BA (Hons) Digital Arts for Animation, Games & Immersion
Develop skills and find employment in the fastest growing and most exciting areas of contemporary digital media, art and technology. ‘Createch’ is at the intersection of innovative creative thinking and emerging new technologies.
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Typical offer: 112–120
Entry requirements -
Fees: £ 9,535 per year (UK)
Full details -
UCAS code: W287
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Course length: Various
Find out more -
Location:
- University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield
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Institute code: H36
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Work placement option
Find out more -
Study abroad option
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Best VFX School in the UK and No.2 in the World for VFX Production Excellence (The Rookies Top Global Creative Schools, 2024)
9th in the UK for art (Daily Mail University Guide, 2025)
Opportunities to exhibit work from viral video to gallery installations and large-scale events
Course overview
On our BA (Hons) Digital Arts for Animation, Games & Immersion course, you will have the freedom to choose what you want to study – following your interests and future career goals. Whether as a group or as an individual, you will be able to explore the art of making videos, creating 3D animation and 3D experiences, digital art, designing apps, AR and VR or gaming. You get to decide what you want to create and how you want to do it (on approval by the course team).
The course has its roots in art, photography, and digital media. With a range of innovative tech and media, you will switch between long established formats and structures of commercial media production (film and TV, animation, and mass market games design), and new emerging formats (augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR), casual games, interactive animation and interaction design, projection mapping, immersive experiences, and responsive advertising and immersive installation experiences.
The BA (Hons) pathway is for students striving towards careers in the creative industries. If you are interested in developing and creating exciting, immersive, and interactive projects within the ‘Createch’ industries, this is the place for you. Students will be passionate about creativity, developing ideas and bringing them to life. Plus, you’ll get to dive into real-world projects that are all about getting you ready for the creative industry.
Why choose this course?
Our Digital Arts for Animation, Games & Immersion course is part of the School of Creative Arts, a dynamic academic community where you will be surrounded by creative students from other courses.
From the very beginning you’ll work on projects covering everything from photography to creative videos (both storytelling and experimental ones) to digital artwork, virtual reality, immersive spaces, art installations, mind-blowing animations, and even web/interactive authoring. It’s all part of the creative arts scene, and you’ll be right in the thick of it.
The University of Hertfordshire is situated close to London, with excellent access to industry. Our vibrant campus offers an inspiring and supportive environment in which to build your creative career. It is packed with amazing facilities and the latest technology, including photography studios, darkroom facilities, PC and MAC suite computer labs, as well as AR and VR facilities. The University also has its own sound stage which is used to undertake live projects.
Your future career
The course focuses on getting you job-ready by connecting you with industry experts through visits, talks and real projects.
Typical job opportunities would include but are not limited to:
- Games interface designer
- XR experience designer
- Immersive media artist
- Interactive advertising designer
- Projection mapping animator
- Sound artist specialising in AR and VR
- XR project manager
After graduation, you’ll have a standout portfolio which will set you up for exciting roles in 'Createch' industries. This could mean working within a multi-disciplinary production company that works on animation, film, and immersive experiences for brands worldwide.
What you'll study
The course is about developing your creativity and translating your ideas into tangible projects. At the start of the course, you will be working in small groups, but as you progress through the stages you will be able to work on individual projects devised on your initiative, if you choose.
In the first year, you’ll learn Design Thinking methods and approaches to help you creatively explore, identify and meet the needs of different audiences. You will be able to make digital ‘products’ that are not just creative and entertaining, but usable and useful too. Emphasis will be placed on exploring how these new creative technologies can play a positive impact in people’s lives - with opportunities to explore use cases including: health care, education, tourism, and live events, alongside more established use cases such as gaming, entertainment and art.
You will be introduced to all of the Adobe software that will support your learning so that you can develop skills across different aspects of media production. We place special emphasis on Premiere Pro, After Effects, Animate, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Blackmagic Resolve and XD Design. You will use a range of video production techniques and genres that will enable you to take on live briefs and single production formats such as narrative drama projects or experimental artefacts using 4K cameras and other formats like HDTV.
As the course progresses, you will develop an in-depth understanding of the visual culture, video and digital media theories. These theories will help you understand the big ideas that shape and explain what we see and create. You will look at how things look, the tech behind it, and how it all fits into the world around us.
You will learn web authoring, making use of software such as Animate, Figma, XD Design and Dreamweaver. You will develop skills in coding, HTML and Java which will then support your development in Unity and Unreal games engines. These experiences will enable you to develop games or virtual imaging spaces. Your understanding of such technology means you can go on to create installation artefacts and projection mapping environments, including VR and AR to create large-scale events such as band show visuals and immersive art exhibitions.
In your final year you will undertake sustained self-directed study resulting in a dissertation, show-reels, and artefacts driven by your own authored productions of your choice. Whether it is single-screen drama, multi-screen experimental, or music video or games, you will decide what you make and how you will make it (on approval by the course team).
Optional sandwich year
Graduate with invaluable work experience alongside your degree and stand out from the crowd. This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a year in industry, typically between your second and third years of study. It’s a chance to explore career possibilities, make valuable contacts and gain sought after professional skills.
