Undergraduate

BA(Hons) Illustration & Animation

  • Duration

    3 years

  • Cost

    £9,275 p.a.

  • Course code

    W892

  • Institution code

    H18

Man in the moon short film

The huge growth in our consumption of media on small-screen mobile devices is changing the landscape for visual content creators. Programme makers and advertisers are hungry for imaginative, entertaining work, especially moving-image and animation. This course responds to this demand and embraces the natural link between illustration and animation. 

Overview


The huge growth in our consumption of media on small-screen mobile devices is changing the landscape for visual content creators. Programme makers and advertisers are hungry for imaginative, entertaining work, especially moving-image and animation. This course responds to this demand and embraces the natural link between illustration and animation. 

You will engage with traditional and experimental illustration and animation processes that offer alternatives to the pervasive digital aesthetic. This will include illustration that moves, animation that isn’t led by drawing and short, sharp, witty film-making that doesn’t require lengthy and expensive production. 

You will share a studio space with the specialist illustration students, but also work closely as an animation group to discuss ideas and support each other. You will become adept in the creative cycle of research, planning, developing, shaping, making and finishing, in a wide range of outcomes. 

The final year allows you to experiment with more ambitious projects in either illustration, animation, or both, defining your own specialism and preparing a distinctive portfolio and showreel. 

What our students do...

Illustration of a sunset landscape in a blue colour palette.
Illustration of a car driving off a cliff

Meet the team

Facts and figures

92.05

In the 2023/2024 NSS Survey HCA students rated the teaching on their course at 92.05. This is significantly higher than the sector average and something we aim to continuously improve on. 

2024 NSS

Applying to HCA

  • Minimum age 18. 
  • UCAS Points: Applicants applying for September 2025 entry and beyond, should have achieved 96 – 112 UCAS Tariff Points or more. However, whilst qualifications are important, our offers are not solely based on academic results. We may make offers based on other evidence of talent and suitability for the course – for more details about UCAS Tariffs tariff explanation and advice on the UCAS website. We expect all applicants to have examples of their current creative work available for submission on request.  
  • Mature students: Applications from mature students with relevant experience will also be considered. 

If you are unsure or have any questions, please contact us at registry@hca.ac.uk and we can offer further advice on HCA and the UWTSD awarding body requirements. 

Your degree

All undergraduate degrees at HCA are validated by University of Wales Trinity St David.

How to apply

Everything you need to know about applying to HCA - and starting the next stage of your journey as an artist

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