Diploma of 2D Animation

The Diploma of 2D Animation at Collarts is a focused, hands-on qualification for people who want to draw, design and animate for screens. Over 40 weeks you work through the craft of 2D animation: drawing for animation, character design, storyboarding, timing and movement, and the digital tools studios actually use. Assessment is practical. You build a reel of finished work rather than sit exams about animation theory.

As a diploma, this sits at the same level as the first year of a bachelor degree on the Australian Qualifications Framework. It is delivered over 40 weeks, which at Collarts means a compressed, intensive structure rather than the standard three-year bachelor timetable. You study units of study, each carrying credit points, and if you later articulate into a bachelor programme your diploma credit may be recognised. Confirm the exact credit arrangements with Collarts before you enrol.

Collarts is a creative arts institution in Melbourne, and the diploma is taught by working animators and designers. The city has a real animation and screen production sector, from independent studios to advertising, games and broadcast work, and the course leans on that. You finish with a portfolio, not just a transcript, because that is what gets you hired in this field. There is no professional accreditation body for 2D animation in Australia, so your reel and your contacts do the heavy lifting.

This suits school leavers who know they want to animate and would rather start with hands-on studio work than a general degree, career changers with drawing skills who need the technical and production side, and illustrators or designers adding motion to what they already do. International students should check the CRICOS register for the published tuition figure, and note that a Student visa allows 48 hours of work per fortnight while your course is in session. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available depending on your circumstances. Entry requires English proficiency, commonly IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and Collarts' own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the visa itself. Check the official page for current entry requirements and intake dates.

• 2D animator in animation and motion design studios
• Character designer or visual development artist
• Storyboard artist for animation, advertising or broadcast
• Motion graphics designer for agencies, film and television
• Games artist working on 2D assets and sprite animation
• Freelance animator and illustrator
• Junior roles in Melbourne's screen production and post-production sector