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With a toolkit that mixes the creative and the technical, an animator does all this and more. Whether working in the artistic or commercial worlds, animators produce the moving images for anything from film and broadcast media to digital platforms and video games. Our BA (Hons) Animation course brings together key aspects of contempo...
3 years full-time
4 years full-time with placement
4 years full-time with foundation
With a wide variety of modules, on this course you will explore techniques, approaches and styles, as well as delving into the practicalities of working in the creative industries. You will have a mix of taught sessions and practical assignments, giving you the opportunity to work with a variety of digital artists and creative specialists – not only helping you develop your skills, but also your industry network. The course also features a series of guest lectures, letting you hear from high-profile professionals from a range of animation practices as well as the wider field of digital arts. Offering a window into professional practice, these lectures give you the chance to develop industry-relevant understanding and insight drawn directly from seasoned professionals’ extensive experience.
Teaching Excellence Framework 2023-2027
National Student Survey 2024 (NSS)
Toon Boom Centre of Excellence
The first year provides a grounding in the craft, skills and conceptual thinking required for the art of animation. You will be introduced to the core underlying principles of animated movement, the disciplines of cinematography and storytelling and engage with the pipeline of a collaboratively produced animated film. You will also engage in contextual practice to support understanding of wider creative fields relevant to your development as a creative practitioner.
An introduction to the core creative and technical processes of animation. In this module you will investigate the key approaches and principles of the discipline, experimenting with different modes of working, together with form, authorship, style, storytelling, observation and communication principles.
The module delivers core skills in creative ideas generation using physical animation techniques that support the design process. In this module you will work on the central aspects of generating creative ideas, then on how to interpret and extrapolate those ideas. As such, you will chart the creative process, explore traditional design skills and get to grips with a variety of physical animation techniques.
In this module live briefs will provide the opportunity to design story, characters and environment. You will develop creative and theoretical approaches to learning, collaborating in teams across the SODA community as they work through the production design and animation test phase to create short form animated content.
Taking a strong practical focus, you will build your experience and skills as an animator. You will explore techniques and get hands on with industry-standard tools – developing your capabilities, expanding your skillset and equipping yourself with the means to deliver various forms of animated content.
This module provides the space where the four SODA research themes of Body, Machine, Society and Storytelling are introduced and explored. The module initiates transdisciplinary thinking and collaborating with others. It forms the beginning of developing your hybrid skills set.
Within each thematic of this module, you will choose a Co-Lab project that best suits your interests. The module will introduce you to research methodologies, creative thinking, technical languages and problem-solving techniques and ideas. It also constitutes the beginning of developing your employability skills.
The Body thematic will introduce and enable you to explore the changing role of our bodies within digital technologies and environments, researching the interaction between what we call a user and the machine through concepts of embodiment, the senses, movement and cognition. The module will establish how creativity and computational practices, when combined, enable new and exciting methods of production and innovation.
The Machine thematic will introduce and enable you to explore disruptive systems, researching what machine learning is and how it operates. The module will establish how creativity and computational practices, when combined, enable new and exciting methods of production and innovation. Machine encompasses a range of different approaches to thinking about creative automation.
The Society thematic will introduce and enable you to explore the relationship between digital culture and society, researching the ways in which technology is developed within and in response to our societies. The module will provide an opportunity to explore how technology can be used for social good.
The Storytelling thematic introduces you to new narrative dynamics, researching the new forms and/or functions of stories in the digital age. You will learn how innovation in storytelling is key to both the production of new digital creative forms and our understanding of them in culture and society. You will also recognise the powerful effects of storytelling in the way we understand ourselves and the world.
This module provides the space where the four SODA research themes of Body, Machine, Society and Storytelling are introduced and explored. The module initiates transdisciplinary thinking and collaborating with others. It forms the beginning of developing your hybrid skills set.
Within each thematic of this module, you will choose a Co-Lab project that best suits your interests. The module will introduce you to research methodologies, creative thinking, technical languages and problem-solving techniques and ideas. It also constitutes the beginning of developing your employability skills.
