and potential future placements or employers at regular intervals throughout each level of your studies.