Model Design (Character and Creative Effects)

Why choose this course?

• Design and sculpt characters and learn moulding, casting, art-working
• Benefit from fantastic links to industry and regular guest speakers
• Outstanding record at New Blades model makers show, London

This is a unique combination of three interrelated degrees with a combined first year (Model, Character and Special Effects). The lecturing staff all have extensive subject knowledge gained from careers in the creative industries, hence students achieve professional standards in their work. We have excellent links with industry and provide placements on major movies at leading UK film studios.

• You will explore a wide range of specialist materials and processes such as sculpting, moulding and casting that enable the creation of original characters, props and set dressings.
• You can also combine designing and making characters with animation using stop motion armatures, or with animatronics (in collaboration with students on the special effects degree).
• You will develop skills in traditional workshop machinery and cutting-edge technologies and have access to specialist industry standard facilities for sculpting, mould making prop making and model making.
• Outstanding links with industry, which provide excellent work experience opportunities and live collaborative projects.
• Leading visiting lecturers teach part time alongside their full time work in creative industries
• Character and Creative Effects students achieve consistently high graduate employment rates

What's the course about?

All three of our model design courses share the same First Year, giving you an excellent introduction to model making, prop making, sculpture and special effects. Building on this foundation, you'll learn to use a wide range of specialist materials and processes to create original sculptural characters, props and set dressings – including the option of developing stop-motion puppets or collaborating with special effects students.

In your second year you will explore a wide range of specialist materials and processes such as sculpting, moulding and casting that enable the creation of original characters, props and set dressings

In your Final Year you'll work on major projects and create a professional portfolio to impress employers. Throughout your studies you'll have access to traditional model-making equipment and cutting-edge prototyping technologies. This course is accredited by Creative Skillset, reflecting the highest standard of teaching and facilities.

What Our Employers Say About Us

"We regularly take a number of students on work experience and often find ourselves wanting to extend the placement, or offer the students contracts during their holidays. This is principally down to the thorough preparation Hertfordshire students have for the workplace, through initiatives such as Professional Practice Seminars, which means we have increasingly found its graduates to be very employable"
Steve Hagon, Figure Production Manager, Merlin Studios (Madame Tussauds)

"With 3 courses covering different aspects of the Special Effects industry, (which I think is unique), they are the main supplier of graduates to our industry. More importantly these graduates are aligned with the needs of the industry and are readily employable".
Mike Kelt, CEO Artem

"The Model and Special Effects Programme at the University of Hertfordshire has consistently produced some of the most employable graduates in our industry".
Mark Ward, Managing Director, Asylum Models and Effects

Model Design Successes

The Model Design Programme is the only Special Effects course to have been accredited by Creative Skillset

The programme has outstanding links with industry and these result in high profile work experience opportunities for our students. In 2013, our students worked on major feature films at leading UK studios, including making action props on Guardians of the Galaxy, Jupiter Ascending, Exodus and Black Sea.

In 2014, 92% of our second year students undertook work experience on four major feature films at Leavesden, Pinewood, Shepperton and Twickenham studios.

Graduates from this degree often work with leading figures in the creative industries and a host of companies including: Anarchy Ltd, Artem, Asylum, Berry Place, Crawley Creatures, Creatures Inc. Ltd, Darkside FX, Ferox Effects, Gerry Judah, Madame Tussauds, Merlin Studios, etc.

The programme regularly exhibits at the New Blades exhibition (held at Holborn Studios in London), our graduates won three prizes in 2013, making a total of thirteen awards at New Blades in the last 4 years.

Articles about the work have featured in a variety of international publications including Wired Magazine and CNN.

Model Design Facilities

Our students' work in a large airy purpose built studio (with individual spaces for every student), which is situated above an extensive workshop that contain a wide range of traditional and cutting edge technologies. Students are able to use a wide variety of equipment/machinery and state of the art rapid prototyping facilities: laser cutters, 3D printers, CNC milling and routing. Our students also use a well-equipped sculpture studio, which has excellent life drawing and modelling facilities, a plaster mould making area and industry standard extraction in the fiberglass/resin casting room. The sculpture workshops also provide excellent brazing, soldering and welding facilities for most types of metal fabrication and finishing. In addition to these dedicated workshop facilities, our students are taught a variety of computer aided design processes in both 2D and 3D packages in computer suites, which are situated close to the Model Design studio. Our students have access to all of the facilities across the school including excellent photographic equipment/studios and printing.

Your main campus is College Lane

This is where the creative arts, science and health-related subjects are based. This means you'll share the campus with future nurses, scientists, artists and more. You can use the common rooms to relax with friends, work out in the 24-hour gym or have a drink in our on-campus pub or cafes. We also have restaurants for you to eat in or grab something on the go. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.

Tawajihiya with 70% or above. High School Diploma with a minimum overall average of 3.0, 2 Advanced Placement (AP) with a minimum score of 3.0

Apply via UCAS

All applications for undergraduate university degree courses are made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Typically, they must submit their application to UCAS by 15 January deadline to give them the best possible chance of securing a place at their preferred university. For further details, look up the key UCAS dates so you are aware of what you have to do when.

They can choose up to 5 courses to apply for. These can be at one university or spread across different institutions. The same application is used for the 5 choices so selecting similar topics will make it easier to write a focused submission.

Completing the UCAS application

If you have questions on how to apply, you can talk to staff during a university open day visit.

The UCAS application is made online. Information required include:

1. personal details and information about support requirements.
2. background details.
3. course and university choices.
4. education and qualifications overview.
5. employment details and experience.
6. personal statement.