Computer Animation and Visual Effects

Designed for anyone with a passion for computer-generated content, our BSc (Hons) Computer Animation and Visual Effects degree will help you learn and hone the skills needed to launch a career in an incredibly exciting industry.

We take a learning by doing approach on this course. Alongside our expert guidance and support, you’ll also benefit from a learning environment that is designed to emulate professional studio working practice. You’ll have access to our high-end hardware, render farm, lighting rigs and motion capture equipment. In other words, you’ll have everything you need, to learn how to create your own assets for integration with virtual environments and live-action footage, to produce complex visual effects. Your only limitation is your imagination and will to learn.

Regardless of whether you have prior experience in a related field, this course is designed for anyone with enthusiasm for learning the intricacies of computer-generated content. Focusing on three core threads of 3D, FX and compositing, you’ll learn about creating, rigging and animating 3D assets, developing advanced particle effects, as well as compositing and integration methods for post-production to bring the final shot together. And most importantly, at all stages you’ll have the creative freedom to develop your own ideas and concepts right through to the finished work.

With links to some of the world’s largest VFX and animation houses through our graduates and academic staff, you’ll be perfectly placed to jump into industry, whether you desire to move into high-end film, television or games. 
Our computer animation and visual effects degree also provides the option of spending an extra year expanding your horizons by working on a placement in industry.

This course is also available with a foundation year.

Our computer animation and visual effects degree also provides the option of spending an extra year expanding your horizons by working on a placement in industry.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

• We are ranked 6th in the UK for our Animation and Game Design courses. (Guardian 2025 University League Table. Includes courses from across the Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Digital Arts and School of Art.)

• BSc (Hons) Computer Animation and Visual Effects is a Houdini certified degree programme.

• Study a degree designed together with industry, equipping you with the range of skills and strengths that employers demand.

• Take the four-year placement route and you’ll spend your third year in industry, boosting your employment prospects as a graduate. This may be subject to availability.

• Get involved with extracurricular work to further apply your skills, such as hackathons, gaming events and the Students’ Union Computing Society.

• We have a games lab equipped with gaming chairs, keyboards and mice used for our eSports events, an animation lab with a green-screen area and a user experience lab with an eye-tracking system.

• We’ve invested over £115 million to transform the way we teach and the way our students learn. The new Dalton building is equipped with dynamic learning spaces, world-class teaching and research facilities and collaborative study zones. This means you’ll graduate with the skills and experiences employers look for.

• We offer a wide range of student support initiatives, including drop-in sessions, lecture recordings, video tutorials and a dedicated support laboratory.

• This course has a scholarship available for 2026 entry. The PlayStation Elevate scholarship offers £10,000 paid over three years of study. Find out more: https://www.mmu.ac.uk/study/scholarships/apply/playstation-career-pathways