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LOCATION
Docklands Campus
Location Fees and Funding
Here's the fees and funding information for each year of this course
Overview
Study animation at UEL and learn from award winning specialist tutors and animators working in industry.
On our student centred course, you learn your craft in practical teaching sessions, learning to use both core artistic skills and state of the art technology to tell your own stories.
You are encouraged to develop originality, beginning with the traditional foundations of animation and ending with a fully realised graduation film.
Tutors working in industry help you to prepare for your creative working life after graduation, so that your three years with us is the beginning of a life-long career doing something you love.
You can also take this course with a foundation year (FY), which means you it will take you four years to complete the course full-time, and eight years to complete the course part-time.
What makes this course different
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Studying animation at UEL you'll develop your skills, starting with core animation techniques, building into your own unique way of working. You will learn how to tell your own stories through animation, designing characters and environments, structuring, and producing animated stories that will captivate, inspire, educate and entertain.
The BA (Hons) Animation course will give you the opportunity to develop an individual creative approach that is embedded in professional animation practice. You will be introduced to a broad range of hand-crafted, traditional, and digital media that will help you make an informed decision on the animation techniques and methods you choose for your own work. Through practical work, studio visits and talks by industry professionals, you will gain a thorough understanding of the social, cultural, and professional contexts of the field of Animation.
You'll learn put all these skills together in an original way that will make you a unique voice in your chosen field.
We consistently review our courses to ensure we are up to date with industry changes and requirements from our graduates. As a result, our modules are subject to change.
DOWNLOAD COURSE SPECIFICATIONS
COURSE SPECIFICATION BA Animation
pdf, 196.85 KB
COURSE SPECIFICATION BA Animation with foundation year
pdf, 107.38 KB
MODULES
- Core Modules
Professional Life (Mental Wealth) CloseProfessional Life (Mental Wealth)
Art & Design Workshops, Processes & Skills CloseArt & Design Workshops, Processes & Skills
Art & Design Studio Practice & Portfolio CloseArt & Design Studio Practice & Portfolio
Art & Design Specialist Workshops, Processes & Skills CloseArt & Design Specialist Workshops, Processes & Skills
Art & Design Specialist Studio Practice & Portfolio CloseArt & Design Specialist Studio Practice & Portfolio
Art & Design Contextual Studies CloseArt & Design Contextual Studies
- Core Modules
Story and Editing CloseStory and Editing
This module is divided into two parts:
Tall Tales and Short Stories: Writing for Animation introduces students to writing for animation and has been designed to help students find their own voices as filmmakers. It will equip them with the skills of generating and developing ideas into scripts that can be made into animated short films. Students will be introduced to key concepts in the theory and history of writing and film making, which they would be encouraged to engage with while developing their own process of writing for animation.
Cut to the Chase: Editing for Animation introduces students to assembling and editing stories into animatics (moving storyboards). By the end of the project, students will have completed an animatic for a short animation film that is ready for production.
Character Design and Sound Design CloseCharacter Design and Sound Design
This module is divided into two parts:
People We Know: Character Design has been designed to equip students with the skills required to build plausible characters for animation. The project will also introduce students to formats, such as module sheets, expression sheets and animation bibles that used within the industry.
All Sound on the Animation Front: Sound Design helps students understand the connection between sound and image. It provides a basic introduction to recording, designing, laying and mixing different types of tracks to create the soundtrack for an animation film.
Animation Principles 1 CloseAnimation Principles 1
Animation Principles 1 introduces students to the process of frame-by-frame animation production. They learn about the kinetics of movement through a series animation exercises such as metamorphosis, walk and run cycles and lip sync.
Students are also introduced to a range of animation production techniques, while gaining technical expertise and software skills associated with each part of the process.
Animation Principles 2 CloseAnimation Principles 2
As part of Animation Principles 2, students learn how to create complex animated actions, and explore a range of image making and animation techniques.
Professional Practice 1 CloseProfessional Practice 1
This module introduces students to contemporary and historical examples of the traditional and expanded forms of animation. Students will look at examples of animation produced from all around the world and get an overview of the skills required to produce and work in the field of animation.
They also create their own websites to showcase the work that they make in the modules. Students are introduced to collaborative work, working with each other in teams, assisting second- and third-year students on film projects.
Mental Wealth: Agency 1 CloseMental Wealth: Agency 1
Developing the key psychological and physical determinants of human performance is increasingly critical for successful graduate-level employment, entrepreneurship and career progression in the 4th industrial revolution.
This module will provide students hoping to work in the creative industries with the opportunity to learn and apply the full range of skills, competencies and experience required for successful progression into in a range of potential future career areas.
Students will learn about conventions and expectations in the creative industries, focussing on areas specific to their programme of study. They will also advance their own personal professional development through taught and workshop activities, and explore possible strategies to further develop their reflective skills and self-awareness.
Students will have opportunity to select an in-house microbusiness to join in the role of 'Apprentice'. In this position they will focus on the importance of research in the creative industries. Students will practice key methods including digital and other research and qualitative methods used in industry today, including trends, news coverage and customer reviews. Students will also learn the conventions of research and analysis in order to develop a pitch or proposal in response to a client brief.
- Core Modules
Animated Documentary Pre-production CloseAnimated Documentary Pre-production
The animated documentary project follows on from the character design project and is the first of three animation projects that student complete during their BA in Animation at UEL. In this project students edit recordings of their interviews with people in the local community to create animatics for one-minute-long animated documentaries.
Animated Documentary Production CloseAnimated Documentary Production
Students explore different image-making processes and animation techniques before choosing an appropriate animation technique and software to animate their documentary films.
