Why study this course?
This is a top-up version of the Illustration and Animation BA (Hons) degree. A top-up degree is the final year (Level 6) of an undergraduate degree course and is for those who have a foundation degree, Higher National Diploma or equivalent qualification, or those wishing to study the final year of their degree in London.
On this degree, you’ll learn image-making and visual storytelling skills, specifically looking at children’s books, graphic novels and app design.
This course is industry-focused. It will help you develop your creativity and hone the skills you’ll need to be a professional illustrator and animator.
You’ll study digital platforms as well as more traditional forms of illustration. The course embraces ongoing developments in illustration and animation. We’ll explore how modern illustration is practiced and how techniques are no longer confined to the page but inhabit a dynamic, three-dimensional digital world.
More about this course
You’ll study in our School of Art, Architecture and Design’s unique studio system in East London and make use of an unrivalled range of creative facilities to make your work — including photographic studios, printmaking, ceramics and woodworking studios, and technology including 3D printing, risograph printing and laser-cutting.
Whether you’re creating a zine, a narrative for a start-up or a short film for digital publishing, this course is for you if you want to tell stories and connect with a variety of audiences.
A defining feature of the course is its focus on cross-disciplinary projects, allowing you to use a huge range of different mediums.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course.
Modular structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2022/23 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 3 modules include:
Critical and Contextual Studies 3: Dissertation (Visual Communication) (core, 30 credits)
Final Project Realisation: Illustration and Animation (core, 30 credits)
Project Design and Development (core, 30 credits)
Work Ready 2 (core, 30 credits)
Where this course can take you
This degree will equip you with the skills you need to succeed as an illustrator in the design and visual communication industries.
After graduating, you can seek illustration and animation roles in publishing, graphic design, advertising, web-design, concept design and film and theatre. Many graduates also go on to self publish books and into freelance illustration.
