Master of Arts - Character Animation
- 2 years
- Duration
- 19,845 GBP/year
- Price
- September
- Start
- June
- Deadline
- Master
- Degree
- Campus
- Format
- London / United Kingdom
- Location
Program description
The MA Character Animation programme at Central Saint Martins is a practical course focused on making characters perform, teaching core skills in timing, software, storytelling, and film language alongside critical and historical approaches. It emphasizes animation's power to amplify marginalized voices and engage with diverse social and cultural contexts, while addressing ethical challenges of representation, equity, and environmental responsibility.
Rather than focusing on specific software, the course fosters universal, sustainable techniques that can be applied across evolving technologies and platforms. Attracting a multicultural cohort, it encourages the exploration of diverse visual and storytelling traditions, helping students build international networks. With strong industry links, including lectures from professionals and live projects, and a teaching team of active practitioners, the course ensures its relevance in a fluctuating field and supports graduates into high-profile employment.
Program structure
- Unit 1: Character and Movement Analysis
Unit 1 will provide you with a set of practical tools for critical and creative exploration. You will be able to orientate your direction and your work within the field of animation. We will cover life drawing, character design and development, anatomy, locomotion, motion analysis and performative approaches to animation.
- Unit 2: Character Performance Studies
Unit 2 encourages you to become a self-sufficient, critical practitioner, confident to pursue your own goals. The unit focuses on two in-depth performance-driven pieces. These are designed to consolidate and expand your individual and collaborative animation practice.
- Unit 3: Character Animation
In Unit 3, you will devise your own character animation portfolio. You will develop a proposal for either a self-directed short film or an animated character portfolio, which you can complete as an individual or in a team.
Price
Tuition fee:
- 19,845 GBP per year*
*Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.
You may need to cover additional costs which are not included in your tuition fees, such as materials and equipment specific to your course.
Requirements for applicants
The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:
- An honours degree
- Or an equivalent EU/international qualification.
Exceptionally applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered.
The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:
- Related academic or work experience
- The quality of the personal statement
- A strong academic or other professional reference
- Or a combination of these factors.
Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.
English language requirements
- IELTS level 6.5 or above, with at least 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking
About the university
The University of the Arts London (UAL) produces and encourages the creativity essential for a better future. Its colleges have been at the forefront of innovative education since 1842, creating work with a lasting impact on people and the planet, driven by curiosity, imagination, and purpose.
London is fundamental to UAL's identity, providing a vital context where the university connects and exchanges ideas with individuals from all walks of life. Globally, its creative network influences education, culture, business, and society.
Through innovative research and creative instruction, UAL's faculty and staff bring fresh perspectives to education. The university enables students to build the careers they desire by working with them at every level - from pre-degree to postgraduate, and from short courses to online learning.
UAL's colleges
Ranked second in the world for art and design, UAL comprises six distinct colleges:
- Camberwell College of Arts
- Central Saint Martins
- Chelsea College of Arts
- London College of Communication
- London College of Fashion
- Wimbledon College of Arts
Together, they form a community of creatives, innovators, trailblazers, and storytellers, united in their mission to reimagine the future.
Courses in the visual arts, animation, screen, communication, fashion, media, and performance are available at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
