MA Animation

Our MA in Animation is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills to apply innovative and efficient production processes to your animation projects which could be 2D, 3D Stop Motion, or hybrid of techniques. You will explore traditional production skills, but the course will encourage you to experiment with cutting-edge creative industry developments and new ways of storytelling in collaboration with game and digital technologies.

The course is to help you develop contemporary storytelling and transmedia techniques within your body of work, and/or to deepen your knowledge of a specialist role in a Creative Industry (e.g. Storyboard Artist, Art Director, Character Designer).

As a future-facing program of study we will encourage you through collaboration, to explore contemporary ‘ expanded cinema’ (i.e. Extended Reality (XR) experiences, Projection Mapping, and Immersive Installation, Theme Park Rides) and offer opportunities to see the value of your transferrable and potentially entrepreneurial skills.

Underpinning the curriculum you will be challenged to investigate and apply sustainable and ethical practices to your productions and processes and explore diversity and inclusivity in their story worlds and characters.

You'll study in MediaCity: one of the fastest-growing creative technology centers in the UK (Wired, 18 January 2021). Furthermore, The Greater Manchester region is one of the key areas of UK animation industry production, with an ecosystem of large to small companies – from globally leading companies such as Factory and Mackinnon & Saunders, to smaller boutique studios like Kilogramme and Flipbook Studio, with our Media City campus and CBBC’s HQ being at the heart of it. The Region has excellent industry networking opportunities with the Manchester Animation Festival and other regional networking groups like FilmHubNorth.

You will:

• Have access to a wide range of state-of-the-art animation resources and equipment
• Be part of a vibrant community of peers and tutors to help develop and explore your practice, challenging you to experiment, collaborate , and embrace new technologies
• Be encouraged through collaboration to produce professionally executed work to take to the next stage of your career
• Develop industry contacts in Greater Manchester, one of the key areas of UK animation industry production

The University of Salford’s industry-relevant courses gives students the real-world skills they need to succeed in today’s competitive job market. Through forming strong partnerships with businesses and organisations from all sectors, the University of Salford works with them to develop courses that are up-to-date and relevant to today’s challenges.

Students can choose from a variety of subjects including business management, law, science, engineering, built environment, computing, nursing, physiotherapy, media, the arts, creative technology and more.

Teaching is supplemented with work placements, internships, live projects or field trips so students can put their learning into practice.

A campus-based university, Salford boasts an exciting location, just minutes away from Manchester city centre, which is known for its vibrant cultural arts scene, international food and world-class sports.

The campuses provide students with an outstanding learning experience and the chance to use industry-standard facilities to reflect the workplace. The main campus features the beautiful Peel Park where students can relax in between lectures or walk next to the river.

The University of Salford also has a high-tech campus at MediaCity next to the BBC and ITV and amongst over 200 digital and media companies.

Attractive scholarships are offered to support international students with paying fees, as well as options for paying fees across 5 or 7 monthly instalments.

The University of Salford currently has over 4,000 international students who make up part of the total student body of 23,000. The community is very friendly and multicultural, and everyone is welcome no matter their background, religion, or beliefs.

The University of Salford also offers specialist careers support for international students which can be accessed free of charge and for a lifetime. The support includes how to find a job, interview and CV techniques, guidance on workplace etiquette in the UK, and advice about visas.