Diploma of 2D Animation

The Diploma of 2D Animation at the Academy of Interactive Technology is a one-year qualification for people who want to draw, rig and animate characters and effects for screens. You learn the craft from the ground up: life drawing and gesture, character design, storyboarding, timing and spacing, and the software pipelines studios actually use. Assessment is practical. You build shots, not essays.

Australian diplomas sit at Level 5 on the Australian Qualifications Framework. They are shorter and more hands-on than a bachelor degree, which normally runs three years, and they are delivered in semesters or trimesters with each unit carrying credit points. If you later want a degree, you can often apply for credit for the units you have completed. Ask the Academy of Interactive Technology how much credit they grant and to which courses before you enrol.

The course is built around production, not theory alone. You work on individual and group projects that mirror how an animation studio runs: briefs, dailies, revisions, deadlines. Many diplomas in this field include a work-integrated learning component such as an industry placement or a studio-based capstone where you finish a short animated piece to a professional standard. Confirm the exact placement and capstone arrangements with the provider.

You finish with a showreel and a working knowledge of 2D animation tools, plus the drawing skills that hold it together. That suits school leavers, career changers, and people already working in design or media who want to specialise in animation. International students should note that the Student visa allows up to 48 hours of work per fortnight while your course is in session, and the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available after you finish, depending on your circumstances. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 109417C. Check the official page for current fees, entry requirements and intake dates.

• 2D animator
• Character designer
• Storyboard artist
• Clean-up and in-between artist
• Motion graphics artist
• Concept artist
• Animation production assistant

Graduates work in animation and visual effects studios, game development companies, advertising and design agencies, television production, and digital content teams across Australia.