Computer Animation MA

In order to complete your programme successfully, it is important to have a good command of English and be able to apply this in an academic environment. Therefore, if you are a non-UK applicant* you will usually be required to provide certificated proof of English language competence before commencing your studies.

For this course you must pass IELTS academic test in English with an overall score of 6.5, with no element below 6.0, or meet the scores listed on the alternative online tests.

Applicants who do not meet the English language requirements may be eligible to join our pre-sessional English language course.

Please make sure you read our full guidance about English language requirements, which includes details of other qualifications we'll consider.

* Applicants from one of the recognised majority English speaking countries (MESCs) do not need to meet these requirements.

Country-specific information

You will find more information on country specific entry requirements in the International section of our website.

Find your country:

• Asia
• Africa
• Americas
• Europe
• Middle East

Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. You may prefer to buy your own copy of key textbooks, this can cost between £50 and £250 per year.

There are open-access networked computers available across the University, plus laptops available to loan. You may find it useful to have your own PC, laptop or tablet which you can use around campus and in halls of residences. Free WiFi is available on each of the campuses. You may wish to purchase your own computer, which can cost between £100 and £3,000 depending on your course requirements.

In the majority of cases written coursework can be submitted online. There may be instances when you will be required to submit work in a printed format. Printing, binding and photocopying costs are not included in your tuition fees, this may cost up to £100 per year.

All field trips that are compulsory to attend to complete your course are paid for by the University. There may be small fees incurred for optional field trips such as travel costs and refreshments.

Travel costs are not included in your tuition fees but we do have a free intersite bus service which links the campuses, Surbiton train station, Kingston upon Thames train station, Norbiton train station and halls of residence.

Placements

If the placement year option is chosen, during this year travel costs will vary according to the location of the placement, and could be from £0 to £2,000.

Why Kingston?

Having already decided that computer animation would be the discipline I desired to pursue in my career, I wanted to find a master's course that would support and develop my ability to industry standards. It was difficult finding a university that catered to my expectations from the course whilst being close enough for me to travel from my home in London. When I visited KU's open day it became apparent that I found a course that I could learn a lot from. The campus is very impressive, the facilities are brilliant, and the staff are always friendly and professional. The tremendous teaching and support I received during my time at Kingston was exceptional. My skills in animation flourished at Kingston, preparing me for my professional endeavours in my career.

What inspires you?

I have always been fascinated by animation. Growing up playing video games, watching films, TV shows and animations. These media platforms had a massive influence on my childhood and naturally, I was a very imaginative child. My creative talent in art assured me that I always wanted to find a career in the creative industry. Whilst my love of films and television grasped my interest in pursuing a career in media. Since I've started animating my passion for it has exceeded my expectations, I believe this to be because animation is the perfect mixture of art and media. Achieving a paid job that I would happily work on as a hobby was always my main focal point of motivation. The staff at Kingston University were amazing at keeping my passion for the subject thriving with engaging one to one mentoring, interesting discussions and helpful tips that would regularly keep me wanting to learn more about the trade.

What next?

The masters course at Kingston University did a fantastic job of preparing me for a career as a professional animator. I had wanted to improve my animations skills on a visual stance but also develop my technical capabilities. Each module on the course refined my ability to animate appealing visuals and technical ability. I was very proud of the journey I made as an animator during my time at Kingston and wanted to display my progression to future employers. After a discussion with my tutor, I decided to base my final project on animating a portfolio from scratch displaying my ability at that current time. All the animations in my showreel were animated during the peak of my ability at Kingston University and I believe it contributed to me finding a job in the industry so quickly after finishing the course. I am very grateful to the encouragement and guidance that I received at Kingston because it helped ignite the start of my career in animation.

Why Kingston?

