Animation with Integrated Foundation Year

Our BA in Animation will help you refine your creative talent while mastering character animation, design, visual development, layout, and storyboarding.

Why study this degree?
1. Excellent location with a host of animation studios on the doorstep
2. Connect with industry players and learn from them through mentoring opportunities
3. Collaborate on live briefs within industry
4. Gain technical expertise to transform your creative talent into a successful career in 2D animation
5. Collaborate with fellow students to tackle creative briefs and bring your ideas to life through compelling storytelling

In this three-year London-based 2D animation course, you’ll gain the technical skills and industry insights needed for a successful animation career, working with industry-standard software and building a portfolio to launch you into the professional world.

Integrated Foundation Year
On the Integrated Foundation Year on this course, you will be first introduced to the fundamental principles of animation and illustration. Your foundation year gives you the time, space and support to explore your strengths, build confidence and prepare for the demands of project-based, industry-focused learning. Modules are as follows:

Module 1: Diagnostic exploration - making informed choices
Module 2: Technical - Technical knowledge in practice
Module 3: Specialist - Innovating specialist practice
Module 4: Integration - Integrated practice for progression to Higher Education

After you have completed your Integrated Foundation Year, you will study the following:

Year 1
In year 1, you will study the key fundamental skills and concepts of drawing, mark-making and animation, and explore how timing, movement and behaviour affect the animation process. Taking an authorial stance, you will also explore the power of storytelling through drawing and movement. Working closely with students from other drawing based courses, you will learn about the broader historical and cultural significance of animation, and its’ place in the creative industry.

You will be expected to invent, improvise and take responsibility for your work. You will be given insight into the industry through guest speakers, and adopt a learning-by-doing approach with quick turnaround tasks set by practitioners, with regular feedback on your work.

Modules may include:
• Rave Beginnings



• Drawing, Mark-Making & Expression



• History of Visual Culture



• Storytelling & Concept



• Future Directions in Visual Culture & EPC



Year 2
Year 2 deepens your animation and image-making skills through a combination of technical workshops, specialist projects and broad visual development. You will explore characterisation, acting and performance, working with sound, and animating within the physical realm. At the end of Year 2, you will be working directly with industry on live briefs and projects.

Modules may include:
• Character Development



• Animation Performance



• Design Studio



• Toys, Games & Puppets



• Live & Work-based Learning



Year 3
Year 3 focusses on building a portfolio tailored to your chosen specialism through a focus on pre-production, and research and development. The year will culminate in an extended Major Project, which will allow you to focus on an ambitious self-directed project to allow you to showcase your learning and development.

Modules may include:
• Research & Development



• Pre-Production



• Portfolio



• Rave Futures



• Major Project



All modules are subject to revalidation.

Do you want to study in a top 3 student city in the world?* Unleash your creativity at Ravensbourne University London.

Located in London's Design District, Ravensbourne sits opposite the O2, next to Greenwich, and at the heart of the city's cutting-edge creative community. With London's impressive skyline and iconic river just opposite, you're bound to find inspiration all around.

Ravensbourne courses cover Architecture, Business, Computing and Games, Design, Fashion and Film, TV and Media. You'll experience live industry briefs and learn from those who are already excelling in their chosen industries, giving you connections and career confidence from the very start. You'll also have the opportunity to work alongside other specialisms as you will when you enter the workplace.

With spaces available through Clearing, you can join a unique community of makers and innovators this September.

* (QS Best Student Cities 2026)