MA 3D Animation for Professionals
- Study Mode: Part Time
- Location: Distance Learning
- Duration: 18 Months
- Start Date: September 2025
Are you interested in pursuing a career in 3D Animation? Whether you want to create animation for TV, film, the web, or games, this part-time, flexible course can help you develop the vital skills you need to succeed in this sector, while fitting around your current commitments. Aimed at animation professionals and those looking to advance their skills and develop their critical capacity, our MA 3D Animation degree is one of the world’s longest running online 3D Animation master’s degrees.
You’ll have the chance to engage with the latest trends and technological advances in 3D Animation, using cutting-edge software to enhance your portfolio. We partner with the online animation school Animation Apprentice and previous students and graduates have won many festival awards for their films, while others have gone on to work for leading animation and vfx houses such as MPC, DNEG, Framestore and Escape Studios. The showreel above consists of films created on the course in the last five years.
Our MA 3D Animation for Professionals offers a curriculum that meets today’s industry demands. You’ll boost your career solidifying your existing knowledge and expanding your knowledge on the latest techniques. Ensuring your skills are perfectly aligned with the competitive world of digital animation.
You’ll benefit from one-on-one support from seasoned industry professionals. Our dedicated faculty provide personalised mentorship, sharing valuable insights and creative feedback to help you master complex animation projects and boost your confidence as a professional.
Engage in real-world projects that mirror industry challenges and opportunities. Through diverse assignments, you’ll build a standout portfolio that showcases your creative talent and technical proficiency in 3D animation, giving you a competitive edge in the job market.
Designed for working professionals, this degree offers flexible study options that accommodate your career and personal commitments. You’ll get to enjoy a supportive learning environment that helps you enhance your 3D animation skills without compromising your work-life balance.
BNU opens doors to valuable industry connections. Through guest lectures, workshops, and collaborative projects, you’ll meet leading professionals and like-minded peers, expanding your network and paving the way for exciting future opportunities in the animation industry.
What facilities can I use?
Just because the course is online it doesn't mean you won't interact with us here at BNU. We'll support you throughout your MA and supply engaging material to enhance your learning.
On our course there’s the chance to join online sessions where you can engage in discussions and interact with learning resources in specially created forums. You'll also have access to textbooks, journal papers, electronic databases and other self-study and e-learning materials.
Whilst studying with us you will also use our AppsAnywhere web service, which provides access to many of the software applications you’ll use for learning and studying, including Maya, Zbrush, Nuke, Marvellous Designer, Adobe suite, Cinema 4D and Dragon Frame, amongst others. AppsAnywhere can be used from your own device or a University owned PC or laptop, from any location.
What will I study?
We place a strong emphasis on character and creature animation in a digital environment. With a focus on cutting edge technical and creative skills, you'll learn how to develop original creative content. You will be taught some of the fundamental skills of 3D animation and animation studios, considering recent social trends in the industry, technological developments and professional contexts. Carefully designed workshops will help you develop your skills and you’ll be given valuable practical insights into problem solving, and we’ll help guide you in putting together a strong showreel.
Throughout the programme, we’ll help you to obtain a practical understanding of the skills required to produce industry-level animation scenes and to create a unique portfolio of varied work. You’ll study the importance of cultivating unique and personal entrepreneurial skills in order to stand out in the industry, as well as communicate effectively in a professional international environment, such as with other departments within the film and gaming industries.
You'll also gain an awareness of current challenges facing the animation industry, with an opportunity to conduct your own research in this exciting and rapidly developing field.
How will I be taught and assessed?
Our BNU teaching team are industry-professionals, with years of experience working in the sector and training future generations of animators. Through their support, and the course, you’ll gain the skills and knowledge you need within the industry.
You will receive a set of pre-recorded video lectures each week which will contain the learning content as well as a guidance document on how to use the material. You will be able to complete these at times convenient to yourself.
You’ll have individual online tutorials to help identify specific issues with your individual projects, written assignments, personal research and progress within the course. You’ll receive personalised practical video feedback on your practical assignments.
You will be able to submit your progress at regular intervals for feedback from the lecturer. There will also be a scheduled group online discussion each week where the lecturer will introduce the topic and invite students to discuss and ask questions.
You’ll also have access to a closed online group chatroom for critiques in which you have the opportunity to upload your work-in-progress practical projects for feedback from your peers.
You will also access online masterclasses by leading practitioners in the animation industry.
Other assessment methods on this course will include:
- practical reports
- online presentations of research
- pre-production work that will demonstrate academic rigor
- a dissertation
- practical project work
- animation productions
- problem-solving exercises that will develop an array of animation techniques
What are the course entry requirements?
We look for students with a minimum of 2:2 degree classification from an animation degree programme or from a related discipline. We also accept applications on an individual basis and will consider industry professionals who have developed the right skills through work.
All students will need to submit an online portfolio of work to support their application. We also ask prospective students for an interview - either face-to-face, phone or online.
For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.
Modules
This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.
What are the tuition fees
Home
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Home, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £8,810 *
International
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Overseas/International, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £8,810 *
Following the Government’s announcement of 4 November 2024, we will be increasing our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for UK students to £9,535 per year from the start of the 2025/26 academic year. Our part-time fees for UK undergraduate students will increase to £7,145 per annum. Please visit , on the Government’s website, for more information about the changes.
Tuition fees for Home undergraduate students (including with foundation year) may increase in subsequent years for both new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by the Government.  
Tuition fees for both new and continuing international students may be subject to an inflationary increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period to 31 January each year.  
Tuition fees for postgraduate courses and CPD may be subject to an inflationary increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period to 31 January each year. This increase will apply to both new and continuing students.  
We understand, and really appreciate, the significant financial commitment our students make when they choose to study at BNU. We take our responsibilities to our students very seriously, and are ambitious for each to reach their full potential and succeed in their chosen career. Our fees help us to continue providing our students with a high-quality education, and to invest in the services and facilities which create an excellent student experience at BNU.
The following factors will be considered by the University when we set the annual fees: measures of inflation such as the retail price indices; projected increases in University costs; and any changes in the level of funding for teaching received from the Government.
What are my career prospects?
Employers are looking for animators and digital artists to fill their ever-growing art teams. Your MA shows that you are not just an excellent practitioner, but also that you can engage in critical thinking at an advanced level and understand the theory behind the craft. The skills you learn on this programme are transferable to any kind of animation.
Our graduates have gone on to work in production houses, visual effects companies and some have even started their own companies. Students and graduates have won many festival awards for their films, while others have gone on to work for leading animation and vfx houses including MPC, DNEG, Framestore and Escape Studios.
During this course, you’ll be able to create a showreel, which is a vital piece of work to have when looking for jobs and internships in the industry. Here are some top tips from Course Instructor Alex on how you can use it, and where to show it off.
Course leader