The Computer Animation course at Kingston Uni helped me develop my skills and expand my knowledge in the 3D space. The modules had focus, whether that was an onus on modelling, look-development or compositing. Yet were broad enough to conduct your research and delve into the particular matter of your interest. My goal was to explore 3D character art, so this was a deciding aspect for me when I enrolled on the course – and I was able to do just that.

The course is continually generating a vast library of learning materials such as video workshops, tutorials, and recorded critique sessions. Self-study is paramount in an industry like this; these resources ease that transition and help you navigate the somewhat convoluted 3D pipeline. Richard aspires to further the scope of the course and has procured some snazzy new motion-capture tech to expose students to mocap data acquisition and animation clean-up. He's also willing to bring other professionals in to deliver workshops and talks (I was one of them!), bridging that link between academia and industry, which is invaluable for prospective 3D artists.

The portfolio I present to potential employers still contains three character projects I worked on while studying on the course. These artworks helped ignite my career in the industry. I am very grateful that I not only graduated with a masters degree but left with a portfolio that I was proud of, along with the readiness and confidence to transition into professional work.

Why Kingston?

Studying animation at Kingston gave me a broad understanding of the subject as well as insight into the industry and the different roles that are available after graduation. The course taught me strong foundations in compositing, modelling, texturing and animation; all of which I call upon constantly while working professionally. For a self-motivated student the MA offers an abundance of tutor support as well as exclusive online resources and tutorials to take advantage of. I'm very grateful to Richard and Kingston for giving me the confidence to begin a career in animation.

Why Kingston?

Regarding the computer animation course, I would like to say how grateful I am for the opportunity to learn among the best professionals and gain a variety of computer skills and academic knowledge.

The coursework is well organised, with interesting presentations, technical equipment and covers a variety of industry software that strengthen candidate's potential.

Students can easily develop their skills with project-based assessments, constructive feedback, and individual support.

The lecturers are inspiring, they really care for their students, and cover at full extent the academic material. They encourage students to develop professionally and help gain all the technical and personal skills needed for a career progression.

I highly recommend Richard both as a lecturer as well as a professional. He is truly interested at providing his students with all the necessary skills needed for a career progression and his delivery methods are outstanding. He is gifted with the ability to communicate and bond with his students, offering individual support and constructive feedback.

He devotes himself to rise to his students' expectations and continuously grows professionally at his free time. I always admired his will to further grow as a professional and practice his skills outside university even though he is already an expert at his field.

He is familiar with a variety of computer software and can equip students both with animation skills as well as modelling and compositing skills.

He helped me to develop fast as a student and achieve my goals as a professional, and he is still helping me improve my skills as a full-grown employee at one of the top-rated movie production studios in Greece.

The computer animation course personally helped me develop skills quickly and evolve from a moderate student to a strong one, leading me to achieve my goals and obtain a position as a 3D character animator at one of the top-rated movie production studios back home.

To anyone who is thinking whether it's worth it, I advise it definitely is!

I studied MA Computer Animation. When I started the course, I was unsure which route I wanted to take professionally, but the MA allowed me to explore the numerous routes the postgrad could lead to in terms of employment. This was done through a combination of lectures and project-based assignments which allowed me to flex my creative muscles in different areas of Computer Animation.

During the course I discovered which area I wanted to grow my skills and seek employment and was given the opportunity to work with a tutor that had the knowledge to help me pursue this. They helped guide me in learning the various industry-standard software and skills needed to help me achieve a job down that route. Now focusing on developing skills both creatively and technically in one particular area of Computer Animation.

During my time studying I found it very helpful to use the online material available prepared by the tutor, the video tutorials particularly came in handy! Along with support both in class and outside via email and other online resources. Getting feedback in and out of class was extremely important in helping me understand the software and theory behind that I was learning. The project-based assignments gave me plenty of opportunity to show my project to the tutor before the hand-in and get that valuable feedback, especially since there is time for one-on-one support. We had the chance to work on various personal and group projects, which I have found extremely useful in preparing me for the world of work where I am often in a team of other creatives.