Animated Fillers/Stings Pre-production CloseAnimated Fillers/Stings Pre-production
Animated fillers or stings are very short format animated pieces, ranging from 5 seconds to 30 second each. Students develop animatics for a series of animated stings on a given subject.
Animated Fillers/Stings Production CloseAnimated Fillers/Stings Production
Students explore different image-making processes and animation techniques before choosing an appropriate animation technique and software to animate their animated fillers.
Professional Practice 2 CloseProfessional Practice 2
Professional Practice 2 follows on from the Professional Practice 1 in the first year. Students continue to work in teams on film projects. They learn how to create professional briefs for first year students and how to respond to professional briefs created by the third-year students.
Mental Wealth: Professional life: Agency 2 CloseMental Wealth: Professional life: Agency 2
Best learning experiences follow a 'learning by doing' approach followed by reflection and assimilation. Building upon the competencies and skills identified at level 4, this module supports effective professional development through practical experience.
You will work on live project briefs to produce media content which is informed by appropriate research in the field of study.
Professional understandings and skills sets will be furthered through practical work enabling you to strengthen key graduate skills such as teamwork, organisation skills, digital skills, effective communication, and professionalism.
Through reflective practice, you will evaluate your ongoing progress as a learner and as a practising professional.
- Core Modules
Final Major Project (FMP)- Pre-production CloseFinal Major Project (FMP)- Pre-production
The Final Major Project refers to a 3-5-minute-long animated film that students complete in their final year. This film should showcase all the skills that students have learned and refined in the first two year of their degree. As part of the Pre-production module, students develop their ideas into animatics/moving storyboards.
Final Major Project (FMP)- Production 1 CloseFinal Major Project (FMP)- Production 1
As part of Production1, students select animation techniques and software best suited to their stories. They create production plans and begin animation on their films.
Final Major Project (FMP)- Production 2 CloseFinal Major Project (FMP)- Production 2
In Production 2, students are assisted by first year and second year students in the completion of their animation films.
Final Major Project (FMP)- Post-Production CloseFinal Major Project (FMP)- Post-Production
Post-production involves the design, recording and mixing of sound, along with final visual edits.
Professional Practice 3 CloseProfessional Practice 3
As part of Professional Practice 3, students continue to work in teams on their final year film project. They create professional briefs and lead a team of first- and second-year students to complete their final year graduation films.
Mental Wealth: Professional Life: Agency 3 - Freelancing at UEL Creatives CloseMental Wealth: Professional Life: Agency 3 - Freelancing at UEL Creatives
This module is delivered as part of UEL’s creative agency, UEL Creatives, where students will work on live projects that will develop their employability skills and give them experience of working with industry.
Students can apply for a range of projects suitable to their skill-set and will be matched to at least one project as part of the unit. Working either individually or as part of a team to meet the brief set by a real client, students learn how to work as a freelancer and manage their own workload.
This will include practical information such as how to manage intellectual property as well as best practice on communicating with clients, working as a team and planning for the future.
In addition, students will be required to reflect on the experience, helping them to develop key enterprise skills including reliance and problem-solving.
HOW YOU'LL LEARN
Each module is designed with practical components and a reflective component, with the intention that students develop an ability to reflect on the processes that they have followed in the development of their work.
You will be taught by staff who are practitioners in the area they teach. Our staff are also well placed to take advantage of a range of professional networks and industry contacts. This ensures that the practice-led teaching is relevant to industry and practice.
Guided independent study
When not attending timetabled lectures or workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve skills development through online study, working on individual and group projects and preparing coursework assignments and presentations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, and access to software, specialist facilities, such as edit suites, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.
Academic support
Our academic support team provides help in a range of areas – including learning and disability support
Dedicated personal tutor
When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of the academic course team who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.
Workload
Each year you will spend around 280 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.
The approximate workload hours for this course per year are:
- Scheduled teaching - 284 hours;
- Guided independent study - 916 hours
Your timetable
Your individualised timetable is normally available within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, usually 11-1.30pm or 2-4.30pm for three days a week, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9.00am and 6.00pm.
For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.
Class sizes
To give you an indication of class sizes, this course normally attracts 10–30 students a year. We have workstations for each student in a class, so you are able to always be learning 'hands on'.
In the classroom you will be taught in groups of 10-20 students. However, this can vary by academic year.
HOW YOU'LL BE ASSESSED
Coursework will focus on practical outcomes from projects and exercises, e.g. films, clips, pre-production artefacts, occasional individual or group-based presentations and research-based assignments. We do not have timed practicals or exams.
The approximate percentages for this course are:
- 100% coursework
- 0% practical
- 0% exams
Feedback is a feature of most teaching sessions and you'll receive written or verbal feedback, outlining your strengths and how you can improve.
We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 15 working days.
CAMPUS and FACILITIES

Docklands Campus, Docklands Campus, London, E16 2RD
WHO TEACHES THIS COURSE
The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

The course is an excellent blend of taught sessions and creative freedom. The briefs, teaching and guidance help students develop skills right across the production pipeline, but leave them plenty of space to choose their direction and find their artistic voice. The focus on employability and industry is fantastic - ensuring real connections with the animation world, and practical development of what students need to help them get them the jobs they'll love."
Jess Mountfield, ANIMADE Studios
What we're researching
At the University of East London we are working on the some of the big issues that will define our future; from sustainable architecture and ethical AI, to health inequality and breaking down barriers in the creative industries.
Our students and academics are more critically engaged and socially conscious than ever before. Discover some of the positive changes our students, alumni and academics are making in the world.
YOUR FUTURE CAREER
Graduates from BA Animation at UEL have gone on to enjoy success in various fields, setting up studios, co-operatives, working as freelance creatives or working with London commercial studios like Nexus, Blink and Passion Pictures.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.