Bachelor of Animation

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Griffith University Nathan Campus

Program Overview

If you're passionate about bringing characters, stories and imaginative worlds to life, the Bachelor of Animation will help you turn that creativity into a rewarding career. You'll develop strong artistic, technical and storytelling skills while learning contemporary animation techniques for film, television, games and digital media.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1

Your first year focuses on building the core skills every animator needs. Through subjects such as Animation Foundation, Drawing for Animation, and Storytelling, you'll learn the principles of animation, character design, visual storytelling and digital production.

Year 2

As your skills grow, you'll tackle more advanced animation projects and collaborate with other creative students. You'll study courses including 3D Animation, Character Performance, and Visual Effects, gaining experience with professional production workflows and industry practices.

Year 3

In your final year, you'll specialise in your areas of interest while creating a professional portfolio and major animation project. Subjects such as Animation Studio, Professional Practice, and Major Project prepare you for the transition into the creative industries.

Focus Areas

2D Animation • 3D Animation • Character Animation • Storytelling • Visual Effects • Character Design • Digital Modelling • Motion Design • Concept Development • Professional Practice

Learning Outcomes

Develop creative and technical animation skills, create engaging characters and stories, apply industry-standard production workflows, collaborate effectively on animation projects, build a professional portfolio, and graduate ready for careers across animation, film, games and digital media.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The program is delivered by Griffith Film School and leads to an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Level 7 Bachelor Degree, providing graduates with the creative and technical expertise sought by the animation and screen industries.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

Griffith University is ranked among the top 300 universities worldwide in the QS World University Rankings.
Griffith Film School is recognised for its industry-focused teaching, world-class creative facilities and strong connections with Australia's screen and animation industries.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Griffith Film School, you'll spend much of your time creating rather than simply studying animation. From your first year, you'll work on practical projects that develop your artistic, storytelling and technical skills using professional facilities and digital production workflows. As your experience grows, you'll collaborate with fellow creatives, produce portfolio-quality work and gain exposure to the technologies used across today's animation and screen industries:

Create original 2D and 3D animation projects individually and in collaborative production teams.
Learn in purpose-built animation studios, computer laboratories, and digital production spaces within Griffith Film School.
Access industry-standard creative software, including Autodesk Maya, Adobe Creative Cloud, Toon Boom Harmony, Pixologic ZBrush, and Substance 3D.
Use specialist facilities such as motion capture, virtual production studios, professional post-production suites, and high-performance rendering workstations.
Work alongside students from other screen disciplines on interdisciplinary projects that reflect real industry production environments.
Develop a professional portfolio through studio-based learning and major animation projects, preparing you for employment or freelance work.
Benefit from Griffith Film School's 95-seat cinema, where student work can be screened and showcased, along with access to university libraries and digital learning resources that support creative research and production.

Progression & Future Opportunities

A Bachelor of Animation from Griffith University equips you with the creative, technical and collaborative skills needed to succeed in today's animation and digital entertainment industries. Graduates build professional portfolios that prepare them for careers across film, television, games, advertising and digital media. Common career paths include Animator (2D/3D), Visual Effects (VFX) Artist, Game Artist, and Motion Graphics Designer:

Career support: Griffith's Careers and Employment Service offers personalised career advice, resume and interview coaching, networking events, employer connections and job search support to help students transition into the creative industries.
Industry connections: Through Griffith Film School, students collaborate on real-world creative projects and benefit from strong links with professionals across the animation, screen and digital media sectors.
Graduate opportunities: The skills gained in this program prepare graduates for careers in animation studios, film and television production, game development, advertising agencies, visual effects companies and freelance creative practice.
Industry recognition: Delivered by Griffith Film School, the program provides an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification that is well respected across Australia's creative industries.
Portfolio-focused outcomes: Students graduate with a professional body of work showcasing their abilities in 2D and 3D animation, storytelling, character design and digital production—an essential asset when applying for creative roles.

Further Academic Progression:

After completing the Bachelor of Animation, you can continue your studies with the Bachelor of Animation (Honours) to further develop your creative and research capabilities. You may also progress to postgraduate qualifications such as a Master of Screen Production, Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), opening pathways into advanced creative practice, leadership roles or academic research.