The Body thematic will introduce and enable you to explore the changing role of our bodies within digital technologies and environments, researching the interaction between what we call a user and the machine through concepts of embodiment, the senses, movement and cognition. The module will establish how creativity and computational practices, when combined, enable new and exciting methods of production and innovation.
The Machine thematic will introduce and enable you to explore disruptive systems, researching what machine learning is and how it operates. The module will establish how creativity and computational practices, when combined, enable new and exciting methods of production and innovation. Machine encompasses a range of different approaches to thinking about creative automation.
The Society thematic will introduce and enable you to explore the relationship between digital culture and society, researching the ways in which technology is developed within and in response to our societies. The module will provide an opportunity to explore how technology can be used for social good.
The Storytelling thematic introduces you to new narrative dynamics, researching the new forms and/or functions of stories in the digital age. You will learn how innovation in storytelling is key to both the production of new digital creative forms and our understanding of them in culture and society. You will also recognise the powerful effects of storytelling in the way we understand ourselves and the world.
Study
Assessment
SODA Placement Year
As part of your studies with SODA, you may have the chance to take a year working on placement within the industry. During your year, you will spend at least 36 weeks working within an organisation in the industry, developing workplace skills, practical understanding and genuine industry experience.
SODA Study Year Abroad
You can choose to spend an academic year studying with an approved partner university overseas, developing your core skills while demonstrating your initiative by engaging with a challenging curriculum at a foreign institution. This offers practice credits from the host university, after you’ve completed Level 5 of your SODA programme.
If you take the four-year placement route, Year 3 will be spent on placement.
Building on Year 1, you will continue to work in a collaborative context. Acquiring further skills and making use of further opportunities, students will continue to prepare for a potential future working in the animation industry through the production of animated content. Further experiences in collaborative projects are offered whilst underpinned with contextual practice to support understanding of wider creative fields relevant to your development as a creative practitioner. Students will start to build a body of work to develop a wider professional engagement both within and external to the School of Digital Arts.
Building on your work and experience from previous modules, you will have a chance to focus on the specialist areas that interest you most. You will investigate a variety of animation delivery techniques, whilst also exploring the interaction between practice and narrative – giving you a deeper understanding of your chosen form (or forms) of animation.
In this module, you will look into the industry’s workings – engaging with networks to learn about the business, planning and operational aspects of animation. Building confidence in your abilities as a practicing animator, you will learn and experience how your career could unfold, looking at the variety of roles and career formats available.
Working on cross-media, cross-platform projects, you will not only go through the process of commission, design and delivery, but also look at new forms of technology-based creativity. You’ll work as part of a team, collaborating across the wider SODA community – combining animation with filmmaking, directing, editing and visual effects to produce an immersive and engaging piece of work.
This module enables you to investigate industry practices in animation within a range of media contexts. The module covers research funding, crowd and industry funding, as well as commissioning processes planning and strategy.
This module provides the space where the four SODA research themes of Body, Machine, Society and Storytelling are further explored. You will further develop and enhance your transdisciplinary thinking, collaboration with others and development of your hybrid skill set.
Within this module you will again choose a Co-Lab theme that best suits your interests. Through this you will expand your knowledge of critical research methodologies, conceptual thinking, technical languages, including problem solving and problem posing skills.
The Body thematic further investigates the role of our bodies within digital technologies and environments, researching the interaction between user and machine through concepts of embodiment, the senses, movement and cognition. The module will further establish how creativity and computational practices, when combined, enable new and exciting methods of production and innovation, making us reconsider what body means in a technological space.
The Machine thematic further investigates disruptive systems, researching and learning how creativity and computational practices, when combined, enable innovative methods of production. Machine encompasses a range of different approaches to thinking about creative automation.
The Society thematic further investigates the relationship between digital culture and society, researching the ways in which technology is developed within and in response to our societies. Students will further explore how technology can be used for social good and to enhance and improve people’s lives.
The Storytelling thematic further investigates new narrative dynamics, researching the new forms and/or functions of stories in the digital age. You will learn how innovation in storytelling is key to both the production of new digital creative forms and our understanding of them in culture and society. You will further explore the powerful effects of storytelling on how we understand the world and ourselves.
