Learn the creative, conceptual, technical, and professional skills necessary to produce high-quality animation across a range of disciplines including 2D, Stop Motion and 3D animation.
Work across a variety of forms including 2D drawn and digital-based animation, stop motion and 3D CGI animation.
Specialise in your preferred animation discipline for your major project film.
Produce a portfolio of project work to showcase your skills to potential employers.
Learn a broad range of techniques and theoretical knowledge underpinning the form, including storyboarding, life drawing and concept art with this practical animation course. You graduate with the experience to enter the animation industry, or in a wide range of other creative sectors.

You will have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement in between your second and third years. This gives you valuable work experience to prepare you for your future career and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.
 

• Live projects: you will work on industry briefs in collaboration with Animation Studios and learn to respond to clients’ feedback.
• Field trips: we tend to engage yearly with the Manchester Animation Festival providing individual tickets to all students at no additional cost. We also provide other opportunities to engage with other film festivals such as Aesthetica in York as well as the Children’s Media Conference, and Doc Fest.
• Networking opportunities: we arrange animation seminars and guest lectures by industry experts. Our industry links include Aardman Animation, Double Negative, Frame Store, MacKinnon and Saunders, Cartoon Saloon, Finger Industries, Flickermill, Grizzle, Jellyfish Animation, and Kerrupt Animation.
• Competitions: In your third year you will have the opportunity to submit your work for the Nick Park Award, an annual competition exclusive to Sheffield Hallam students which is judged by the team at Aardman Animation. You may also have the chance to enter other prestigious competitions, such as the annual Royal Television Society Yorkshire Student Television awards, where our students have won multiple prizes.

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

 

At every level of the course, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with live projects set by Animation studios in collaboration with professionals. You can apply to access placements, volunteering opportunities, workshops on professional skills, internships, and work experience engaging with the employability team. Our lecturers are passionate about what they do and are involved in current research and personal practice. This means you may have the opportunity to engage with, and apply, research-based knowledge to real-world projects, making you stand out to employers.

Throughout the course you will experience a range of teaching methods, from specialist workshops and media labs to lectures and seminars, individual tutorials, and group work. You’ll be able to develop your own area of interest and specialise in your preferred discipline for your major project film (including 2D drawn, stop motion or 3D CGI animation).

You learn through:

• coursework
• portfolios
• projects
• written reports
• peer critique groups

 

You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate level employment through a number of key areas. These include:

• access to our unique student support triangle to help with your personal, academic and career development
• access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments
• industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments and networking opportunities

There are also opportunities to study abroad at one of our partner universities.

This course prepares you for a career as a:

• 2D Animator
• Stop motion animator
• 3D CGI animator
• set designer
• puppet builder
• texture artist
• modeller
• rigger
• compositor
• producer
• Editor
• Background artist
• storyboard artist
• character designer

 

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:

• A Productions
• BBC (CBeebies)
• Blinkink
• Broadcast Media Services
• Calex UK
• Doodledo
• Double Negative
• Flix Facilities
• Fudge Animation Studios
• Fumb Games
• Grizzle
• iHasco
• Industrial Light and Magic
• Kerrupt stop-motion animation
• Squideo
• Twinkle

 

UCAS points

• 112

This must include at least 64 points from two A levels or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:

• BBC at A Level.
• DMM in BTEC Extended Diploma.
• A combination of qualifications, which may include AS levels, EPQ and general studies.

You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.

GCSE

• English Language at grade C or 4
• Maths at grade C or 4

• Access - an Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2. At least 15 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above, in a media-related programme from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate

If English is not your first language you, will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.

If your application is successful, you will be invited to submit a portfolio of work to demonstrate your ability. Find out about the selection process and how to produce a strong portfolio.

We welcome applications from people of any age. We may be flexible in our normal offer if you can show a commitment to succeed and have the relevant skills and experience. This must show that you will benefit from and finish the course successfully.

Please note the University will only admit students who are aged 18 or over at the point of enrolment.

Important notice:

The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.

You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.

 

Year 1 Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
2D Animation Foundation	20	Coursework
Animation Analysis	20	Coursework
Cgi Animation Foundation	20	Coursework
Creative Challenges	20	Coursework
Drawing For Animation	20	Coursework
Stop Motion Animation Foundation	20	Coursework

 

 

Year 2 Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Level 5 Live Industry Project	20	Practical
Showreel Project	60	Coursework
Visual Storytelling	40	Coursework

 

Year 3 Optional modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Placement Year

 

Final Year Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Dissertation	20	Coursework
Major Animation Project	80	Coursework

 

Elective modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Life Drawing	20	Coursework
Sound Design And Sonic Arts Practice	20	Coursework
Visual Effects Project	20	Coursework