Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: See fees section below
International/EU: £17,155 per year (£1,200 for placement year) -
How long will I study?
4/5 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
A034
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When do I start?
September 2025
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Placement year available?
Yes
Course summary
- Explore the unique capabilities of 2D, stop-motion and 3D animation.
- Supercharge your skillset using industry-standard tools and techniques.
- Share your story, perfect character performance and interpret motion.
- Adapt to the ever-evolving landscape of animation-related practice.
- Study career routes, plan for festival submission and craft your online portfolio.
Through our industry-focused learning and connections, you’ll learn to embrace innovation and challenge expectations. You’ll develop and showcase your skills in ways that are individual to your creative identity.
How you learn
On this course you’ll be based in our bespoke studios, workshops and digital spaces, joining a dynamic and collaborative learning community. With their support you’ll undertake creative adventures, explore possibilities and challenge conventions.
Through our teaching, we’ll unfold your potential to contribute as a creative thinker and doer and apply your knowledge to industry, culture, society and life systems. The course covers a wide range of topics related to 2D, stop motion and 3D animation – from storyboarding and animatics to concept art, writing, direction, character animation and performance. You’ll explore model making, set building, art direction, rigging and professional distribution methods – as well as sustainable and ethical animation practices.
You learn through:
- studio practice
- workshops
- technical demonstrations
- group and individual tutorials
- reviews
- lectures
- guest lectures
- external visits and field trips
- film screenings
Key themes
Your first year introduces you to the world of professional animation practice. You’ll explore the skills required to develop your own original animated projects and respond to live client briefs.
The second year builds on this learning, focusing on professional portfolio development and the curation of your industry presence – through practice, research, industry interaction and cross-discipline projects.
You can then choose to enter the industry during an optional placement year, working in studios and agencies, or setting up a business of your own.
In your final year you’ll lead industry-focused animated projects, focusing on sustainable production practices and the importance of getting your work seen in festivals and exhibition spaces.
Course support
We take the time to get to know you, with a holistic and person-centred approach to assessment that supports your creative growth while respecting the diverse ways people learn. We’re a dedicated, qualified and highly experienced team of teaching staff – with world-leading research and recognised professional creative reputations.
We strive for an inclusive and equitable studio environment where divergent ideas, histories and practices are encouraged to thrive.
You’ll also be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate-level employment through a number of key areas. These include:
- access to three student support advisers 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
Applied learning
We’ve designed the course to embrace real-world challenges and provide you with the practical skills and knowledge to be successful. You’ll develop your expertise in collaboration with various industry, commercial and creative practitioners, clients and organisations.
Work Placements
Through a series of work experience opportunities, you’ll gain knowledge, skills and professional behaviours to help you reflect on your goals, and future career paths. You’ll become more confident, resilient and practised in professional interactions, preparing you to succeed when you graduate.
You’re encouraged and supported to undertake a full-time work placement between your second and third year of the course. Sandwich placements give you valuable additional work experience to help prepare you for your future career. They can have a transformative impact on your personal and professional development, which you can enhance further by completing Sheffield Hallam’s Applied Professional Diploma.
Previous students have gained work experience at local animation studios and thrived as freelance artists – both alongside their studies and through the dedicated placement year. Work experience and placements particularly enhance your final-year student experience, underpinning independent practice with real-world experience.
Live Projects
Live projects are embedded in our curriculum from the first year, providing you with an early chance to develop your portfolio and gain vital client communication skills. Then in larger, independently-led projects in your second and final year, you’ll begin to form your own industry connections.
Network Opportunities
You’ll have opportunities to network through industry talks. Previous speakers have included Mikey Please (co-director of Robin Robin) and Barry Purves (director and animator). We also have a cross-discipline lecture series and regular attendance at the regional Royal Television Awards.
Field Trips
Trips are offered as part of the first and final years of study – previously they’ve included visits to the Manchester Animation Festival and Aardman Animations. Optional international trips are often offered too (at a cost to students), to locations such as Bilbao and Paris.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in:
- 2D animation
- 3D CGI animation
- animation production and supervision
- asset design for 2D and 3D production
- character design
- concept art
- direction
- illustration
- graphic design
- motion design
- project management
- prop construction
- stop motion animation
- storyboarding
- studio coordination
- VFX compositing
- VFX matte painting
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:
- A Productions
- Blinkink
- Bluedog
- Blue Strawberry Elephant
- CBBC
- Collingwood Learning
- Doodledo
- EC 3D
- Ed Lounge
- Epic Games
- Finger Industries
- Flix Facilities
- Flycheese Studios
- Framestore
- Grizzle
- Growing Me
- Hogarth
- iHasco
- Jellyfish Pictures
- Kerrupt Animation
- Place
- Playforce
- Revolver
- Spokes Education
- The Animation Guys
- Twinkle
- Ubisoft
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
You'll have access to a wide variety of facilities across the university campuses – including a 24-hour learning centre, Students’ Union, cafes and eateries, lecture theatres, exhibition spaces and more.
You'll be based in a fully equipped and purpose-designed studio, with state-of-the-art facilities including:
- an industry-replicated 2D animation studio and software
- an industry-replicated stop motion studio and software
- industry-standard 3D computer hardware and animation software
- extensive workshops for crafting and rapid prototyping
- pro level camera, lighting and sound recording equipment
- print, wood, plastics, metal, mixed media, casting and ceramic workshops
- CNC equipment including laser cutters and CNC routers (2D and 3D)
- an electronics and coding lab
- 3D printing (including SLA, FDM, SLS, Polymer and metal 3DP)
- 3D digital tools (3D CAD, FEA) and 3D scanning (Artec Leo)
- an industry-grade spray painting and colour matching facility
Media Gallery
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 80
With at least 32 points from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:
- CDD at A Level.
- MMP in BTEC Extended Diploma.
- Pass overall from a T level qualification with C from core.
- A combination of qualifications which must include an A level grade C or BTEC grade M.
GCSE
- English Language or Literature at grade C or 4 or equivalents
You can find information on UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
• 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 from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.
We may also accept you, if you have limited qualifications but can show evidence of ability and a genuine commitment to studying Media Arts and Communication.
We treat the foundation year as part of the Media Arts and Communication degree programme. Offers made to students will be for four years of study (or five years of study including a placement). This is made up of the foundation year plus one of our Media Arts and Communication degrees.
Some applicants may be invited to attend an informal interview with the course leader to ensure that the programme is suitable for themselves and their aspirations.
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.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
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
Foundation Projects — Developing Creative Practice
Foundation Skills & Methods
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Directing Story: Engaging Audiences
Doing Moving: Animation Principles In Motion
Year 3
Compulsory modules
Animator Elevator: Careers In Animation
Future Now: Collaboration In Action
Re-Animator: Character In Motion
Elective modules
Study Abroad - Creative Industries
Year 4
Optional modules
Placement Year
Final year
Compulsory modules
Beyond Imagination: Professional Animation Production
Pure Imagination: Professional Concept Development
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fees for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2025/26 are regulated by the UK government and are yet to be confirmed. For an indication, our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Creative Industries Institute (PDF, 153.7KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
