Bachelor of Animation & VFX

The Bachelor of Animation & VFX at Collarts is a two-year degree for people who want to make moving images, animated shorts, visual effects shots, motion graphics and the kind of screen work that ends up in film, television, games and online content. You'll spend your time on the practical side of production: drawing and design fundamentals, 2D and 3D animation, compositing, visual effects, storyboarding, editing and sound. The point is to build a reel that shows what you can actually do, not just what you've read about.

Australian bachelor degrees normally run three years full time, though some institutions compress intensive creative programs into two years by trimming elective space and running units across trimesters rather than the standard two semesters. Collarts structures its degrees this way, with units of study carrying credit points that accumulate toward the qualification. You'll usually complete a capstone project in your final year, for animation and VFX students that means a finished short film, a showreel or a body of production work you can show employers and clients. Assessment is largely project-based, which is how the industry works.

Work-integrated learning matters in this field. Screen production is a portfolio industry, and Australian studios, post-production houses and animation companies hire on the strength of what you've made and who you've made it with. Expect studio-based classes, collaborative projects that mirror real production pipelines, and chances to work with students from other creative disciplines. Collarts sits in Melbourne's creative precinct, which puts you near production companies, agencies and the broader screen sector.

This degree suits school leavers who've been drawing, editing or animating on their own and want structured training, career changers from design, film or IT who want to move into screen production, and anyone building a portfolio for freelance or studio work. Entry is through the institution's standard process, check the official Collarts page and the CRICOS register for current entry requirements, tuition and intake dates. International applicants need to meet English proficiency requirements, and the Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa. While studying, student visa holders can work up to 48 hours per fortnight, and graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream.

• 2D or 3D animator, animation studios, games companies, advertising agencies and production houses
• VFX artist or compositor, film and television post-production facilities
• Motion graphics designer, broadcast, branding, digital agencies and social media content teams
• Storyboard artist or concept artist, pre-production for film, TV, games and advertising
• Editor or post-production assistant, screen production companies and online content studios
• Freelance animator or VFX generalist, working across film, music videos, corporate video and interactive media
• Game artist, Australian game development studios