If you see a career in games development as a game art and animation professional in your future, SAE’s pioneering game art degree combines fundamental games theories with practical projects to set you up for success. Choose to study as an accelerated game art degree, structured across 2 years so you can launch into the industry sooner, or a more traditional university study program of 3 years which takes into account university summer breaks each year.

As you progress through your games art degree, you’ll master a range of both technical and practical industry-relevant skills. With access to our cutting-edge computer labs, you’ll grasp industry-standard software packages including Autodesk Maya, Substance Painter, Unreal Engine, SideFX Houdini, Foundry NukeX, Pixologic ZBrush and the Adobe Creative Suite.

Throughout the course you’ll be guided and mentored by SAE’s Experts – successful industry professionals with a wealth of specialist knowledge to share. As well as gaining practical game art and animation skills, you’ll develop well-rounded abilities as you prepare research reports, explore intellectual property and learn to problem solve across a range of real-world creative projects.

Game on

As part of your degree in game art you’ll collaborate with peers from within your course, as well as those across other SAE disciplines, gaining a strong understanding of operational dynamics within the creative industries. Embracing a teamwork mindset, you’ll complete projects that showcase your technical skills as you gain tangible experience in a professional environment and create art you’ll be proud to add to your portfolio.

From modelling to rendering and everything in between, you’ll cover the full spectrum of SAE’s signature game art degree before graduating career ready. Whether your dream is to work as an artist, designer, animator, technical director or something else entirely, your journey towards a rewarding games career starts with SAE.

What you'll learn

At the end of your Game Art & Animation degree you will:

Explore 2D and 3D fundamentals and gain a solid foundation in game art and animation theories and practice.

Confidently operate the latest industry software, including Unreal Engine, Maya, Substance and ZBrush.

Design and build animations from start to finish using industry-standard techniques and workflows.

Team up on innovative projects with peers from other SAE creative disciplines, such as filmmakers, musicians, marketers and sound engineers.

Hone your problem-solving and teamwork skills.

Specialise in a chosen area of interest while refining your skills through a broad range of practical projects.

Develop a significant portfolio of work to present to industry.

Establish a strong network of peers and professionals across the creative industries.

Dive straight into a rewarding career with a degree in game art from a recognised creative institute.

Game animation degree courses start in January and September.

Career Outcomes

What Jobs will this course lead to?

Character Artist

Environment Artist

Technical Artist

Production Coordinator

Quality Assurance (QA)

Motion Designer

Lighting Artist

Lighting TD

Animator

Character Animator

Illustrator

Layout Artist

3D Generalist

Concept Artist

Graphic Designer

2D Artist

Rigging Technical Director

Compositor

Freelance Artist

FX Artist

Roto Artist

Previs Artist

Matchmove Artist

Texture Artist

Look Development Artist

Pipeline TD

3D Modeller

Visualisation Artist

Matte Painter

VFX Supervisor

Art Director