49 Game Design and Animation MA Degree Programs

This one-year Master of Animation is directed towards realizing your creative potential. You will learn to critically and creatively integrate innovatory studio work with theoretical principles. You explore storytelling in animation and compare this with your own artistic vision and style. You carry out research to discover which developments in the field of animation are relevant to your practice. You acquire experience in studio work and focus on planning, feasibility and production processes, with an emphasis on testing your own artistic freedom in relation to working on commission.

Animation brings your ideas to life as vibrant stories, memorable characters, and immersive worlds. This programme combines hands-on artistry with foundational theory. Guided by industry professionals, students discover their unique artistic voice, build a strong portfolio, and forge valuable industry connections.

The MA animation programme focuses on helping students realize themselves as animated film authors. As our master students come from very different parts of the world and have different educational backgrounds we try to encourage their individual approach to filmmaking.

Harness the transformative power of play. Kingston University’s MA in Game Development will give you the design skills and knowledge needed to create masterpieces and thrive in the professional world. Studying this design-focused masters in Game Development will prepare you for a range of exciting opportunities in the industry.

Launch your career in the creative industries with the Computer Animation MA from Kingston University. At Kingston, we are an active member of the Independent Game Developers' Association (TIGA) and the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA). On this course, you will gain access to the latest industry software. Learn how to use tools like Autodesk Maya & Mudbox, Arnold, Maxon One (including Zbrush), Nuke, Mari, Adobe Suite and Substance 3D, and Animbot.

BSBI, in partnership with the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), offers the MA Game Design programme, an 18-month interdisciplinary course designed to elevate students’ skills and knowledge in the evolving interactive entertainment field. This dynamic and immersive master's programme aims to develop expertise in game design and drive innovation, preparing students for the growing demands in the digital games industry.

This MA is tailored for people who want to start a career in the game industry. One of the only programmes in the UK taught by actual game developers, it will teach you game design, art animation, and game programming, and has a strong focus on entrepreneurship and business.

The MA Character and Creature Animation is a 100% online, part‑time master’s programme from UH Online that develops advanced 3D character and creature animation skills for Visual Effects, Games, Film and Television. It combines industry‑informed teaching, expert faculty and a research‑based final portfolio to prepare students for professional animation roles.

Are you a creative innovator who wants to advance games as an artform? In Aalto University’s Game Design and Development major, you will join a select group of students who are redefining the future of games. The major will provide you with the latest knowledge and skills you need to deepen your expertise in game development. Since Finland is a game industry hub, the programme co-operates closely with top Finnish video game companies, preparing you to thrive in the Nordic game industry. You will graduate with a Master of Science degree from this major. For the more artistically minded students, there is also a "sibling major" which results in a Master of Art degree: Game Design and Development - Art and Media, Master of Arts (Art and Design).

The MA Degree Program in Computer Animation and Visual Effects at RUFA is an artistic specialization course designed to train designers in digital animation and visual effects for film, television, audiovisual productions, and the web to blend digital technology, manual reproduction, cultural know-how, and creative capacity.

REPLAY is a two-year European Master Program that unites students from around the world with the goal of creating meaningful game experiences through design, experimentation, and development. Participants are encouraged to influence the future of game design, tapping into the industry's capacity for creativity, innovation, and societal impact. Throughout their journey, the students will be immersed in three unique national game development and artistic ecosystems.

The MA Animation program at the Royal College of Art has been ranked the number one animation school in the UK, third in Europe and fourth globally in the latest Animation Career Review Rankings. This programme has a world-class reputation for artistic, director-led creative practice and innovative risk-taking and our students also explore the increasingly porous borders between animation, virtual reality, augmented reality, or new media art. The program maintains an ethos and environment of experimentation and creativity built on a foundation of social and cultural interrogation and contextual and critical thinking.

The MA Animation programme is built around three core pillars: developing independent perspectives, discovering a distinctive artistic voice and creative method, and cultivating a responsible designer mindset in animation.

This MA in Animation from Kingston University will give you the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge to thrive in rapidly changing cultural, technological and professional environments. On this course, you’ll explore and experiment with a range of interlinked and adaptable technologies, methods and mediums.

As the only program of its kind in the United States, the Master of Arts in Game Design drives students to stretch their capacities as designers, developers, consumers, and game administrators and apply that to their unique fields of interest. Students bring to the program their own experiences—whether in politics, science, art, history, marketing, or international studies—and can choose from multidisciplinary courses across our schools of communication, business, and arts.

The MA in Game Development program allows students to further their careers by synthesizing traditional art and design fundamentals with today’s groundbreaking technologies. Students prepare their career skill-set through hands-on prototyping of game mechanics and art creation, followed by creating a final project industry-quality portfolio.

The MA program provides students an opportunity to work in 2D Animation & Stop Motion, 3D Animation, 3D Modeling, or Visual Effects, while focusing on storytelling with an emphasis on exhibiting technical skills and eliciting emotional responses.