Research shows that over 70% of employers prefer students with work experience, which is why we believe work placements are career gold. Our Careers and Employment service are here to support you explore your options and make valuable contacts for your future career.
You’ll pay no tuition fee for this year and won’t need to worry about the details of your placement until your second year of study.
Study Abroad offers the opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a sandwich year abroad. The University has partnerships with over 150 universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and closer to home in Europe.
If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee to the partner university and no tuition fee to us either. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
Graduate with invaluable work experience alongside your degree and stand out from the crowd. This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a year in industry, typically between your second and third years of study. It’s a chance to explore career possibilities, make valuable contacts and gain sought after professional skills.
Research shows that over 70% of employers prefer students with work experience, which is why we believe work placements are career gold. Our Careers and Employment service are here to support you explore your options and make valuable contacts for your future career.
You’ll pay no tuition fee for this year and won’t need to worry about the details of your placement until your second year of study.
Find out more about work placementsStudy Abroad offers the opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a sandwich year abroad. The University has partnerships with over 150 universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and closer to home in Europe.
If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee to the partner university and no tuition fee to us either. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
Find out more about study abroad optionsWhere you'll study
The Undergraduate Creative Media and Production course is delivered from the heart of the School of Creative Arts situated on the College Lane Campus – primarily within the attractive Film, Music and Media Building. Our state-of-the-art facilities include photography studios, dark room facilities, PC and MAC suite computer labs, and AR and VR facilities. We also have our own sound stage for live projects.
Who you'll learn from
Our staff are a multidisciplinary team of artists and designers specialising in photography, installation, sculpture, digital film, illustration, design thinking and interdisciplinary practices.
How we support our students
At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible.
We offer a range of support services, from childcare to counselling, ensuring that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying, having fun, and have the support you need.
Entry requirements
The University of Hertfordshire is committed to welcoming students with a wide range of qualifications and levels of experience. The entry requirements listed on the course pages provide a guide to the minimum level of qualifications needed to study each course. However, we have a flexible approach to admissions and each application will be considered on an individual basis.
| Typical offer (UCAS points) | 112–120 |
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| Typical A Level offer | BBC–BBB Mandatory subjects: Art & Design; Media Studies; or an art related subject. |
| Typical IB offer | 112–120 UCAS points from a minimum of two HL subjects at H4 or above to include Visual Arts at SL or HL (with the remaining points to come from a combination of HL, SL and Core). |
| Typical BTEC offer | DMM–DDM |
| Typical T Level offer | Design Survey and Planning for Construction; Design Production, Design and Development; Education and Childcare; Healthcare Science; Health; Science; Digital Support Services; Digital Business Services; Onsite Construction; Building Services Engineering for Construction; Accounting; Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing; Engineering, Manufacturing, Processing and Control; Finance; Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing; Management and Administration; Agriculture, Land Management and Production; Legal Services. |
| GCSE | Grade 4/C in English Language and Mathematics. |
| Access courses | Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits at Merit. |
| Additional information | Find out more about our standard and contextual Undergraduate Entry Requirements. |
| English language | All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band. If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level. |
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| Additional information | Find out more about International Entry Requirements. |
Ready to apply?
UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK
| Start date | Study type | Apply |
|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | Full time | Apply via UCAS |
| Full time with placement year | Apply via UCAS | |
| Full time with study abroad year | Apply via UCAS |
International and EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK
Apply through Clearing
Fees and funding
At Herts, we’re dedicated to providing world-class teaching supported by industry-level facilities and incredible social spaces. We believe cost shouldn’t be a barrier to higher education, and we strive to keep both our standard and additional costs as low as possible.
| Study type | Fees | |
|---|---|---|
| UK students | Full time | £9,535 for the 2025/2026 academic year |
| EU students | Full time | £15,965 for the 2025/2026 academic year |
| International students | Full time | £15,965 for the 2025/2026 academic year |
Tuition fees are charged annually. The fees quoted above are for the specified year(s) only. Fees may be higher in future years, for both new and continuing students. Please see the University’s Fees and Finance Policy (and in particular the section headed “When tuition fees change”), for further information about when and by how much the University may increase its fees for future years.
| Scholarships, grants and bursaries | Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible for a non-repayable scholarship, grant or bursary to support your studies. |
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| Disabled Students' Allowance | The Disabled Students’ Allowance can cover any study-related costs you have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability. |
| Student loans | Find out about securing a student loan, from how much you could be eligible for to when you need to start making repayments. |
| Accommodation costs | We offer a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget. |
| Additional course fees | Read more about additional fees in the course fact sheet. |
More about the course
| Course fact sheets | |
|---|---|
| BA (Hons) Digital Arts for Animation, Games and Immersion | Download PDF |
| Programme specifications | |
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| BA (Hons) Digital Arts for Animation, Games and Immersion | Download PDF |
| Additional information | |
|---|---|
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Applications open to international and EU students |
Yes |
Course length |
Full Time, 3 YearsSandwich, 4 Years |
