Course Summary

Become a skilled and versatile animator, illustrator or interactive comic artist at Cambridge School of Art, and turn your creative ideas into a rewarding career as visual storyteller. Develop your distinctive visual language in our supportive and vibrant studio culture. Our BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation course explores the connections between illustration and animation, helping you to create sequential narratives using a variety of methods from observational drawing and traditional handmade image-making to the latest specialist digital animation software and cutting-edge interactive techniques. You’ll become an experienced creator of innovative and engaging visual content using both traditional processes and digital technologies to communicate your ideas. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll get the time, guidance and support from our team of practising illustrators, animators and visiting professionals dedicated to your creative development. At Cambridge School of Art, you’ll experiment and discover, make mistakes and find solutions, develop and create. Our Design & Crafts courses ranked 8th in the UK for 'Satisfied with Course' and 3rd for 'Satisfied with Teaching' in The Guardian University Guide 2020, reflecting how our students value their experience at Cambridge School of Art. While developing a unique visual style, you’ll also focus on the core foundations: studying the world around you, refining your drawing skills and learning to tell stories through moving images. You’ll go on group reportage drawing trips, with opportunities to visit museums, galleries and animation festivals in the UK and overseas. You’ll find lots of visual inspiration in Cambridge from the Botanic Gardens to the art collection in the Fitzwilliam Museum as well as the city’s architectural beauty and vibrant culture and student life. You’ll be able to take advantage of our industry relationships, and the networks we’ve built with local and international animators, illustrators and production studios. Competitions and opportunities for live projects with animation studios (previous clients have included Curveball Media and Allia Future Business Centre) will help you build a strong body of work ready for a professional career in the creative industry. You’ll also receive ongoing support to find placements and work experience, develop a professional showreel, and present your work at festivals and fairs. As well as our dedicated animation base rooms with workstations for stop motion and digital animation, you’ll have use of Mac and PC suites; a dedicated stop motion studio; a printmaking workshop including etching, screen printing, lithography and relief presses, letterpress studios; 3D workshops with equipment for woodwork, plastics/vacuum forming, metalwork, plaster, clay, mould making, laser-cutting and 3D printing; a sound recording studio; green screen and film editing suites; a digital photography lab; photography and film studios and darkrooms. You’ll also get access to the full Adobe Creative suite; up-to-date specialist professional software TVPaint, Autodesk Maya and Dragonframe Stop Motion; Apple iMacs with Cintiq drawing tablets; wide-format printers and scanners; camera lighting and sound recording kit. Our team of technical officers are always on hand to give you full training and support in all our art facilities – not just the ones for your course.

Course Details - Modules

Modules are not listed for this Course.

Course Details – Assessment Method

Assessment Methods are not listed for this Course.

Course Details – Professional Bodies

Professional Bodies are not listed for this Course.

How to Apply

26 January This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application Codes

Course code: WW27

Institution code: A60

Campus Name: Cambridge Campus

Campus code:

Points of Entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

Year 1

Entry Requirements for Advanced Entry (Year 2 and Beyond)

Entry Requirements for Advanced Entry are not listed for this Course.

International applicants

Standard Qualification Requirements


5 GCSEs at grade 3, or grade D, or above, (or equivalent) plus evidence of having attempted two years of post GCSE study at level 3. Students who have achieved a minimum of 1 A level (or equivalent), will be exempt from the two year post GCSE requirement (as stated above) but must still hold 5 GCSEs (as stated above). Students without English as their first language will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 5.5 (Academic level with at least 5.5 in each of the four components) or equivalent English Language qualification, as recognized by Anglia Ruskin University.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Minimum Further Information are not listed for this Course.

English language requirements

Test Grade AdditionalDetails
English Language Entry Requirement Information are not listed for this Course.

Unistats information

Student satisfaction : 68%

Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs): 50%

Go onto work and study: 65%

Fees and funding

England 9250.0 Year 1
Northern Ireland 9250.0 Year 1
Scotland 9250.0 Year 1
Wales 9250.0 Year 1
Channel Islands 9250.0 Year 1
Republic of Ireland 9250.0 Year 1

Additional Fee Information

https://aru.ac.uk/student-life/preparing-for-university/help-with-finances/undergraduate 2022 International fees are to be confirmed

Provider information

East Road
Address2 are not listed for this Course.
Address3 are not listed for this Course.
Cambridge
CB1 1PT

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