BDes (Hons) Special Effects for Film and Television with foundation year

• 48 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
• Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3.
• You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics.
• You'll be required to attend an interview and provide a portfolio of appropriate work. Typically, your portfolio will present recent effects-related or project-based work. We'll also take any previous work or experience into account when deciding on your application.
• The quality of a portfolio will be judged alongside traditional UCAS point bearing qualifications to determine the success of an application. We, therefore, give special consideration to applicants without the above qualifications who have a strong portfolio.
• If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

As a graduate of the BDes (Hons) Special Effects for Film and TV with foundation year, you’ll be able to demonstrate and combine creative skills with high levels of technical ability. The degree offers an exciting spectrum of opportunities, ranging from the highly accurate engineering approach of the product modeller to the imaginative and inventive solutions of a creature or character designer.

You’ll also possess a wide range of transferable skills, including teamwork, planning and organisation, working to briefs and deadlines, written and oral communication, presenting work and changes, critical analysis and logical thinking.

What can I do with this qualification?

The most prominent employers of special effects artists are film and television companies where you might work on a film or television show in production or post-production. Some special effects professionals choose a speciality area, such as prop making, costume, special make-up effects or model-making.

After graduation, you’ll be well prepared for a business career in the areas of film, commercials and television special effects production. You may also find employment in special effects or one of the many creative and entertainment industries rapidly developing in the UK, such as animation, make-up, animatronics, prosthetics, model-making, and robotics.

Alternative career options

As a graduate, you may find additional work opportunities creating displays or multimedia presentations for a museum or working for a company that makes and sells effects-based products, such as prosthetics, costumes or props. You may also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers, bearing in mind that postgraduate study and/or relevant work experience may be required. These include:

• Advertising and marketing communications
• Animation
• Fashion and textiles
• Games
• Photo imaging
• Publishing
• Teaching
• Arts management

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2023-2024 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2023-2024 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods to help you achieve your potential. You can expect our blended style to include lectures, seminars, tutorials and critiques, self-directed learning, e-learning and laboratory/workshop sessions, as well as online learning.

Lectures introduce the core course content, while seminars allow you to explore subjects in greater detail. Practical skills and techniques are gained through technical introduction and support, workshop sessions, demonstrations and activity-based assignments. Tutorials allow you to ask questions, ensuring you understand the topics covered in lectures and workshop sessions.

Guest lectures and visits give you opportunities to engage with and learn from respected professionals working in the special effects arena. Our highly practical and project-based approach promotes active learning, and our specialist facilities create realistic industry-like learning environments. Our project modules encourage you to interact and collaborate with students specialising in both your own and other areas of special and visual effects, helping to give you a taste of working on group and multidisciplinary projects.

Personal and independent study is essential. You should expect to devote a significant amount of time to activities such as project work, background reading, preparation for seminars and tutorials, research, design and creative thought.

In terms of assessment, you can expect assignments, projects, case studies, quizzes, interviews and presentations. As far as possible, we set project-based coursework that simulates professional situations. These pieces contribute to your final mark and allow you to demonstrate that you’ve met the learning outcomes.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Special Creature Effects
• Modelmaking Effects
• Special Makeup Effects
• Visual Effects and Animation
• Design
• Fabrication
• Realisation
• Team Project
• Advanced Realisation
• Advanced Fabrication
• Mouldmaking
• Advanced Project
• Technical Research
• Industry Project
• Major Project

Assessment methods

Learning activities

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.