Animation with Foundation Year

    Animation with Foundation Year

    Duration4 year(s)
    Tuition Fee
    GBP 24,208 / Year
    Next IntakeSeptember 1, 2026

    Animation with Foundation Year

    About

    Course summary

    • Prepare for the degree with an extra foundation year at the start.
    • Work across a variety of forms including 2D drawn and digital-based animation, stop motion and 3D CGI animation.
    • Specialise in your preferred animation discipline for your major project film.
    • Produce a portfolio of project work to showcase your skills to potential employers.

    Learn a broad range of techniques and theoretical knowledge underpinning the form, including storyboarding, life drawing and concept art with this practical animation course. You graduate with the experience necessary to work in the animation industry, or in a wide range of other sectors that require creative professionals with animation skills.

    Gain a degree in animation, with an initial foundation year to prepare for the course.

    Disciplines

    Digital media

    Requirements

    Entry Requirements

    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.

    English Requirements

    • PTEMin 52
    • IELTSMin 6
    • TOEFLMin 79

    Career

    Future careers

    This course prepares you for a career as a

    • stop motion animator
    • 3D CGI animator
    • set designer
    • puppet builder
    • lighting technician
    • texture artist
    • modeller
    • rigger
    • compositor
    • producer
    • editor
    • storyboard artist
    • character designer

    Previous graduates of BA (Honours) Animation have gone on to work for

    • Industrial Light and Magic
    • BBC (CBeebies)
    • Double Negative
    • Warner Brothers studios

    Fee Information

    Tuition Fee
    24,208 / year

    How to Apply

    Apply for an undergraduate degree course

    How to apply for a foundation, top-up or bachelors degree

    For undergraduate degrees, UK applicants need to apply through UCAS, the University and College Admissions Service.

    Undergraduate degrees include:

    • Foundation degrees (FdA, FdEng, FdSc)
    • Top-up degrees (BA, BSc, BENG, LLB)
    • Bachelors degrees (BA, BSc, BENG, LLB)

    Applications open in September for courses starting in October the following year.

    International applicants

    If you are from outside the UK, you can apply direct or through UCAS. To apply direct, please use the online application form.

    Getting started with UCAS

    The first step is to register in the UCAS Hub and start a new application. You can save your application as you go, so you can complete a little bit at a time if you want to.

    We recommend reading UCAS's guide to filling in the application form.

    Your statement and references

    As part of your UCAS application, you'll need to write a personal statement. You might also need to give names and contact details for people who can give you a reference.

    If you're not sure where to start, try our guides to writing a good statement and choosing the right referees.

    Assessing your application

    Our admissions tutors will:

    • check the subjects you're studying
    • check your grades
    • read your personal statement
    • read the references we've received.

    Depending on your course and application, we might also:

    • invite you an interview
    • invite you to submit a portfolio.

    If you are invited to one of these, we'll send you everything you need to know. But if you'd like to know more now, you can read our guides to preparing for an interview and preparing a portfolio.

    Application decision

    After assessing your application, we will contact you with a decision. We usually start to make offers from November through to March, depending on when you applied.

    Animation with Foundation Year

    Sheffield Hallam University

    Sheffield Hallam University

    United Kingdom

    United Kingdom, Sheffield