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Computer Animation and Visual Effects

Entry requirements


To include grade C in one of the following subjects: IT, Computer Science, Mathematics or Science.

Pass Access to HE Diploma in one of the following subjects: IT, Computing, Mathematics or Science with a minimum score of 112 UCAS Tariff points.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

-to include HL 5 in IT, and HL 4 or SL 5 English and Mathematics

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (1080) in IT or Computing. Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (1080) in Creative Digital Media Production with grade merit or above in mandatory units 01 and 03 and grade merit or above in one of the following optional units: 40, 41, 43

UCAS Tariff

112-120

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

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 fully equipped CG/VFX suite, with high-end hardware, render farm, dedicated green screen room, 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.

**FEATURES AND BENEFITS**

- Top 3 UK university for Animation and Game Design courses. (Guardian 2023 University League Table. Includes courses from across the Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Digital Arts and School of Art.)

- 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 are investing £115m to transform the way we teach and you learn in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Open from Autumn 2023, our new Dalton building will enhance collaboration between students, staff and industry and provide improved teaching spaces, including a new computing and mathematics studio.

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

The Uni


Course location:

Manchester Metropolitan University

Department:

Department of Computing and Mathematics

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

84%
Computer animation and visual effects

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Computer games and animation

Teaching and learning

87%
Staff make the subject interesting
95%
Staff are good at explaining things
89%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
84%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

78%
Library resources
54%
IT resources
87%
Course specific equipment and facilities
79%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

86%
UK students
14%
International students
78%
Male students
22%
Female students
69%
2:1 or above
17%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A*
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Computer games and animation

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
84%
med
Employed or in further education
65%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

39%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
9%
Elementary storage occupations
4%
Teaching and educational professionals

This is a newly-classified subject area for this kind of data, so we don’t currently have very much information to display or analyse yet. Over time we can expect more students to study them — there could be opportunities that open up for graduates in these subjects as the economy develops over the next few years. But at the moment this looks to be a good degree if you want to work on the technical side of film and TV and this is the most common industry for new graduates.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Computer games and animation

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£22k

£22k

£27k

£27k

£30k

£30k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here