Animation

Animation is one of the most technically demanding and creatively rich disciplines in the visual arts. It requires the ability to make drawings, models, or digital objects move convincingly in time, to tell stories through character and action, and to understand how movement, timing, and sound combine to produce meaning and emotion. From feature films and television to games, advertising, and interactive media, animation is one of the most widely used and commercially significant of all creative disciplines.

At Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee, this four-year full-time programme echoes animation industry practice as closely as possible. You will work to briefs, learning about professional production practices within a variety of specialisms, including traditional hand-drawn animation, stop-motion, 3D computer animation, character design, storyboarding, and motion graphics. The curriculum is structured around studio practice, with individual and collaborative projects that develop your technical skills and creative voice simultaneously.

Critical and contextual study of animation history and theory informs your practice, giving you a deeper understanding of the medium and its possibilities.

The programme includes a foundation year, providing an accessible entry route for students who need additional preparation before beginning degree-level creative practice. A year abroad extends the experience, allowing you to study at an international institution and to encounter different animation traditions and professional cultures. The typical entry tariff is 200 UCAS points.

Graduates from animation programmes go on to careers as animators, character designers, storyboard artists, motion graphics designers, visual effects artists, and creative directors in film, television, games, and advertising. Further study options include postgraduate programmes in animation, visual effects, and screen media.