MA Advanced 3D Animation
- Study Mode: Full Time
- Location: High Wycombe / BNU based at Pinewood Studios
- Duration: One Year
- Start Date: September 2025
You can also study this course:
If you have an undergraduate degree, some industry experience or a genuine love for Animation, you could take your career to the next level, with this advanced course. Upon graduating you’ll be able to showcase an industry-standard animated short or showreel, which could help you join this ever-growing industry.
Split between our High Wycombe campus and BNU teaching base at Pinewood Studios, you’ll have the opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge you need for your future, all whilst studying right in the heart of the famous creative hub.
Experience of 3D software such as Maya is highly recommended.
At BNU, our advanced 3D animation course is designed with industry demands in mind. Covering high-level 3D modelling, visual effects, and digital techniques, this curriculum ensures you gain the practical skills needed to excel in the competitive world of digital animation and film production.
You’ll engage in practical projects that mirror real industry challenges, helping you to build a portfolio that showcases your digital animation skills. This hands-on approach offers invaluable experience, ensuring you graduate job-ready and able to tackle complex projects in the digital animation and film sectors.
You’ll be taught by seasoned industry professionals, who provide personalised mentoring alongside tailored career guidance. From one-to-one sessions and hands-on workshops to networking events that connect you with key industry players, you will receive the insights and tools you need to help refine your creative vision and confidently enter the digital animation industry. This comprehensive approach not only hones your technical skills but also builds professional connections and practical know-how, ensuring you’re well-prepared for a career in 3D animation.
Our course is designed to fit around your busy lifestyle. Whether you’re a working professional or a creative enthusiast, BNU’s flexible study options allow you to balance your career and personal commitments while advancing your skills in advanced 3D animation at your own pace.
You’ll explore emerging trends and cutting-edge tech in digital animation. The course encourages innovative research, allowing you to experiment with new ideas and techniques that push creative boundaries and contribute fresh perspectives to the evolving field of 3D animation.
What facilities can I use?
During your time on this course you’ll spend your time split between our High Wycombe Campus and our BNU Teaching Base at Pinewood Studios. On campus you’ll have access to our state-of-the-art library, computer suites and student services.
You will also study in our ASUS ProArt lab which is designed to help you deliver your very best work. The lab features Scan 3XS workstations and a range of high performance display monitors from the Asus ProArt range. These provide excellent colour grading to help you produce colour accurate work for your final projects and showreels.
You’ll also be able to access a range of specialist software and hardware, including;
- Maya
- ZBrush
- Nuke
- Mari
- Substance Suite
- Marvellous Designer
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Cinema 4D
- Redshift Renderer
- Shotgun
- Houdini
- Houdini Engine
- Unreal Engine
- Megascans Asset library
- Advanced Skeleton
- And Ziva among other useful pieces of software
This can all be accessed online through our virtualised computer system which will provide you with all the necessary hardware power to complete the course no matter where you are based. Our licences can also be accessed and used on your own machines by using our Bucks Anywhere service.
The Xsens video below shows our first experiment with our new Xsens motion capture suits. With the help of dancers from BNU’s BA Dance and Performance course, we motion captured a routine on the concourse running though the university and replaced one of the dancers with a version of the Lonely Robot and comped this back into the footage. We also have state of the art Faceware kits for face motion capture.
What will I study?
On this degree you will cover abroad range of topics, from researching into the field of animation, looking at both historical and contemporary practice, to drafting a short sequence of your own derived from your research findings. This will help you to establish and personalise the overall direction of your studies and practice.
You will also look at the wider production pipeline needed for an animation, covering areas such as:
- modelling
- rigging
- texturing
- lighting
- rendering
You’ll also look at how to convey effective storytelling and emotion in a visual narrative as achieving this is one of the hardest challenges which animators face.
Lastly, you’ll enter the preproduction phase before moving on to the production phase for your main project. This may be a continuation of your short sequence or something new and may be done individually or in a group.
How will I be taught and assessed?
We understand that to succeed on a creative course, you must be hands-on with learning. That’s why this degree is 70% practical work and 30% will involve reflective learning journals, presentations and academic reports.
This course will be delivered through lecturers, group sessions and 1:1s with tutors. You’ll also take part in a range of workshops, talks and lecturers with current industry professionals. In class, you’ll be challenged to defend your storytelling choices in front of the group, as well as assessing other learners’ work, helping you to become aware of the importance of cultivating your own artistic voice. During workshops, you’ll have the chance to work on projects to tight deadlines and have regular ‘dallies’ sessions, mirroring industry practice.
You will attend two two-hour sessions per week with a lecturer over the full 10 weeks of the modules except for the final production project. During these sessions, you will have the opportunity to ask questions to the lecturers and get answers and feedback. Normally these will begin with a group seminar and then break into 1:1 sessions where you will have the opportunity to discuss your individual progress.
You will be able to submit your work for asynchronous formative review which will be delivered as a video commentary on your work.
Each week you will be set a task related to the weekly content or be working towards your own project objective as agreed with the lecturers. You will be able to complete your work using the hardware at the university and will also be able to access the Bucks Anywhere service, which provides remote access, from any location, to a catalogue of University software applications for learners using personal or BNU devices. You will also be able to remotely access our VDI, which is a powerful computer that will give you access to all the software relevant to the course. This will enable you to work as and when suits you outside of the scheduled hours
You will also be expected to join a closed online group where you will be able to discuss the work and ask questions throughout the week. It is expected that both lecturers and learners will contribute and answer questions. This will also be a place for learners to post work for peer discussion and review.
We encourage you to enter competitions, which will challenge you to produce your best work, and access feedback on your works in progress. We also run a monthly art challenge and provide additional life drawing classes, including online.
You will create detailed and complex projects which you will then present for assessment. During the presentation you will be expected to discuss and critically evaluate your output and production processes. You will be expected to make interim presentations for formative feedback and to ensure work is proceeding on track. You will be expected to keep a formal learning journal of your progress as a source of notes for the final presentation. This will contain not only your progress but also your research and concept work.
What are the course entry requirements?
Graduate entrants to the programme will normally hold an Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject.
The University also welcomes applicants who have significant industry experience and no formal qualifications. Applicants with a suitable portfolio can be offered places based on artistic ability and experience.
This degree is aimed at learners who have already mastered animation tools to a good extent and are looking to focus their efforts on creating professional standard work that is highly creative and expressive.
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: £10,990 per year *
International
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Overseas/International, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £15,550 per year *
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?
This course helps you grow and develop your skillset and create an industry-standard showreel. Get to know where your interests and talent lies, ready for the career you desire.
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 MA Advanced 3D Animation course are transferable to any kind of animation.
Graduates from BNU’s animation courses have gone on to work in all six of the major VFX houses in the UK, as well as a number of major games houses and smaller companies. We have had winners and runners up in the Grads In Games Competition, which have then led to jobs. Our learners have worked on major films, games and TV productions, including Avengers Endgame.
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