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Visual Effects Art at Nottingham Trent University - UCAS

Course options

2026 - 2027
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Nottingham Trent University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Open days

15Dec
Nottingham Trent University - 15 December Campus Tour
Undergraduate
17Dec
Nottingham Trent University - 17 December Campus Tour
Undergraduate
8Jan
Nottingham Trent University - 8 January Campus Tour
Undergraduate

Course summary

Have you ever marvelled at how realistic a mythical creature looks in a movie, or wondered how a historical show hides all signs of the modern world? Whether you’re a series binger or a film enthusiast, visual effects art defines the look of your favourite shows more than you might expect. Realistic VFX can make or break a production. With the right resources, technical prowess and artistic talent, storytelling possibilities become limitless – and that’s where you come in. Visual effects artists are the creatives who conceive and build realistic digital imagery, seamlessly merging it with live action or animated scenes to enhance screen-based storytelling. This VFX course is centred on creating photorealistic believable images for animation, film, and television, combining cinematic codes and conventions with traditional and contemporary art principles. If you’re an artistic visionary who’s keen to learn the craft of visual effects, this degree could be for you. Employability In today’s landscape of competitive streaming services, high-quality visual effects make productions stand out and draw in global audiences. Visual effects artists are in demand – not only in film and animation, but also in gaming, live events, advertising and interactive media. On this VFX course, you’ll learn specialised skills which can be applied to any genre, from big-budget historical and fantasy films to independent productions. Whilst you’ll gain all the transferable skills needed to enter a wide range of sectors, this degree will open doors to jobs such as image prep artist, compositor, creature designer and more, making you a vital part of any VFX production. Previous graduates have gone on to work as :

  • 3D Environment Artist at WorldWide VFX (visual effects house)
  • Matte Painter at Pixomondo (Oscar, BAFTA & Emmy-winning creative technology company)
  • Paint & Roto Artist at Framestore (multi-sector creative studio)
  • Environment / 3D Digital Matte Painting Artist at Union VFX (BAFTA-winning VFX facility)
  • Junior VFX Artist at Double Eleven (independent games studio)
You’ll be supported by NTU’s award-winning Employability team for up to three years after you leave us, and be able to access our comprehensive online career resources for life. You can also benefit from our Employability Promise. Facilities As a VFX art student, you’ll be based in our new Design and Digital Arts Building. It’s a truly professional environment, jam-packed with industry-standard facilities and technology, where you’ll mix with fellow creatives from a whole host of fields. You’ll be able to access everything here, regardless of your course – from high-spec computer suites and green screen rooms to art studios and creative breakout spaces. During your VFX art course, the facilities you’ll use most are:
  • Screen Arts Suites with top-of-the-rangeCintiq graphics tablets and high-end monitors for developing your VFX projects
  • Black Box Studio, purpose-built for motion capture and more
  • Green Screen Studio for compositing imagery
  • ARRI Virtual Production Stage, delivered by creative technology giant ARRI and available to all our VFX students.
Our City Campus has everything you’ll need to keep occupied between lectures. As well as the Boots Library and its beautiful roof garden, there’s a 100-station gym; convenient cafés, bars and restaurants; our Students’ Union and popular Global Lounge; and much, much more! If that’s not enough, just take a few steps off campus, and you’ll find yourself in the beating heart of Nottingham: one of Britain’s top 10 student cities, and a hub of creative activity and industry. Get inspired at the charming and budget-friendly Broadway Cinema, cultural hotspots like Nottingham Contemporary and Theatre Royal, and the city’s vast array of trendy independent shops, restaurants and bars.

Modules

[Year one] Principles of Screen Arts (40 credit points) Animation and VFX Studies (40 credit points) Introducing VFX Compositing (40 credit points) Introducing 3D Digital Art (20 credit points) [Year two] Progressing VFX Compositing (40 credit points) or; Progressing 3D Digital Art (40 credit points) Visual Effects Art Studio (40 credit points) CoLab: Research, Exploration and Risk-taking (20 credit points) Optional module. You will also choose one optional 20-credit module from: Storyboarding Character Ideation Motion Graphics Digital Matte Painting Performance for Motion Capture Open-source 3D Art Virtual Production Prop Making [Year three] Optional Placement Year (Sandwich)* We have an option for all of our students to undertake a placement year (Sandwich) and allow you to decide whether this is right for you once you have completed years 1 and 2 of your course. This time spent working in industry provides our students with crucial work experience, which is highly prized and much sought after by employers upon graduation. If you are successful in securing a placement you will have the chance to gain an additional Certificate or Diploma in Professional Practice, dependent on duration.

  • If you choose to take the sandwich route option, you will still need to apply for this course with the full-time UCAS code.
[Final year] Visual Effects Art Project (60 credit points) Screen Arts Collaboration (40 credit points) Visual Effects Professional Futures (20 credit points)

Assessment method

Year 1 coursework (100%) Year 2 coursework (100%) Year 3 coursework (93%), practical exams (7%) People excel in different ways, and we want everybody to have the best possible chance of success. On this course you will be assessed on a range of individual and group presentations, and your final year project. Your work in Year Two accounts for 20% of your final degree mark, and your work in your final year accounts for the other 80%

How to apply

14Jan

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:
W204
Institution code:
N91
Campus name:
City Campus
Campus code:
1

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other, and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here, but may have faced barriers that can make it more difficult to access university. We also consider equivalent qualifications and combinations. Please contact Nottingham Trent University Admissions team for further information.

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
0%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
0%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9790 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9790 Year 1
Scotland £9790 Year 1
Wales £9790 Year 1
EU £18700 Year 1
International £18700 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

The tuition fees above are subject to parliamentary procedure. They haven't been confirmed yet, but we expect them to be finalised by May 2026. The level of tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.
Visual Effects Art at Nottingham Trent University - UCAS