Anglia Ruskin University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
Course summary
Prepare for a career in technical art in the visual effects and video games industry. Develop your skills to meet demand for roles including technical artist, procedural content creator and technical director. Our BA (Hons) Visual Effects will help you become an artist skilled in the latest procedural 3D techniques, who can work alongside programmers, developers and other artists. Using the latest procedural content creation software, you’ll learn to design and deploy solutions to problems encountered in the video games and visual effects industries. As well as exploring the key areas of working with VFX and computer graphics, our course will keep you up to date with the latest techniques and trends. We'll also help you identify the supporting skills and knowledge that you’ll need to succeed in the creative industries. ARU is the place to study Visual Effects. The East of England is a hub for games companies, including Jagex, Frontier Developments and Ninja Theory. As a Visual Effects student at ARU, you’ll be based in our studio in the heart of Cambridge. This allows us to work closely with employers, organising live briefs, guest lectures and work experience opportunities to give you exposure to professional studio practice, and the latest technologies and techniques. Working as a team is crucial to games development and so you’ll take part in collaborative projects with students from computer games courses, developing your skills in teamwork and project management. Throughout your Visual Effects degree, our expert staff are on hand to offer support and feedback. They’ll help you create an online presence to showcase your work. All our lecturers and staff are researchers and practitioners, and their work reflects current VFX practice. We also attend games jams, industry talks, conferences and festivals. They’re great places to make contacts in the gaming industry. State-of-the-art facilities All our Visual Effects students will:
- work in a computer lab with state-of-the-art workstation PCs
- use software and tools such as SideFX Houdini, Blender, Autodesk Maya, Unreal Engine 4, Pixologic ZBrush and Substance, increasing your career opportunities in the visual effects and games industries, as well as opening possibilities in other content-creation fields such as synthetic data, machine learning, XR, and architecture
- have opportunities to work with equipment including Wacom creative pen tablets to assist with digital painting and texturing; VR headsets; and a 16-camera motion capture system
Modules
Year 1 core modules: Introduction to 3D Art; Introduction to Procedural Content Creation; Introduction to Realtime Procedural Content Creation; Materials and Texturing Techniques. Year 2 core modules: Advanced Procedural Content Creation; Digital Practice for Technical Art; Realtime VFX Techniques. Year 3: Work placement. Year 4 core module: Major Project. Modules are subject to change and availability.
Assessment method
With the help of industry live briefs, your assessments will be targeted towards technical challenges present in today’s visual effects, film and games industries. Throughout the whole degree, non-destructive procedural techniques will form the backbone of your planned assessments. At all levels, you will underpin the delivery of your work by producing solutions that follow these non-destructive methodologies. Using up-to-date tools, you’ll produce artefacts that are meaningful and effective to real world situations, evidenced by submitting documentation that backs up your thought processes, creativity, and solutions to milestones within the development cycle. You will also compile a demo reel from the body of work you create in years 1 and 2, which will showcase your specialisms and interests using the tools available in industry.
How to apply
31Jan
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- I701
- Institution code:
- A60
- Campus name:
- Chelmsford Campus
- Campus code:
- A
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - 96 points
GCSE/National 4/National 5
If English is not your first language you will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 6.0 (Academic level) or equivalent English Language qualification, as recognised by Anglia Ruskin University. You may also be accepted to this course with an IELTS 5.5 (Academic level- with no individual score being lower than 5.5) or equivalent English Language qualification as recognised by Anglia Ruskin University, but will then be required to undertake additional compulsory free English language modules in your first year.
Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course
https://aru.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/visual-effects-technical-art
Student Outcomes
Operated by the Office for Students
There is no data available for this course. For further information visit the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| England | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Please note the fee for the placement year is £1,400.
https://www.aru.ac.uk/student-life/preparing-for-university/help-with-finances
Provider information
Anglia Ruskin University
East Road
Cambridge
CB1 1PT