The BA (Hons) Animation programme supports you to develop the creative, technical, and critical skills needed to become confident and original practitioners within the animation and wider screen industries.
The course emphasises classical training in character performance, movement, and visual narrative, while giving you a broad understanding of contemporary animation practice. You will work across multiple production pipelines, including traditional 2D hand-drawn animation, digital 2D workflows, stop-motion, and 3D performance using pre-existing assets. This diverse technical grounding allows you to explore varied creative approaches and develop your own distinctive artistic voice.
The curriculum reflects real industry practices and is supported by active practitioners, live briefs, and regular formative “rushes” sessions that mirror studio environments. Throughout the course you will also be encouraged to adopt reflective and collaborative working methods, engaging in iterative processes such as versioning, critique, and peer-led review.
Our in-house creative agency, Solent Creatives provides you with the chance to pitch for paid work with commercial clients – past clients have included Bear Grylls, the BBC and Southampton Airport.
If you’re looking to study our animation degree but don’t have the relevant qualifications or experience, the digital arts foundation year will help you develop the core skills and knowledge to progress. Find out more about the digital arts foundation year.
Who is this course for?
Solent’s animation programme is ideally suited to students who want to bring characters to life on the screen. Applicants should have a keen interest in drawing, making things move, and cinema generally.
What does this course lead to?
The classical animation training on this course provides a springboard into any of the animation and related industries after graduation. Whether it’s animating explosions on the latest video games, or creating a quirky character in adverts, or TV. It is all built upon a solid, classics approach.
YEAR ONE
CORE MODULES
Let's Animate!
Bring it to Life
Animated Interactions
Mini Moments
YEAR TWO
CORE MODULES
Concept to Creation
Industry Survival Kit
Doodle to Deadline
Pitch it!
FINAL YEAR
CORE MODULES
Showtime!
The Motion Manual
The Big Project
Finale
You may be assessed by a combination of:
Portfolios
Visual journals
Showreels
As part of this course, you will study one module at a time, giving you the chance to build a deeper understanding and see the results of your hard work more quickly. With regular assessments and feedback, rather than exams all at once, you’ll also benefit from improved focus, and a more manageable workload.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
Southampton, Solent University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
For information about applying to Solent as an International applicant, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/entry-requirements/help-for-international-students
104-120 from a minimum of 2 A Levels
DMM (112 UCAS Tariff Points)
Pass in Access course with 60 credits overall including 45 Level 3 credits passed with a minimum of Merit, or 102-118 UCAS Tariff points with any combination of Distinction, Merit or Pass Grades
104-120 UCAS Tariff Points from a minimum of 4 Scottish Highers
Accepted when studied alongside other Level 3 qualifications
D*D (104 UCAS Tariff Points)
This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)
This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)
This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
104-120 UCAS Tariff Points from a minimum of 2 Scottish Advanced Highers
This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)
This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)
DMM (112 UCAS Tariff Points)
D*D (104 UCAS Tariff Points)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
Merit (120 UCAS Tariff Points)
• Direct entry to years 2 (Level 5) or 3 (Level 6)
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses.
• Level 5 (year 2) entry
To directly enter the second year of this course you will need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have 120 undergraduate credits at Level 4 or a CertHE in a related subject area.
• Level 6 (year 3) entry
To directly enter the third year of this course you need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have 240 undergraduate credits (at Levels 4 and 5), a DipHE, Foundation Degree or HND in a related subject area.
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | with 5.5 in each individual component. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 80 | with a minimum of 20 in each individual compoenent. |
We understand that each student is unique. At Solent we encourage individuality and have adopted a balanced approach to Admissions, by considering exam results alongside portfolios / interviews or auditions.
Our contextual offer scheme allows offers below our standard academic entry criteria to those who have faced challenges which has impacted their performance and predicted higher grades, by taking into account additional selection criteria such as a strong portfolio, interview or audition.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Solent University offers a number of bursaries, grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/finance/grants-bursaries-scholarships/bursaries
Email:admissions@solent.ac.uk
Phone:+44 (0) 23 8201 5066
Email:student.funding@solent.ac.uk
East Park Terrace
Southampton
SO14 0YN
At Southampton, Solent University
