Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Animation and Visual Effects

at Norwich University of the Arts United Kingdom

Our BA (Hons) Games Art and Design degree has an international reputation for producing graduates who excel in a constantly evolving industry. The Rookies ranked NUA in the global top 16 for Concept Art and Illustration and in the top 50 in its world rankings — thanks to the reputation of the Games course.

The course is a member of the Sony PlayStation First Academic Partnership Programme and is accredited by ScreenSkills and the games industry body TIGA, which also crowned NUA the best educational institution in 2017.

Take the next step towards becoming a qualified architect on our MArch Architecture course*.

Developing a unique design voice is at the heart of the course while equipping successful graduates with the necessary professional competencies.

Research-by-design

The course is made up of eight units taught over two years full-time and three years part-time study. Each unit falls into the area of Design Studio, Research or Professional Studies.

Studio options range from practitioner-led masterclasses, or active research in coastal architectural design, contemporary considerations in conservation/rehabilitation, modern vernacular architecture in provincial towns and rural areas.

You will be supported to tackle real-world issues, while speculating and proposing new futures through bold experimentation and boundless enquiry in project-based learning.

Our tutors come from industry and research and our community is a place where academics, practitioners and students are co-designing new ways of thinking.

Teaching is delivered in a dedicated postgraduate studio space, equipped with computer workstations, model-making facilities, large format printers and 3D printers.

You share the infrastructure of a specialist creative arts university with equipment, expertise and support of disciplines such as Games, Fine Art, Fashion, and Interior Design.

You have access to workshops with capability for plastics, metal, wood, and concrete work.

Building your creative and professional skills in a variety of techniques and approaches to illustration is at the heart of our well-regarded course at NUA.

Our BA (Hons) Illustration degree course has a reputation for challenging conventional thinking. We will help you to develop your personal style as your expertise grows in drawing, print, collage and multi-media.

You will explore visual storytelling and both digital and analogue image-making: from the page to the screen, to installations and interactive experiences.

Step towards an illustration career

Live projects, competitions and collaborations will offer work opportunities to prepare you for a successful career in illustration.

You will develop your own way of thinking about illustration, storytelling and the connection of images to text or the spoken word.

We will help with advice about working in the creative industries, including freelance careers, employment and entrepreneurship, and practical tips on handling commissions and negotiating with clients.

Combining creativity, craft skills and technological innovation, our MA Textile Design Masters degree course will develop and refine your expert knowledge of textile design.

You’ll work at the forefront of the discipline, embracing the latest digital and technological advancements while developing a clear understanding of the market and the commercial potential of your work.

Hone your textile design skills

You’ll be encouraged to push your imagination and stretch the boundaries of the discipline through creative use of materials, processes and concepts.

Course tutors and workshop technicians teaching on this postgraduate course are also practitioners, with extensive and diverse experience in areas including digital textile production, CAD for repeat design, laser cutting, illustration, dye and weave. The breadth and depth of their knowledge will benefit you as you experiment and develop your practice through exhibitions and national competitions.

A supportive environment that encourages artistic innovation, exploration and debate awaits you on our MA Fine Art Masters degree course.

As a postgraduate student at NUA you’ll accelerate your artistic practice, exploring the role of the artist in society and testing your ideas against contemporary issues and critical debates.

Master your skills in a stimulating environment

You may choose to specialise in – or combine – areas including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, spatial and time based practice. You’ll master skills relevant to your artistic interests and you’ll be supported in the development of wider expertise, from exhibition and presentation to ethics and audience awareness.

Working alongside students from other postgraduate degree courses at NUA, you’ll be part of a community of artists, makers and visiting artists that forms a stimulating and active research environment.

Our BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotion degree will offer you insight into the technical expertise and creative strategies that successful fashion businesses use to grab attention.

As you build your knowledge of fashion marketing, you will develop skills that will make you attractive to employers, including:

• Market segmentation
• Branding and brand development
• Promotional strategies
• Competitor analysis and more!

And you will follow in the path of graduates who are set up for successful fashion media and marketing careers after work experience, live projects and internships with brands like Adidas, Vivienne Westwood and Vogue.

Our BA (Hons) Fashion course will encourage exploration in concept development, pattern cutting, and professional garment construction supported by technical skills and couture levels of craftsmanship.

Your technical expertise and understanding of materials and industry markets will grow by working on design competitions and briefs for high profile companies such as Burberry and ASOS.

Guest lectures, seminars and workshops with acclaimed practitioners, stylists and academics will give you insight into how the industry works.

We will help you to develop a professional portfolio to showcase your design identity and profile the quality of your manufactured garments to employers.

Fashion design skills
We’ll encourage you to innovate as well as to understand historic and contemporary trends in fashion.

You’ll develop essential technical skills to support your design thinking, including:

• Design development
• Planning
• Pattern cutting
• Garment construction
• Tailoring.

Taking Year 0 at the beginning of your degree course will get your studies at Norwich University of the Arts off to a flying start. The extra year of study will help you explore creative ideas and begin to develop the practical skills, research techniques and ways of thinking that are essential to undergraduate success.

Building your creative and professional skills in a variety of techniques and approaches to illustration is at the heart of our well-regarded course at NUA.

Our BA (Hons) Illustration degree course has a reputation for challenging conventional thinking. We will help you to develop your personal style as your expertise grows in drawing, print, collage and multi-media.

You will explore visual storytelling and both digital and analogue image-making: from the page to the screen, to installations and interactive experiences.

Step towards an illustration career

Live projects, competitions and collaborations will offer work opportunities to prepare you for a successful career in illustration.

You will develop your own way of thinking about illustration, storytelling and the connection of images to text or the spoken word.

We will help with advice about working in the creative industries, including freelance careers, employment and entrepreneurship, and practical tips on handling commissions and negotiating with clients.

Your passion for exploring visual ideas and brand communication across all platforms will be at the heart of your time at NUA studying on our award-winning Graphic Communication course.

Our BA (Hons) Graphic Communication degree is closely aligned to industry and you will work on a wide variety of briefs set by staff, professional design agencies and external competitions.

You will engage in work that explores traditional formats as well as emerging digital technologies such as augmented and virtual reality. Your knowledge and skills will grow in branding, identity, advertising, motion graphics, interaction/UX design, whilst developing strong skills in creative thinking and ideas-led communication solutions.

Design solutions to real world problems

You’ll be challenged to engage with real-world problems, controversies and commercial briefs through research, design and technology.

Your original ideas are as likely to play out through an app, website or augmented reality experience as a printed poster, pamphlet or journal.

Taking Year 0 at the beginning of your degree course will get your studies at Norwich University of the Arts off to a flying start. The extra year of study will help you explore creative ideas and begin to develop the practical skills, research techniques and ways of thinking that are essential to undergraduate success.

Develop the creative and technical skills behind the latest Hollywood blockbusters and learn from award-winning studio professionals on our BA (Hons) Animation and Visual Effects degree course.

Our Animation and Visual Effects degree reflects NUA’s success in both disciplines. Our approach to teaching visual effects evolved from advice from professional bodies like ScreenSkills and UK Screen Alliance and the majority of the UK’s VFX industry, including:

• Double Negative (DNEG)
• Framestore
• MPC
• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
• The Mill.

We are part of Access:VFX – the industry’s initiative to create the widest possible pool of future talent and host a number of workshops and events with invited industry guests