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Learn traditional and digital methods for model design
9th in the UK for art (Daily Mail University Guide, 2025)
Outstanding record at New Blades model makers show, London
From the Harry Potter film series to Madame Tussauds, one thing holds true – the skill and craftmanship of model designers is pivotal to the creative industry. Our innovative course will refine your skills and provide you with all the tools to thrive in the ever-growing space.
Created with an all-round approach to skill development, the programme integrates practical and theoretical elements to build your expertise in the end-to-end process of model design. Create models, props and miniatures for use in architectural, automotive and entertainment space, using mechanical and physical effects,
Made for the creative and talented model maker, engineer or designer, the course aims to sharpen your skills and prepare you for a vibrant career in whatever career path you choose. Whether that is working on films and television, museums and exhibits or for design companies and architects.
Across your three years of study – four if you choose to take a sandwich year – you will study the use of traditional and digital materials and techniques to create industry standard results, while enhancing your skills in project management, collaborative working and professionalism.
You will graduate having built your knowledge of machine shop skills and digital processes, as well as how to use hard and casting materials. Overall, you will complete the course with a toolkit of key skills with which you will confidently be able to enter the workforce and begin building you ideal career.
Get a head start to stand out in your career with an immersive programme that is designed to push the limits of your creativity. While focusing on learning the most modern techniques in model design and animatronics, you will also have numerous opportunities to collaborate with peers. This will encourage you to explore a range of alternative idea and challenge your thinking, developing a wider breadth of expertise.
The course is delivered by industry experts with experience in a variety of areas, including product design, sculpting, moulding and casting, digital processes and beyond. Their own experiences will further enrich your learning and they will support you to create a professional portfolio that will kickstart your career.
On campus, you will benefit from many fantastic facilities including a large atelier-style studio where you will be able to meet and connect with students from other year groups. In addition, you will be able to make use of a state-of-the-art sculpture studio with facilities for resins and composite mould making.
Our prime location in Hertfordshire puts you in close proximity to all major film studios. With London less than 30 minutes away, you will have easy access to design and architecture studios and exhibition workshops such as Madame Tussauds.
Outside of the main curriculum, the are many opportunities for you to boost your knowledge. Each year, there are numerous guest lectures delivered by industry leaders as well as commissions for local institutions or industry contacts that you can partake in.
There is a strong focus on ensuring that you graduate feeling confident to transition into your career path of choice. This is evidenced by our dynamic curriculum that combines project-based work with theoretical concepts, while encouraging self-leadership and collaboration.
Areas in which you could work include:
Recent graduates have gone on to work in a range of industries including advertising, film and television and architecture. Some companies where our graduates work include Merlin Entertainment (Madame Tussauds), Warner Bros Harry Potter Experience and Disney Productions.
Employability is at the heart of our programme and there is an array of tools and support that will be available to you. While you develop your skillset on the course, your lecturers will support you in building a professional portfolio and our industry contacts and alumni.
In your first year, your focus will be on learning the fundamental principles of general workshop practice. You will be introduced to sculpting, moulding and casting, basic level digital processes and machine shop inductions. Your classes will be shared with your peers from the Character and Creative Effects pathway, giving you ample opportunity to exchange ideas and collaborate. As you progress through the year, your skills will continuously be developed as you work on three projects, each with increasing design content.
As you progress to your second year, you will build on the skills you would have developed, with more of a focus on competencies directly related to your course. You will produce miniatures, props and highly finished products. To strengthen your knowledge and grow your time management and project planning skills, you will take on two short ‘turbo’ projects, each giving you eight weeks to deliver a project.
At the end of your second year, you will have the option to take a sandwich year to go on a placement or study abroad and broaden your skills in a new environment.
In your final year, you will work with a higher level of independence. This year acts as a capstone for your degree, bringing together all your learnings from previous year and combining that with a focus on work readiness. You will have two major projects to deliver, both of which will support you in further developing your professional approach to your work and build your understanding of self-promotion.
Student Success Officers and Student Wellbeing can arrange support for many needs. This includes writing support, mental health and general needs that help progression through the course. Careers Officers are also available to help advise you as you go through the programme and look to progress into industry.
At the end of your second year, you have the option to experience a year of working life with a placement, or a shorter internship, a huge CV booster!
Professional work experience is the biggest contributor to your future employability. It allows you to put your knowledge into action, while learning how a business operates and making some handy professional connections.
We'll help you make the most of the experience, holding your hand from start to finish. You also get assistance with your CV, plus help preparing for interviews and presentations, at our ground-breaking mock Assessment Centre Experience.
Industry partners linked to this programme continually look to nurture talent and support students in securing placement opportunities that help them better understand the environment of professional model making.
Past students have taken on placements at companies including KOBE architects and Henning Larsen.
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.
At the end of your second year, you have the option to experience a year of working life with a placement, or a shorter internship, a huge CV booster!
Professional work experience is the biggest contributor to your future employability. It allows you to put your knowledge into action, while learning how a business operates and making some handy professional connections.
We'll help you make the most of the experience, holding your hand from start to finish. You also get assistance with your CV, plus help preparing for interviews and presentations, at our ground-breaking mock Assessment Centre Experience.
Industry partners linked to this programme continually look to nurture talent and support students in securing placement opportunities that help them better understand the environment of professional model making.
Past students have taken on placements at companies including KOBE architects and Henning Larsen.
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 optionsYou will learn on our College Lane campus, which you will share with other creative arts students as well as students on science and health-related courses. This means you’ll share the campus with future nurses, scientists, artists and more.
For your course, you will have access to a purpose built atelier-like studio which is shared by students across all three year groups. In addition, you will be able to make sure of a well-equipped sculpture studio, which contains state of the art moulding and casting rooms as well as a plaster room.
As well as these dedicated workshop facilities, you will be able to make use of facilities across the school including photography equipment/studios and printers.
Learn from a diverse range of experts who have gained a wealth of experience in film, advertising and museum. Your lecturers are highly skilled in areas including sculpting, moulding and casting, general modelmaking, figurative drawing, prop making for animation, product design and more.
In addition to learning the fundamentals of key concepts on your course, you will gain a deeper understanding of the realities of working in industry, brought to the forefront by your lecturers’ own real world experiences.
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.
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 |
|---|---|
| Typical A Level offer | BCC–BBC |
| Typical BTEC offer | DMM |
| Accepted T Levels | Design Survey & Planning for Construction; Digital Production, Design & 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 |
| Access courses | Diploma with 45 level 3 credits at merit |
| Interview | Interview required |
| Additional information | Find out more about our 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. |
|---|---|
| Additional information | Find out more about International Entry Requirements. |
| 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 |
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 | £9,250 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. |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Course fact sheets | |
|---|---|
| BA (Hons) Model Design and Special Effects | Download PDF |
| Programme specifications | |
|---|---|
| BA (Hons) Model Design and Special Effects | Download PDF |
| Additional information | |
|---|---|
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Applications open to international and EU students |
Yes |
Course length |
Full Time, 3 YearsSandwich, 5 YearsSandwich, 4 Years |
