Illustration and Animation BA (Hons)

This course is in clearing with spaces available

This course is in Clearing with Spaces Available

Overview

Course options

Select year

Degree

UCAS code: WW20 112 UCAS points
  • BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 3/4 years
    • Pound 9250 Per year
  • BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation, home applicant, part time

    • Home Applicant
    • Part time
    • Pro-rata full time fee
  • BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation, international applicant, full time

    • International Applicant
    • Full time, 3/4 years
    • Pound 14580 Per year

Degree with foundation year

UCAS code: WW22 64 UCAS points
  • BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 4/5 years
    • Pound 9250 Per year
  • BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation, home applicant, part time

    • Home Applicant
    • Part time
    • Pro-rata full time fee
  • BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation, international applicant, full time

    • International Applicant
    • Full time, 4/5 years
    • Pound 14580 Per year

What makes this course different

  • Developing skills

    You will be able to explore both animation and illustration together

  • Interdisciplinary

    Explore and find your way within the two disciplines of animation and illustration developing a practice which blurs the line between, something that has become more common in industry

  • Career focused

    You will work alongside animation and illustration students gaining fresh perspectives and approaches, giving you the edge in the competitive job market

Course modules

Select year

Contextual Studies 1

Practice 1

Experimentation and Application 1A

Experimentation and Application 1B

Research into Practice 1

Professional Life 1 (Mental Wealth)

Contextual Studies 2

Practice 2

Advanced Experimentation and Applications

Advanced Practice

Research into Practice 2

Professional Life 2 (Mental Wealth)

Industrial Sandwich Placement

Practice 3

Research into Practice 3 – Extended Research Project

Research into Practice 3 – Graphic Design, Illustration and Animation

Independent Major Project Part A

Independent Major Project Part B

Professional Life 3 (Mental Wealth)

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

Your future career

Dive into the dynamic world of animation and illustration. Numerous career paths await upon graduation. Industry and practical experiences provide a solid understanding. It will empower you to cultivate your unique voice in the field. Acquire a diverse range of skills. preparing to confidently enter the animation or related industries as a skilled professional. Upon completing the course, a myriad of opportunities in animation and illustration will unfold. Professional studies modules offer insights into industry workings, online and print design, CV creation, and portfolio development. Membership in the AOI enhances your journey. It provides access to valuable resources like a two-hour illustration business masterclass, employment skill talks, and cost-effective membership, including Varoom magazine.

Industry links

Benefit from our robust connections within the animation industry featuring guest speakers from Aardman Animation, Animation UK, Lupus Films, and Blink Ink. Our students annually explore leading studios such as Passion Pictures, Nexus, Lupus Films, Studio AKA, and Karrot Animation. To ensure our course remains at the forefront of industry trends, we maintain ongoing communication with animation studios. We foster a collaborative relationship with Blind Pig, a versatile creative studio. Creative Director Ric Combline actively contributes to shaping our courses, providing invaluable feedback and support for art and design programmes.

Graduate employers

We prepare our graduates to enter the 2D animation industry as technically competent, professional animators. Our graduates have gone on to work in various big animation studios including Blink Ink and Passion Pictures, as well as smaller studios. Some of our graduates have set up their own studios and collectives. Others have been employed by organisations such as Sainsbury's, Merlin Entertainment - Chessington World of Adventures, Choice Care Group, City and Exit and Carphone Warehouse.

Job roles

Our students often seize opportunities well before completing the course, exemplified by Martin Reznik, an exceptional graduate now in high demand as a magazine illustrator, who was already designing apps for a Los Angeles company while still a student. Another success story involves a group of friends who, during their time at UEL, established their own company. Initially a university society aiming to enhance the visibility of their comics, the venture, now known as Backwards Burd, has evolved into a post-graduation business. They offer publishing services, providing a fresh showcase for new illustrators and artists. Our graduates have pursued various roles, including 2D animators, animation directors, storyboard artists, concept artists, editors, character designers, set designers, illustrators, asset designers, and scriptwriters.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.

Rema Khatun
As a university committed to your career growth, we've curated dedicated Career Zones across all of our campuses with practical services tailored to your success. From internships, personalised coaching, and employability workshops to volunteering, mentoring, placements, and enterprise opportunities, we offer a diverse range of support.

Our online Career Zone platform provides accessible career support and is equipped with practical tools to navigate your career journey. Whether you're in the classroom or beyond, we're here to empower your professional development."
Rema Khatun

Career Zone

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone

This digital platform provides you with careers and employability resources, including: 

  • Jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work 
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts 
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services
  • Careers workshops and employer events 
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you've mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

See more details

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top:

  • Work-based projects
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations
  • Support in starting a new business
  • London on our doorstep

How you'll learn

Benefit from our progressive approach to learning through forward thinking and inclusive blended/ flipped learning and patchwork assessment, allowing you to make connections between modules, technical skills and research and your practice. You will gain fresh perspectives and approaches (divergent thinking) giving you the edge in the competitive job market, and skills for the fourth industrial age (4iR).

Learn through critical thinking and undertake complex problem solving, to be able to succeed in 4iR and beyond (we call this emotional intelligence) and gain insights in our yearly cluster employability initiative Detour Ahead: Roadmaps for the Art and Design Industry, a week-long inter-disciplinary guest talk series as well as advice about copyright and licensing, freelancing and tax.

    Guided independent study

    We are investing in key areas beyond your studies including our career services, library and well-being, to be available both face-to-face on campus and online with many of these available 24/7. We have new, modern library facilities on both campuses offering inspirational environments for study and research. Libraries contain resources in print and digital formats, a range of study spaces and a dedicated librarian who can assist with your learning.

    Academic support

    If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths or statistics, our Academic Tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential. You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses.

    Our Student Support hubs in Docklands and Stratford feature centralised helpdesks to cater for your every need. UEL provides also support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).

    Dedicated personal tutor

    Students are supported with any academic or subject-related queries by an Academic Advisor, module leaders, and former and current UEL students.

    Workload

    Each year you will spend around 300 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 percentages for this course are: 

    • Year 1: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours. 
    • Year 2: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours.
    • Year 3: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours.

    Your timetable

    You will receive your personalised timetable at the beginning of the academic year depending on your course.

    Class sizes

    The size of classes can vary depending on the nature of the course, module and activity. This can range from large groups in a lecture theatre setting, to smaller groups taking part in seminars and collaborative work.

How you'll be assessed

We'll assess you through a combination of coursework and exams. Coursework will include presentations, exhibitions, pin-ups and critiques. Furthermore, you'll also be assessed through learning, research journals, online portfolios and degree shows. You'll always receive detailed feedback outlining your strengths and how you can improve. 

Students with disabilities and/or particular learning needs should discuss assessments with the course leader to ensure they are able to fully engage with all assessments within the course. 

Feedback is provided within 15 working days in line with UEL's assessment and feedback policy.

Campus and facilities

Docklands Campus, London, E16 2RD

DiscoverUni

The banner below displays some key factual data about this course (including different course combinations or delivery modes of this course where relevant).

Select year

Statistics for BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation Degree, Full Time

Statistics for BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation Degree, Full Time

What our students and staff say

Textile design ACI
Art and Design at UEL offers everyone a chance to operate in an economy which is moving further and further into the realms of the creative industries."

Joe Pleass

Graphic Design

Pooja Pottenkulam
As staff, we make sure that we maintain an animation practice. The animation course is really a community of animators that has grown over the last six years. We welcome young animators and help them become part of a larger network of professionals."

Pooja Pottenkulam

BA (Hons) Animation Course Leader