Bachelor in Character Animation
- Los Angeles, USA
- Valencia, Spain
Bachelor's degree
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English, Spanish
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, On-Campus, Blended
Key Summary
The 3D Character Animation program is designed for students who want to stand out in one of the most in-demand creative industries worldwide. This degree combines theoretical foundations with intensive practice on real projects, preparing future professionals to work in film, video games, and advertising.
The curriculum focuses on two main areas:
- 3D Character Animation: principles of animation, lip sync, acting, and motion analysis.
- Rigging: creation of skeletons and controls to bring 3D models to life, optimizing processes with Python and advanced production techniques.
By the end, you will have a professional animation portfolio, backed by experience with leading tools such as Maya, enabling you to access positions as a character animator, rigger, or technical artist in animation and video game studios.
Double Degree
International Certification USA–Spain
Our dual-degree program allows you to graduate with two official certificates:
- Curriculum certified in the USA, meeting American industry standards for creative careers worldwide.
- European accreditation, fully recognized in Spain and across Europe.
This ensures your training is not limited to one country. You’ll have the credentials to work internationally, from Hollywood to European studios.
- Official diploma issued in California
- International registration backed by the BPPE
- Translation and validation of academic transcripts
- Portfolio guidance and support in English
- International letter of recommendation
- Creatives passionate about animation and digital cinema
- Graduates in fine arts, design, audiovisual communication, computer science, or related fields
- Audiovisual professionals seeking specialization in character animation or rigging
- International students looking for official certification in the USA and Europe
Universal Arts School offers:
- Partial scholarships for outstanding artistic profiles
- Special discounts for early enrollment (check active code)
- Flexible financing plans tailored to students
Character Animation
Block 1 – Animation Fundamentals
- Introduction to Maya and production pipeline
- The 12 principles of animation applied in basic exercises
- Anatomy basics for solid, believable poses
Block 2 – Body Mechanics and Acting
- Body mechanics: weight, mass, arcs, and movement flow
- Realistic animation: lip-sync, acting, and facial expressions
- Storyboarding and planning animated scenes
Block 3 – Animation Styles and Variations
- Cartoon animation: exaggeration, rhythm, stylized characters
- Quadruped animation: felines, canines, and equines
- Applying techniques across different morphologies
Block 4 – Final Project
- Creation of a scene with two or more characters
- Narrative planning: action, motivation, character relationships
- Integrating all principles into a complete animation
Rigging
Block 1 – Rigging Fundamentals and Props
- Character anatomy, nodes, and planning
- Transformations, constraints, joints, and skinning
- Basic prop rigging and biped rig creation
Block 2 – Limbs and Deformations
- Arm and leg rigs with FK/IK blend
- Hand, foot, and reverse foot controls
- Stretch systems for arms, spine, and basic blendshapes
Block 3 – Facial Rigging and Advanced Rigging
- Facial controls: eyes, mouth, eyebrows, hair, nose
- Advanced facial rigs with tweaks and deformers
- Extra skinning, corrective morphs, ribbons, clothing, and accessories
- Rigging quadrupeds and winged characters
Block 4 – Game Rigging and Scripting
- Creating rigs for games and implementing them in Unity and Unreal
- Cloth simulation and technical specifications
- MEL scripting in Maya for process automation
- Rig cleanup, optimization, and production readiness
- Universal Arts School is an international reference in animation, video games, and VFX
- Dual accreditation: BPPE (California, USA) and official European homologation
- Recognized in creative rankings for academic quality and hands-on methodology
- Master the principles of 3D animation and rigging with Maya
- Create believable characters and movements across multiple formats
- Develop technical skills in automation and programming with Python
- Build a competitive demo reel to access film, animation, and video game studios
- Obtain a dual USA–Spain degree with international validity
Animation
- 3D Character Animator for short and feature films
- 3D Animator for animated series
- 3D Animator for video games
- 3D Animator in VFX, advertising, and documentaries
- 3D Animator in pre-vis, tech-vis, and post-vis
- Facial animator and MO-CAP curve cleanup
- 3D Animator for virtual reality
- Technical Animator / Character TD
Rigging
- Rigging Artist
- Rigging TD
- Rigging Supervisor
- Technical Animator
- Pipeline TD / Technical Director
- Animation Programmer
- Dual USA–Spain degree with international recognition
- Campuses in Los Angeles and Valencia
- Training delivered by active industry professionals
- Use of industry-standard software: Maya and Python
- Project-based methodology focused on building a professional reel
- Alumni network and partnerships with international film and game studios