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BA (Hons)CGI and Visual Effects

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Starting in2025
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UCAS code: CGV4
Institution code: S30
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps

Why study CGI and visual effects with foundation and placement years

With great industry connections and fully up-to-date facilities, this flexible course can help you get your dream job in any of the 3D or visual effects industries.

  • 0th
    in the UK with the Rookies (2021)
  • Top0
    schools in the world with the Rookies (2021)
  • £0m
    invested in our campus estate and facilities
  • Solent ranked in the top 20% of UK universities for teaching quality (out of 131 institutions) (The Times Good University Guide 2025).
  • If you’re looking to study BA (Hons) CGI and Visual Effects, but don’t have the relevant qualifications or experience, our digital arts foundation year will help you develop the core skills and knowledge to progress onto the full CGI and visual effects degree.
  • Gain valuable first-hand work experience with a year-long full-time work placement between the second and third years of your degree.
  • Access to industry-standard software and amazing facilities, including our cutting edge 10m virtual production stage, DSLR body scanner, Vicon motion capture suite, trackable green screen room, LiDAR scanners and 360 cameras.
  • A creative, multi-disciplinary environment with regular live briefs, active research projects and industry masterclasses – you will learn from experts in their field.
  • This course has no exams and is primarily focused on practical work, helping you create a work-ready portfolio while you develop your learning.
  • Weekly guest speakers and three annual industry events mean you experience the most current industry practices.
  • Showcase your work through our annual graduate show.
Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.

Course overview

During the foundation year, you’ll cover key subject areas such as game art, game design, animation, CGI, VFX and code, and work on exciting practical projects designed to help you learn key digital design skills. You’ll also be supported to develop key transferable skills in preparation for your degree level studies.

This is a thriving sector in the UK, and Solent’s CGI and Visual Effects degree can take you in so many directions, from explosive film VFX to 3D character design, from architectural visualisation to motion graphics, from virtual production to motion capture.

You will grow from a strong foundation of skills taught during your first year to become a fully industry-ready practitioner in the direction of your choosing. Our top-quality teaching, as well as our small course size, means you will be individually guided towards you ultimate career.

We support you to build an industry network during your degree to help you find that first entry-level position through networking and dissemination of your work, hearing from guest speakers at our weekly forums, attending annual events such as CGFX, Industry Week, and our Graduate Show, as well as studio trips. Alongside this you'll have access to Solent’s many incredible facilities and will attend regular weekly feedback sessions using our industry rushes pipeline.

Our annual guest speaker event, CGFX, draws in some of the industry's top experts, allowing students to network and ask questions during the Q&A. Previous companies that have attended the event include Rockstar, Aardman, Framestore, Airship Interactive, MPC, Jellyfish, Ubisoft and many more.

The placement year will allow you to put what what you've learned in your first and second years into practice in the workplace, while gaining valuable real-world work experience before you graduate.

Accreditations, recognitions and memberships

  • Recognised as:

    Houdini training centre logo
  • Academic Partner of Unreal Engine

    Unreal Engine Academic Partner logo
  • Part of:

    South Coast Institute of Technology logo

Any questions?

Contact UK admissions

Email: admissions@solent.ac.ukCall: 023 8201 5066

Contact international admissions

Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall: +44 (0)23 8201 5066

Student work

Our creative degrees allow our students to develop a critical eye for design with a knowledge of different design approaches and problem solving techniques. Take a look at some of the great work they produce.

Course features

  • Placement year

    If you apply for this course with a placement year, you have the opportunity to undertake a year in industry between your second and third years

  • Specialist facilities

    This course has access to specialist facilities

  • Further studies

    After successfully completing your studies, there's an opportunity to continue your studies at Solent

  • Foundation year available

    If you're not quite ready for a full undergraduate degree, there's alternative entry through one of our foundation years

Who is this course for?

Solent’s Foundation Year in Digital Arts is intended for students without the required UCAS points for direct entry. This could be mature students returning to education, students without the required qualifications, or students looking to change career path after completing further education qualifications.

What does this course lead to?

This foundation year will help you build the relevant skills and knowledge to enter onto the BA (Hons) CGI and Visual Effects. This can lead to a career in the multi-billion pound games industry in areas such as video game studios and art production, to film and animation studios.

Graduate stories

Hear from Solent alumni about where their careers have taken them and how studying at Solent prepared them for their future.

Read more stories
The course is just tailor-made to learn about the foundations of multiple disciplines within these industries

Picture shows Solent Alumnus, Harrison Evans.

Harrison Evans

Quality Assurance Tester

Meet the team

The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.

Facilities

Throughout your studies you will have access to a wide range of up-to-date industry-standard software and facilities.

Virtual Production Studio with green screen and Mo-Sys tracking facilities; in-house Dolby Atmos cinema; specialist media production store with access to thousands of cameras and other items; computer suites with dedicated high-spec PCs and industry-standard software; motion capture suite; Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, HTC Vive and Microsoft HoloLens VR/AR equipment; Shotgun for asset management; Portable green screen; HDRI chrome/grey balls; portable Faro LIDAR scanner, Insta 360 Cameras; and 3D printing.

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