Course summary

BA (Hons) Illustration with Animation is a specialist programme offering a hybrid opportunity to study illustration with the moving image. Contemporary illustrators/animators take a broad and research-informed approach to the discipline and in response our curriculum reflects a diverse range of processes and forms, preparing you for a future career in the creative industries. With an emphasis on museums, libraries, archives and literature, we co-create projects with a host of cultural institutions, connecting students with the city. You'll gain experience in working across paper, print, books, and 3D-making, combining hand-crafted and digital processes whilst engaging with real-world contexts, communities, and cultural institutions. This course provides a contemporary programme of study designed around experimentation, individuality, curiosity, identity and the discovery of meaningful personal futures and sustainable graduate outcomes. The course is taught by professional illustrators and animators with diverse backgrounds and expertise across a variety of disciplines. You'll benefit from their wide-ranging experiences, gaining the skills and inspiration to develop your own style and excel in this exciting creative field. You'll have access to our outstanding range of workshop facilities, offering printmaking, bookbinding, letterpress, ceramics, 3D printing and digital skills provision, supported by expert technicians. Find out more about this course, staff and facilities and view student work at www.art.mmu.ac.uk/illustration FEATURES AND BENEFITS

• Globally recognised: We are ranked in the top 100 schools for art and design in the world (QS World Rankings 2025).

• Combine illustration with animation: Develop as a versatile visual designer and communicator by integrating illustration with animation. Learn to apply your creative skills across a wide range of professional contexts—from screen-based media to publishing and site-specific installations.

• Award-winning competitions: Boost your portfolio and visibility through industry-recognised competitions such as the Penguin Design Awards, World Illustration Awards, and Creative Conscience Awards.

• Inspiration from Industry Experts: Learn from internationally renowned guest speakers and leading industry professionals. Gain career insights from course alumni working across illustration, animation, and creative enterprise.

• Professional membership: Benefit from the course’s affiliation with the Association of Illustrators, enabling access to industry informed best practice and career-launching guidance.

• Diverse skillset development: Build expertise in both traditional and digital techniques, including drawing, reportage, life drawing, printmaking (screen print, Riso, monoprint, etching), bookbinding, 3D making, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Character Animator, Aero), and animation (experimental, short-form, 2D with TV Paint, 3D stop-motion with Dragonframe, and Maxon Cinema 4D).

• Cultural study trips: Experience creative cultures first-hand with optional study trips to iconic design cities. Previous trips have included New York, Berlin, Venice, and Copenhagen.

• Live briefs and real-world projects: Work on live projects with cultural institutions, industry collaborators, and partners such as NHS Christie, RNCM, Manchester Museum and the Poetry Library.