BA (Hons) Animation Bachelor's degree at Edge Hill University
BA (Hons) Animation at Edge Hill University was founded in 2006 and leads to a nationally recognised degree. Teaching quality has been assessed as Silver by the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
About this course
Explore the power of animation as you capture the imagination & build a portfolio of projects on Edge Hill's Animation course. View modules & course specs. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Animation is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at Edge Hill University, based in Ormskirk. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Cinematics and photography graduates from this provider, 90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 30% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £22,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Art & Design, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 20; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 90% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 80% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 9 modules
- Applying AnimationCompulsory20 credits
Module details
Examines animation as a principal mode of communication across a range of media formats within today's visually dominated culture. Through a series of focused research/animation projects, you will engage with global contexts for animation and apply your findings to generate commercial/experimental animation-based products. Application of animation might include projection-mapping projects, VR simulations, augmented reality or animations for mobile devices. Research, imagination and exploration w
Assessment: 100% Practical
- Making It Move: Animation Techniques 1Compulsory20 credits
Module details
Recognises that animation is fundamentally concerned with the ability to effectively create the illusion of movement using inanimate forms. Through the investigation of a range of animation processes and techniques, this module introduces key animation principles that can be applied across various formats and media. The module is designed to build a strong practical animation foundation from which you can explore and develop essential animation skills and techniques. Examples may include pixilat
Assessment: 100% Coursework
- Performance and Character: Animation Techniques 2Compulsory20 credits
Module details
Reveals how character and narrative represent the two main drivers for an animated product. The module will introduce strategies and skills for developing and presenting character designs, animating and extracting effective performance to create appeal, emotion and convey narrative. You will establish key aspects of analysing and understanding acting and performance to underpin character development, design and movement. You will also explore aspects of acting for stage and screen, while analysi
Assessment: 100% Coursework
- What is Animation: Animation in ContextCompulsory20 credits
Module details
Brings together shared theoretical principles from film theory, media studies and animation analysis to question the meaning of animation as a mode of communication, an art form and a cultural phenomenon. Discussions and topics include montage, anime, animated documentary, gaming and adult sitcoms. At the heart of the module is the recognition that the subject of animation exists within a unique environment surrounded by a rich source of influences which are drawn from aspects of fine art, graph
Assessment: 100% Coursework
- Working in Creative IndustriesCompulsory20 credits
Module details
Designed to enhance your employability and skill set by introducing you to the various sub-sectors of the constantly changing and evolving media and creative industries. The module will develop your knowledge and understanding of economic and policy concepts as well as issues within the context of the media and creative industries. The aim is to develop your understanding of contemporary media settings, from industrial to political, scholarly and practical. You will examine the television, film,
Assessment: 100% Coursework
- Global Popular CultureOptional20 credits
Module details
Introduces you to a range of popular culture products and processes and encourages you to reflect on the relationship between national and global consumption and reception. As such, the module will examine elements of pop-culture from a variety of nations and facilitate discussions of culture, popular culture and global and national markets and trends. You will be encouraged to explore areas around convergence, the diversity of experience and the reception of popular culture.
Assessment: 100% Practical
- New Venture CreationOptional20 credits
Module details
Introduces you to business planning and the development stages in business start-up. You will organise and evaluate theoretical perspectives in a practical setting, informing your future learning processes and outcomes. A key element of the module is a review of entrepreneurial skills and small business development through theoretical concepts of enterprise, self-employment and small business management. This module creates an awareness of emergent business types and their markets, the factors b
Assessment: 50% Coursework 50% Practical
- PhotographyOptional20 credits
Module details
Covers the basics in digital camera use and post-production, semiotic and photography theory. As practical knowledge of camera equipment and composition are required to fully exploit the creative possibilities of visual media, this module is designed to develop your camera skills, technical competence, and understanding of composition and photography. It concentrates on the principles of stills photography and develops your understanding of the photographic image that will be fundamental in deve
Assessment: 100% Coursework
- Language 1Optional20 credits
Module details
Ideal if you want to learn a new language, or further develop your current language skills, as an integrated part of this degree. The module will be taught in an interactive, communicative manner, using authentic materials in the target language. Emphasis will be placed on all four areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will play an active role in the classes, engaging in role-plays, short conversations, videos, authentic texts and listening materials.
