Catalyst - Institute for Creative Arts and Technology
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation
Berlin, Germany
BA
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 6,028 / per semester **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Please visit website for detailed deadline information.
** Scholarships & Funding available
Key Summary
Design the impossible. Build the unimaginable.
This hands-on, project-based degree is your launchpad into the worlds of VFX, animation, video game design, and digital arts.
From your very first semester, you’ll be working on real-world creative briefs using industry-standard tools – collaborating with filmmakers, actors, musicians and sound designers on immersive, cinematic, and interactive projects. Whether you're shaping environments in Unreal Engine, coding reactive installations in TouchDesigner, or building full visual sequences for film and games, you’ll be developing technical mastery alongside a strong creative voice.
At Catalyst technical training meets creative exploration, and practical, cross-media learning opens up a wide range of future career paths.
What you’ll learn
Across the programme, you'll gain fluency in the creative tools, visual languages, and production techniques used in today’s fast-evolving industries:
- 3D and 2D animation – from modelling and rigging to lighting and rendering
- Game design and level building – using real-time workflows in Unreal Engine 5
- Digital compositing, matte painting and motion graphics
- Creative coding – with TouchDesigner, Python and other dynamic systems
- Audiovisual installations and generative art for performance and exhibition
- Post-production workflows – including VFX supervision and visual storytelling
- Environment design – building cinematic worlds for film, game and VR
- Image composition and visual narrative – rooted in theory and practical design
- Collaborative projects – working alongside creatives from music, acting and film
Learn in a space designed for innovation
You’ll be studying in a cutting-edge creative environment at the historic Funkhaus campus in Berlin, surrounded by artists from across the globe. With access to dedicated VFX labs, green screen studios, a cinema, and professional-grade post-production suites, you’ll have everything you need to test ideas, take risks, and build future-ready work.
This is a course that adapts with you. As you grow, you'll choose your own creative focus – from VFX for screen, to game design, immersive installations, or hybrid cross-disciplinary practices. Our tutors will guide you to develop your strengths and shape a portfolio that reflects your evolving creative identity.
What you’ll graduate with
By the end of the course, you'll have:
- A portfolio of original, collaborative work – ready for showreels, pitches and applications
- Proficiency in major industry tools – from Nuke and Maya to Houdini and Unreal Engine
- A strong foundation in concept development, storytelling and visual culture
- First-hand experience working on real briefs, production schedules, and teams
- A clearer understanding of where your creative strengths lie – and how to keep evolving
Whether you're creating concept art for a game, designing cinematic FX, or building immersive installations that react to the world around them, this programme gives you the tools, support and creative freedom to explore what’s possible.
The Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation courses will open up many potential career paths for you. If you complete the first year of study, you will have the skills needed to work as a technician. This includes roles as an assistant editor, special effects technician or production assistant in a freelance context. A deeper dive into the full three years opens up many more routes.
You can step into roles such as visual effects artist, crafting digitally-generated visual elements imagery. You might take on the role of a visual effects producer, overseeing the VFX work on various projects. The course prepares you for a wide array of technical roles, including special effects technician, colour grading artist, rotoscoping artist and digital compositor. You can venture into the realms of animation, becoming a 3D or 2D animator, or dive into motion design to create captivating visual sequences. Become the go-to post-production engineer or delve into the creative process as a production designer, working on visual design, set design and set construction.
You can use your experience in game design to move into the games industry. You will also be in a position to become a media artist, working on audio-visual projects, installations and interactive experiences, or become a media creator, designing visual effects software and plugins. Lastly, you may choose to work in academia, sharing your knowledge and passion with the next generation.
Year 1 – Explore the Foundations of VFX & Game Design
(HE Certificate option available)
Get to grips with the essentials of both visual effects and video game design. Through fast-paced projects and collaborative challenges, you’ll learn how to craft digital worlds, design playable environments, and bring your ideas to life through post-production, animation, and 3D art.
You’ll develop skills in:
- Game environment design for film and real-time engines
- 3D asset creation and animation
- Live-action shoots and practical effects
- Compositing and image manipulation
- Storyboarding, matte painting, and digital illustration
- Generative art and visual aesthetics
Build your first playable game level and create visual content that crosses from screen to experience.
Year 2 – Refine Your Tools & Voice
Go deeper into industry-standard tools like Unreal Engine, Substance Painter, and ZBrush. Develop your creative signature across real-time rendering, visual storytelling, digital installations, and interactive media.
Key areas include:
- Advanced game environment creation in Unreal Engine
- Fluids, dynamics, and motion FX
- Creative coding and generative visuals (TouchDesigner)
- Projection mapping and real-time performance setups
- Character animation, VFX analysis, and narrative design for games
- AR/VR experiences and digital art installations
Choose your direction – game design, immersive media, or cinematic visual effects – and start to specialise.
Year 3 – Lead, Create & Launch
Own your creative process and deliver a major final project that showcases your skills, style and ambition. From prototyping a game to crafting a VFX short or installation, this is where your vision becomes reality.
You’ll:
- Pitch, plan, and produce an industry-ready Major Project
- Build a professional portfolio tailored to your career path
- Collaborate with peers from across Catalyst’s schools
- Explore your creative niche and potential audiences
- Sharpen your skills in storytelling, world-building and player experience
- Optionally complete a dissertation or a professional practice module
Prepare for life after Catalyst with real-world creative experience, a focused body of work, and the confidence to step into the industry.
We offer a range of funding opportunities and scholarships to support your studies. From national options like BAföG to scholarships of up to €6,000, there are several ways to make your time at Catalyst more financially accessible.
Our Learning Method & Philosophy
Why do we teach this way? Because the digital world is built frame by frame.
The best way to master visual effects, game design, and digital art is by making — through hands-on projects, real-world scenarios, and collaboration with a creative community that reflects today’s interconnected industries. Our approach is rooted in practice-based learning, blending technical skill-building with creative experimentation and cross-disciplinary teamwork.
What this means for you:
Want to move beyond software tutorials?
You’ll jump straight into creating – designing assets, building levels, animating, coding, and compositing from your first semester. Each project helps you turn technical tools into artistic expression.
Ready to define your creative voice?
Your style, ideas, and way of working matter. Through constant feedback, collaboration and iteration, you’ll refine what sets your work apart – visually, conceptually, and technically.
Curious about working across disciplines?
You’ll learn in a community of filmmakers, actors, composers, and sound artists. Whether you’re designing a game world, animating for a short film, or creating interactive installations, you’ll understand how your work fits into a bigger picture.
Looking to build real-world experience?
You’ll work on client-style briefs, game prototypes, VFX shots and immersive installations. Along the way, you’ll learn pipelines, teamwork, and problem-solving skills that mirror professional studio life.
Need a space to explore new technologies and formats?
From Unreal Engine to generative art, you'll be encouraged to try, fail, revise, and evolve — in a space where innovation and play go hand in hand. Our studios are your testing ground for bold ideas.
By the end of your time at Catalyst, you’ll have the technical fluency, creative confidence and professional mindset to take on a range of roles in visual effects, video game design, animation and emerging media — and the portfolio to prove it.