This module provides the space where the four SODA research themes of Body, Machine, Society and Storytelling are introduced and explored. The module initiates transdisciplinary thinking and collaborating with others. It forms the beginning of developing your hybrid skills set.
Within each thematic of this module, you will choose a Co-Lab project that best suits your interests. The module will introduce you to research methodologies, creative thinking, technical languages and problem-solving techniques and ideas. It also constitutes the beginning of developing your employability skills.
The Body thematic will introduce and enable you to explore the changing role of our bodies within digital technologies and environments, researching the interaction between what we call a user and the machine through concepts of embodiment, the senses, movement and cognition. The module will establish how creativity and computational practices, when combined, enable new and exciting methods of production and innovation.
The Machine thematic will introduce and enable you to explore disruptive systems, researching what machine learning is and how it operates. The module will establish how creativity and computational practices, when combined, enable new and exciting methods of production and innovation. Machine encompasses a range of different approaches to thinking about creative automation.
The Society thematic will introduce and enable you to explore the relationship between digital culture and society, researching the ways in which technology is developed within and in response to our societies. The module will provide an opportunity to explore how technology can be used for social good.
The Storytelling thematic introduces you to new narrative dynamics, researching the new forms and/or functions of stories in the digital age. You will learn how innovation in storytelling is key to both the production of new digital creative forms and our understanding of them in culture and society. You will also recognise the powerful effects of storytelling in the way we understand ourselves and the world.
Study
Assessment
SODA Placement Year
As part of your studies with SODA, you may have the chance to take a year working on placement within the industry. During your year, you will spend at least 36 weeks working within an organisation in the industry, developing workplace skills, practical understanding and genuine industry experience.
SODA Study Year Abroad
You can choose to spend an academic year studying with an approved partner university overseas, developing your core skills while demonstrating your initiative by engaging with a challenging curriculum at a foreign institution. This offers practice credits from the host university, after you’ve completed Level 5 of your SODA programme.
If you take the four-year placement route, Year 3 will be spent on placement.
In the third year, you will have the opportunity to be a key part of two major animations, which will showcase your groupwork and individual talents as part of significant productions, including pitching ideas to industry professionals. The final pieces will be displayed at our graduation showcase as well as students being encouraged to submit to Animation Festivals and competitions. Previous projects have been awarded prestigious prizes in Animation and Production Design.
This course offers you the opportunity to apply for a placement year option which can be taken in Year 3. During the placement year, you will be supervised directly by the company you are employed by, and you will also be allocated an Academic/Placement Tutor. They will provide support and guidance, and assess your progress during the time you are away from the University.
Where a placement is not undertaken, you will study the following final year units. If you have completed a placement in Year 3, you will study the modules outlined in Year 3 in a fourth year.
Your individual project is yours to lead and manage – delivering a professional-level short-form animated film. You will go through an in-depth process of research, theoretical development and design, allowing you to investigate, explore and evaluate concepts, visual style, themes and narrative.
In this module you will have the chance to identify and build a body of research around your specialist area using independent study. As well as testing your core animation capabilities, it’s a project that will involve external partners, organisations or research communities – giving you the chance to make a professional commitment to an area that interests you.
Drawing together and building on all the skills, research and knowledge you’ve built over the course, you will produce a film from concept through to final output, in collaboration with others across the wider SODA community. As part of the production team, your role will be to work on a major animated project that shows attention to narrative construction, advanced production and post-production techniques.
In this module you will take a close look at the animation industry and community, identifying and investigating an aspect of animation to research before producing an independent study or community-based project.
This module runs parallel to the final year production module to support core methodologies in curation, dissemination, and communication of your artistic practice and processes. The students in this module will explore and implement creative methods of communicating research, process and final outcomes. It is about documenting in detail the journey taken to make a significant animated film or animation portfolio to a professional standard, in addition to planning and producing content for the dissemination of the work to a chosen wider audience.
