CGI and Visual Effects with Placement and Digital Arts Foundation Year - BA (Hons)
Southampton, Solent University
Student rating
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( 4.2)

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Different course options
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Qualification

Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

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Duration

5 Years

Course info

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Qualification

Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Location

Main Site

Study mode

Full Time

Start date

SEP

Duration

5 Years

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Qualification

Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Location

Main Site

Study mode

Full Time

Start date

SEP-26

Duration

5 Years

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Qualification

Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Location

Main Site

Study mode

Full Time

Start date

SEP

Duration

5 Years

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Qualification

Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

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Main Campus

Study mode

Full Time

Start date

SEP-26

Duration

5 Years

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Computer Science
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Communication & Media Studies
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A level
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AQA Level 3 (Foundation) Technical Level (360 glh)
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AQA Level 3 Technical Level (1080 glh)
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AQA Level 3 Technical Level (540 glh)
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AQA Level 3 Technical Level (720 glh)
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AS
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Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
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Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
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T Level
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Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
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Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)
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Course info

During the foundation year, you’ll cover key subject areas such as game art, game design, animation, CGI, VFX and code, and work on exciting practical projects designed to help you learn key digital design skills. You’ll also be supported to develop key transferable skills in preparation for your degree level studies.The CGI and Visual Effects degree helps to develop artists for a competitive, high-tech industry that offers challenging and creative careers. The degree brings the latest ...Read more

During the foundation year, you’ll cover key subject areas such as game art, game design, animation, CGI, VFX and code, and work on exciting practical projects designed to help you learn key digital design skills. You’ll also be supported to develop key transferable skills in preparation for your degree level studies.The CGI and Visual Effects degree helps to develop artists for a competitive, high-tech industry that offers challenging and creative careers. The degree brings the latest cutting-edge techniques and industry standard software into the curriculum as well as offering you the flexibility to apply your learning in almost any field.Building upon industry-relevant digital skills, classical art training, creative problem solving and ideas generation, this course offers an industry-oriented exploration of all the core 2D and 3D disciplines embodied across a range of exciting careers. You may come to us with no 3D or compositing experience, or you may have been producing your own models or animations before, either way we will work with you individually to develop your CGI and visual effects skills to meet industry expectations in your chosen direction.Being aware of industry practices and in contact with industry artists is vital for developing your future career. We support you to build an industry network during your degree to help you find that first entry-level position through good social media practice, guest speakers at our weekly forums, annual events such as CGFX, Viz. Arch Viz, and our Graduate Show, as well as a range of trips. Alongside this you will have access to Solent’s many incredible facilities and will attend regular weekly feedback sessions using our industry Rushes pipeline in a recognised course ranked as one of the top schools in the world by The Rookies.Our annual guest speaker event, CGFX, draws in some of the industry's top experts, allowing students to network and ask questions during the Q&A. Previous companies that have attended the event include Rockstar, Aardman, Glowmade, Outpost VFX, Funko Animation, and Framestore.Our course is designed to help you evolve from being a learner to a practitioner with strong creative and technical awareness. You will explore many different areas of CGI and visual effects to help you build a wide skill base before focusing on a more specialist area with exactly the skills your chosen industry requires.The placement year will allow you to put what what you've learned in your first and second years into practice in the workplace, while gaining valuable real-world work experience before you graduate.This course is part of the South Coast Institute of Technology (IoT), a partnership of colleges, universities and industry-leading employers to create new career opportunities in the technology sector. IoT courses like this one are precisely tailored to the needs of employers in the maritime, engineering and digital industries – industries which are hungry for talented new engineers, technologists, technicians and creatives like you.5 years with foundation and industry years

Key stats

Computer Science
  UCAS
WUSCA ranking:
WUSCA student ranking
These are the 2025 rankings, based on ratings given by past and current students.
90/279
CUG Subject Ranking
CUG Subject Ranking
Source: Complete University Guide 2026
107th
CUG Ranking
CUG Ranking
Source: Complete University Guide 2026
107th

