• Creative Storytelling
• 2D Animation
• 3D Animation
• Post-Production Techniques
• Motion Capture
• Small Class Sizes
• Excellent Course Structure
• Industry Contacts
• Creative Community
• Broad Career Opportunities
• Excellent Tutor Support
• Real-World Briefs
• Industry Standard Facilities

• Year 1
  You will gain a solid grounding in the fundamentals of illustration and animation. Using light boxes and rostrum cameras you will explore the traditional methods of animation. Creative thinking, storyboarding and story structure are all covered.
• Year 2
  You will develop your illustration skills, and become proficient in 3D digital animation, covering all the essential skills needed for creating captivating performances in 3D worlds.
• Year 3
  Your skills will continue to develop, culminating in your third year honours project which will become the centrepiece of your portfolio and should reflect the area of animation in which you plan to specialise.

Ready to apply? No need to wait for UCAS – you can apply directly to Futureworks now!

By initially focusing on traditional 2D animation skills, the course produces more rounded and proficient 3D digital animators. The illustration aspect of the course makes it stand out from many digital animation degrees and you will enjoy the way we come together as a team to express stories in a fun, creative and exciting way.

As you move on to digital animation, you will be using the latest versions of industry-standard software, like Autodesk Maya, together with the same hardware and workflows that you will find in the real world.

The reason for this is that our tutor team are all industry professionals who either still work within the industry or contribute to current projects on a freelance basis. They feel that it is essential that you understand the way the industry work as soon as you start on the course. This highly experienced team of tutors is augmented with independent animators and professional comic book illustrators who teach specific specialisms and deliver guest lectures.

Finally, all our students really appreciate the smaller class sizes at Futureworks. You can be confident that you will get plenty of one-to-one tutor time when you need it and our students often say that there is a real family feel to the course.

This course is validated by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

In your final year, we will be focusing on your future career. We will develop your online portfolio and look at ways of marketing yourselves effectively in this predominantly freelance industry. During your time at Futureworks, you will have many opportunities to make career contacts and we will explore ways of exploiting those contacts, finding jobs and interviews and even work on interview technique.

Students who complete this course can expect to find roles as Illustrators, storyboard artists, 2D or 3D animators and other roles within the animation industry. You could end up working freelance, within animation companies, post-production facilities or other sectors of the creative industries.

Your primary location of study will be at our Riverside Campus, which is located on New Bailey Street in Manchester. As part of your course, some of your lessons will take place at our Futureworks Studios facility located in MediaCityUK, a few miles from the city centre.

Futureworks recognises that the skills, competencies and contribution of its staff are vital to the delivery of high quality Higher Education. All programmes are managed by a dedicated Programme Leader and team of experienced tutors, and our excellent links with industry employers mean you’ll have access to exciting guest lectures and fantastic opportunities to gain experience on real-world projects.

To be considered for this course, you will require 104-120 UCAS points.

Futureworks is able to accept any applications from applicants who require a Student Visa (formerly called Tier 4 Visa) to study in the UK. Entry criteria for International students will vary. Please see International Students  for full details.

You can apply for this course by submitting an application via the UCAS system. The UCAS codes for this course are as follows:-

UCAS Code: W216

Institution Code: F98

If you have any questions about applying for a degree course please call us on 0161 214 4602, email [email protected] or look at our Admissions page.

If your application is successful, you will be invited to an interview where you will have the opportunity to talk about your work, influences and interests. A guide will be sent with your interview details to help you prepare for your interview. Ideal applicants will have a keen interest in animation, illustration, and production. You will be asked to bring any relevant examples of work with you, in the form of a portfolio. The portfolio is required for this course and applications will not be considered without the provision of a portfolio.

For your portfolio we recommend including some observational drawing, ideally life drawings. Experience in digital working and animation is not necessary prior to starting the degree, but if you have explored any of these avenues already then we’d love to see them. Other than that, bring in any work you are particularly proud of, between 8 and 10 pieces in total, and be prepared to talk through your working process in the interview.

All of our courses start in September and are full time, 3 year courses. More information on relevant dates can be found on the Term Dates page.