Assessment: 85% Coursework 15% Practical
Year 2 3 modules
- Animation Light: Staging and PerformanceCompulsory20 credits
Module details
Engages you with the complex nature of lighting and cinematography, in both physical and virtual environments, while exploring the equally critical role of performance and its staging. Establishing a specific situation or time within the animated image, while also creating mood and atmosphere, is largely dependent on the artistic performance of the animator, both through their characters and in creative staging using effective cinematographic sensitivity. As such, this module encourages you to e
Assessment: 100% Coursework
- Animation Studio SkillsCompulsory20 credits
Module details
Focuses on your ability to understand and apply current animation production processes and techniques. Underpinned by investigative research into up-to-date studio practice, as well as industry masterclasses, studio visits and taught sessions, this module presents you with opportunities to develop specialist skills relating to a range of 2D, 3D CGI and stop-motion animation practice. This may include VFX, rigging techniques, motion-control and sound production techniques. The module will ensure
Assessment: 100% Coursework
- A Sense of Place: Animation and EnvironmentOptional
Module details
Based on the principle that the animated frame provides a blank canvas from which to generate, explore and manipulate concepts of space and place. With a focus on environment, the module introduces the methods designed to help you to develop believable and engaging animated spaces. Sessions will cover themes such as spatial narrative, architectural research observation, and construction and soundscapes, all of which can help to establish the location of your animation.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course invites you to develop a portfolio of animation projects that capture imagination and visual storytelling. You'll begin with foundation work in visual studies, design principles, colour and composition, alongside workshops in materials and making processes. Year 2 typically moves into sustained studio practice and digital media, exploring creative software, motion, 3D and emerging technologies relevant to animation. You'll work on live briefs with real deadlines and develop a personal creative direction. In Year 3, a course like this normally moves to specialist studio pathways (such as graphic design, illustration, fine art, fashion and textiles, or UX and digital work), professional practice and portfolio building, culminating in a final major project exhibited at a degree show.
Who it's for
The course welcomes students with A-levels or equivalent qualifications; 95% of recent entrants held these. The typical UCAS tariff among accepted students fell between 112 and 127 points. You'll study full-time in English and should check the university's funding pages for details on bursaries and scholarships available to you.
University & format
Edge Hill University is a public university based in Ormskirk. The BA (Hons) Animation is a 3-year full-time degree taught in English. As a recognised UK degree-awarding body, your qualification is nationally recognised. The university holds a Silver award for teaching quality from the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 95% |
| an Access course | 5% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code W615). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at Edge Hill University →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Art & Design graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £22,000 | £16,000 – £25,000 | 20 |
| 3 years after | £17,000 | £12,000 – £20,500 | 90 |
| 5 years after | £22,000 | £17,500 – £27,500 | 95 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 20; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in art & design · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Art & Design nationally
National figures for Art & Design graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2021-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 20; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Art & Design courses at the same study level.
Compared with 1,698 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Artistic, literary and media occupationsSOC 2020 341 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £33,824
- Sales occupationsSOC 2020 71 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £15,975
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
- Administrative occupationsSOC 2020 41 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,006
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 130; response rate: 55%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Art & Design graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Art & Design graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Design studios & agencies
- In-house brand teams
- Games & media companies
- Freelance & self-employed
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Art & Design graduates.
Fine Art TechnicianFirst Choice StaffPharmacy Technician – Brand New State-of-the-Art HospitalCompass AssociatesArtificial Intelligence Engineering ManagerMBN SolutionsArtificial Intelligence EngineerExperis UKDelivery Driver (Part Time 24 hours) - AndoverOcado LogisticsCompliance Business PartnerNashrock Insurance RecruitmentIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £22,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.6 out of 10: NSS 87.6% · in work or study 90% · continued 80%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Edge Hill University
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Ormskirk
220 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Art & Design right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Edge Hill University from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £14,500 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check Edge Hill University’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Edge Hill University and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Edge Hill University
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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