Modules

Modules (Year 1)
Modules (Year 2)
Modules (Year 3)
Modules (Year 4)
Module Options
IDP Connect

Entry requirements

Exam type

A level

A level:

DD Grades / Points required

UCAS Tariff:

48 Grades / Points required

AQA Level 3 (Foundation) Technical Level (360 glh):

D Grades / Points required

AQA Level 3 Technical Level (1080 glh):

PPP Grades / Points required

AQA Level 3 Technical Level (540 glh):

MM Grades / Points required

AQA Level 3 Technical Level (720 glh):

MP Grades / Points required

AS:

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

Extended Project:

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate:

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma:

MP Grades / Points required

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate:

D Grades / Points required

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma:

PPP Grades / Points required

OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma:

MM Grades / Points required

OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma:

D Grades / Points required

OCR Cambridge Technical Subsidiary Diploma:

MM Grades / Points required

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (first teaching from September 2016):

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016):

MP Grades / Points required

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016):

D Grades / Points required

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016):

PPP Grades / Points required

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016):

M Grades / Points required

T Level:

P Grades / Points required

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015):

A Grades / Points required

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024):

A Grades / Points required

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

Not currently available, please contact university for up to date information.

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Tuition fees

Students living in

Domestic

£9,535 per year

This information comes from UCAS, or in some cases the institution directly.
Please note: fees do vary so please make sure you contact the institution for up to date information.

Students from Domestic

This is the fee you pay if you live within Domestic. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

This is the fee you pay if you live within Domestic. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

£9,535 per year

This information comes from UCAS, or in some cases the institution directly.
Please note: fees do vary so please make sure you contact the institution for up to date information.

Students from England

This is the fee you pay if you live within England. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

This is the fee you pay if you live within England. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

£9,535 per year

This information comes from UCAS, or in some cases the institution directly.
Please note: fees do vary so please make sure you contact the institution for up to date information.

Students from Scotland

This is the fee you pay if you live within Scotland. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

This is the fee you pay if you live within Scotland. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

£9,535 per year

This information comes from UCAS, or in some cases the institution directly.
Please note: fees do vary so please make sure you contact the institution for up to date information.

Students from Wales

This is the fee you pay if you live within Wales. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

This is the fee you pay if you live within Wales. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

£9,535 per year

This information comes from UCAS, or in some cases the institution directly.
Please note: fees do vary so please make sure you contact the institution for up to date information.

Students from Northern Ireland

This is the fee you pay if you live within Northern Ireland. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

This is the fee you pay if you live within Northern Ireland. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

£9,535 per year

This information comes from UCAS, or in some cases the institution directly.
Please note: fees do vary so please make sure you contact the institution for up to date information.

Students from Channel Islands

This is the fee you pay if you live within Channel Islands. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

This is the fee you pay if you live within Channel Islands. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

£15,050 per year

This information comes from UCAS, or in some cases the institution directly.
Please note: fees do vary so please make sure you contact the institution for up to date information.

Students from EU

This is the fee you pay if you live within the European Union. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

This is the fee you pay if you live within the European Union. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

£15,050 per year

This information comes from UCAS, or in some cases the institution directly.
Please note: fees do vary so please make sure you contact the institution for up to date information.

Students from International

This is the fee you pay if you are an International student. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

This is the fee you pay if you are an International student. Please note, this fee has been confirmed.

UCAS/IDP Connect

Uni info

Southampton, Solent University
Southampton, Solent University , Southampton

Southampton Solent University’s history dates back to 1855, when it was founded as a private school for art....

Student rating
( 4.2) View reviews
CUG ranking
107th
Southampton, Solent University
East Park Terrace Southampton SO14 0YN United Kingdom
Nearest train station: Southampton Central  0.4 miles away

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