Master of Animation and Visual Effects

The Master of Animation and Visual Effects is a two-year (full-time equivalent) postgraduate program designed for graduates and professionals who aim to thrive in the rapidly growing and evolving field of animation and visual effects production and beyond. 

• The program combines technical, conceptual, creative and professional skills to enable you to work independently and collaboratively to realise your artistic vision. With access to world-class facilities and a diverse community of artists and designers, you’ll be guided by academics with a wealth of industry experience. Creative experimentation and skills development are at the core of the program, giving you the freedom and support to explore your interests and refine your techniques for the creative production pipelines of today and tomorrow.
• Working from concept art and pre-visualisation to production and output, you’ll develop animation and visual effects projects that will build your experience and profile in the field. As your technical skills grow, you’ll also develop key attributes in digital aesthetics, communication, collaboration, and agility, preparing you to thrive within and shape the future of a quickly evolving and dynamic field of practice.
• Build a portfolio of sought-after skills to enhance your professional opportunities in the animation and visual effects industry. With the UNSW Master of Animation and Visual Effects, you’ll explore your interests and refine your skills with experimentation across the full creative pipeline to realise your artistic vision and build your experience and profile in the field.

Key features

• Holistic artistic development- Informed by the latest industry developments, you'll learn a variety of technical processes and approaches as well as creative and conceptual skills that prepare you to work in a variety of roles across and beyond the creative pipeline. From pre-visualisation to output, you'll combine hands on skills with a deep understanding of screen aesthetics and attention to broader social, cultural and technological contexts. This dynamic combination of practical and contextual learning is designed to build your ability to think laterally, adapt across disciplines, and solve creative, conceptual and technical problems as an artist. 
• Agility and leadership for an evolving future- You’ll also gain in-demand capabilities across teamwork, resilience and communication, helping you become a sought-after professional in the animation and visual effects sector and beyond. This complementary skillset will set you up to be agile, adaptable, future-oriented and ready to drive and lead change in a rapidly evolving animation and VFX industry into the future, as well as in new and emerging sectors using digital visualisation technologies. 
• Inclusive and flexible learning environment- Immersed in a supportive and inclusive community at UNSW Art & Design, you’ll develop your practice alongside fellow artists and designers of the future. As part of this dynamic and diverse community, you’ll grow creatively, share experiences, and expand your peer network. Our flexible study options and pathways mean that you can learn at your own pace and develop a portfolio that aligns with your creative vision and career ambitions. 

Why study this degree at UNSW?

• Join a global top 20 university (QS World University Rankings, 2024).
• Develop as an artist at UNSW Art & Design, a campus dedicated to creativity at the centre of Sydney’s creative sector.
• Gain a prestigious Go8 education at a university dedicated to shaping a generation of socially conscious change-makers and leaders across art and design.
• Access flexible study options. Our timetables are designed to allow you to work while studying, with the added opportunity to gain industry feedback and experience through internship options. Depending on your experience, you can also fast-track your degree and graduate in one year.
• Our research in digital media has been rated well above world standard four times since 2010 by the Australian Research Council (ERA ranking 5).
• Tap into a diverse array of creative expertise with lectures from world-class companies featured at venues, festivals, museums and galleries in Australia and across the world, including Weta Digital, Animal Logic, DreamWorks Animation, Rising Sun Pictures, Cutting Edge and more.
• Be inspired by UNSW Art & Design's extensive alumni network of digital media trailblazers and innovators, including Duncan Ramson (CEO at The Endless Co.), Lynette Wallworth (Emmy award-winning filmmaker and artist), Jack Condon (Evangelist at Epic Games), Patrick Younis (3D interaction and VFX artist) and more.

Program structure

• The Master of Animation and Visual Effects offers a customisable structure with flexible entry and exit points and full-time and part-time study options. Depending on the length of your program, you’ll complete the following courses:

2-year program (96 UOC)

• 10 Core courses
• 5 Prescribed elective courses

1.5-year program (72 UOC)

• 7 Core courses
• 4 Prescribed elective courses

1-year program (48 UOC)

• 4 Core courses
• 3 Prescribed elective courses

Full program structure

• Each university year at UNSW has three terms and an optional summer study period.
• Some courses need to be studied in your first year, so you’re prepared for courses that can only be studied in later years. You can study full-time or part-time. Depending on how you plan your study load, you can fit two or three courses into a term and one course in a summer term.
• The Master of Animation and Visual Effects has three main components: a series of core studios, contextual courses that complement your creative skillset and prescribed electives that give you options to build your portfolio of skills and knowledge in specialised areas of practice.

Core studio courses 

• In the core studios, you’ll learn to integrate fundamental aspects of animation, 3D modelling and VFX compositing into increasingly complex projects. Courses later in the program provide opportunities to respond to industry-oriented project briefs as well as develop and explore your own creative ideas. 

Examples of topics explored through the core studio courses include:

• Animating movement, storyboarding, and pre-visualisation
• 3D visualisation and modelling
• VFX compositing, matte painting, and camera tracking
• Responding to industry briefs and working in teams
• Production planning, documentation, and realisation
• Full production workflow from conceptualisation to outcome

Contextual courses

• Through a series of contextual courses, you’ll build a complementary set of capabilities in teamwork, communication, research and leadership, as well as deepen your understandings of screen aesthetics and the key ideas and debates that are shaping this field. 

Courses include:

• Digital aesthetics 
• Research methodologies
• Communication skills
• Leadership in the cultural and creative industries

Prescribed electives 
You’ll choose from the following studio-based elective courses to focus on specific areas of animation and visual effects practice:

• Motion capture
• Rigging
• Creature and character design
• Procedural FX
• Real-time and virtual production
• Digital cinematography
• Internship
• Research paper

Example plan
Below is an example of what you could study in a two-year standard full-time study plan:

First year

• 3 Core studio courses
• 3 Contextual courses
• 2 Prescribed elective courses

Second year

• 3 Core studio course
• 1 Contextual course
• 3 Prescribed elective courses