This module provides the space where the four SODA research themes are investigated, explored. and applied. You will apply your advanced skills of transdisciplinary thinking, collaboration with others and synthesis of your hybrid skill set. Within this module, you will critically select a Co-Lab theme that best suits your interests. Through this you will consolidate your knowledge of research methodologies, creative thinking, technical languages, problem solving and problem posing techniques and ideas.
Body will further explore the role of our bodies within digital technologies and environments, researching the interaction between user and machine through concepts of embodiment, the senses, movement and cognition. The module will further establish how creativity and computational practices, when combined, enable new and exciting methods of production and innovation, making us reconsider what body means in a technological space.
Machine will further explore disruptive systems, researching and learning how creativity and computational practices, when combined, enable new methods of production and innovation. Machine encompasses a range of different approaches to thinking about creative automation and how this has become embedded in the technology we use and rely upon.
Society will further investigate the relationship between digital culture and society, researching the ways in which technology is developed within and in response to our societies. The module will provide an opportunity to explore the many ways in which society can benefit from the application of technologies to improve and enhance people’s lives.
Storytelling will further explore narrative dynamics, researching and applying new forms and/or functions of stories in the digital age. You will consolidate your knowledge of innovative storytelling and how it is key to both the production of new digital creative forms and our understanding of them in culture and society. You will explore the sophisticated was in which stories can change the way in which we understand our place in the world.
Study
Assessment
SODA Placement Year
As part of your studies with SODA, you may have the chance to take a year working on placement within the industry. During your year, you will spend at least 36 weeks working within an organisation in the industry, developing workplace skills, practical understanding and genuine industry experience.
SODA Study Year Abroad
You can choose to spend an academic year studying with an approved partner university overseas, developing your core skills while demonstrating your initiative by engaging with a challenging curriculum at a foreign institution. This offers practice credits from the host university, after you’ve completed Level 5 of your SODA programme.
If you take the four-year placement route, Year 3 will be spent on placement.
Whether you’ve already made your decision about what you want to study, or you’re just considering your options, there are lots of ways you can meet us and find out more about student life at Manchester Met.
We offer:
Your studies are supported by a department of committed and enthusiastic teachers and researchers, experts in their chosen field.
We often link up with external professionals too, helping to enhance your learning and build valuable connections to the working world.
These typical entry requirements may be subject to change for the 2025/26 academic year. Please check back for further details.
GCE A levels - grades BCC or equivalent
Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma - grade DMM
Access to HE Diploma - Pass overall with a minimum 106 UCAS Tariff points
UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma - grade of Merit overall
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - grade DMM
T level - We welcome applications from students undertaking T level qualifications. Eligible applicants will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of Merit as a condition of offer
IB Diploma - Pass overall with a minimum overall score of 26 or minimum 104 UCAS Tariff points from three Higher Level subjects
Other Level 3 qualifications equivalent to GCE A level are also considered.
A maximum of three A level-equivalent qualifications will be accepted towards meeting the UCAS tariff requirement.
AS levels, or qualifications equivalent to AS level, are not accepted. The Extended Project qualification (EPQ) may be accepted towards entry, in conjunction with two A-level equivalent qualifications.
Please contact the University directly if you are unsure whether you meet the minimum entry requirements for the course.
We will ask for a portfolio of your work as part of your application.
GCSE grade C/4 in English Language or equivalent, e.g. Pass in Level 2 Functional Skills English
Please see our digital portfolio requirements page for guidance on preparing and submitting your portfolio.
GCE A levels - grades BCC or equivalent
Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma - grade DMM
Access to HE Diploma - Pass overall with a minimum 106 UCAS Tariff points
UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma - grade of Merit overall
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - grade DMM
T level - We welcome applications from students undertaking T level qualifications. Eligible applicants will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of Merit as a condition of offer
IB Diploma - Pass overall with a minimum overall score of 26 or minimum 104 UCAS Tariff points from three Higher Level subjects
Other Level 3 qualifications equivalent to GCE A level are also considered.
A maximum of three A level-equivalent qualifications will be accepted towards meeting the UCAS tariff requirement.
AS levels, or qualifications equivalent to AS level, are not accepted. The Extended Project qualification (EPQ) may be accepted towards entry, in conjunction with two A-level equivalent qualifications.
Please contact the University directly if you are unsure whether you meet the minimum entry requirements for the course.
We will ask for a portfolio of your work as part of your application.
There’s further information for international students on our international website if you’re applying with non-UK qualifications.
Please see our digital portfolio requirements page for guidance on preparing and submitting your portfolio.
UK and Channel Islands full-time foundation year fee: £9,250 per year for the foundation year. This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation and may increase each academic year in line with inflation or UK government policy for both new and continuing students.
EU and Non-EU international full-time foundation year fee: £21,500 per year. When progressing from the pre-degree foundation year to the linked degree. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study)
Full-time fee: £9,250 per year. This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation and may increase each academic year in line with inflation or UK government policy for both new and continuing students.
Full-time fee: £21,500 per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
A degree typically comprises 360 credits, a DipHE 240 credits, a CertHE 120 credits, and an integrated masters 480 credits. The tuition fee for the placement year for those courses that offer this option is £1,850, subject to inflationary increases based on government policy and providing you progress through the course in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study). The tuition fee for the study year abroad for those courses that offer this option is £1,385, subject to inflationary increases based on government policy and providing you progress through the course in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
All students have have easy access to computing equipment and animation specific equipment and resources. Software relevant to your study is available on campus and is regularly updated. In addition to desktop machines, you will also able to access the university laptop loan service. Students are also able to access digital drawing equipment such as Wacom Cintiq monitors and graphics tablets. Students working off campus, may wish to purchase your own photography equipment, computer and licensed software.
You are strongly advised to purchase a portable hard drive to continually back-up your work (£50-100). In cases where you need to print your work, additional costs may be incurred which will be determined by the nature of the work. You may also incur material costs within physical making production.
There are occasional opportunities to attend study trips which will incur costs. These costs are proportional to the distance and length of the study trip. You will be encouraged to market your work in forums relevant to your study, which may mean paying for materials or a digital service provider. All essential reading material and learning resources related to your programme of study is available in the library; however, you may wish to purchase your own books, subscribe to relevant online journals, or pay for access to online resources or memberships.
Students wishing to follow the placement year and/or study year abroad units will incur extra costs. These costs are variable and will usually be dependent on distance, and local costs of the country in which the placement or overseas study takes place.
Find out more about financing your studies and whether you may qualify for one of our bursaries and scholarships
Money MattersThe move of the BBC and ITV children’s departments to MediaCityUK has enhanced an already strong children’s media ecosystem in the North West. Skilled talent in animation is necessary not only for high-profile animation programming and filmmaking, but also for the myriad of agencies that produce high-end animated content for gaming, marketing/advertising, e-learning, publishing, visual effects, augmented reality, architectural visualisation, heritage and gallery content production, app development, prototyping, live events, etc. There is an ever-growing demand in Manchester for this type of talent, which makes SODA’s focus on future animation so timely and exciting. Our students will find multiple opportunities as animators, character designers, concept and storyboard artists, colourists, riggers, modelers, puppet makers, set designers, prop makers, producers, etc.
You can apply for the full-time option of this course through UCAS.
UCAS code(s)D367
Institution code: M40
Get advice and support on making a successful application.
You can review our current Terms and Conditions before you make your application. If you are successful with your application, we will send you up to date information alongside your offer letter.
Programme review
Our programmes undergo an annual review and major review (normally
at 6 year intervals) to ensure an up-to-date curriculum supported by the
latest online learning technology. For further information on when we
may make changes to our programmes, please see the changes section of our
terms and conditions.
Important notice
This online prospectus provides an overview of our programmes of study
and the University. We regularly update our online prospectus so that
our published course information is accurate. Please check back to the
online prospectus before making an application to us to access the most
up to date information for your chosen course of study.
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Students (OfS). The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education
in England. More information on the role of the OfS and its regulatory
framework can be found at
officeforstudents.org.uk.
All higher education providers registered with the OfS must have a student protection plan in place. The student protection plan sets out what students can expect to happen should a course, campus, or institution close. Access our current student protection plan.