BA (Hons) CGI and Visual Effects

Student welfare - Solent University is committed to giving you the best possible educational experience during your time with us. As such we have a number of support services and policies set up covering funding, careers and employability, chaplaincy, counselling, international advice, student affairs, key academic skills, disability support and general student advice. Find out more about our approach to student welfare.

Accommodation - Solent University has a range of student accommodation available. All student residences are in the city centre and within easy walking distance to the city campuses. Accommodation costs vary depending on the size and type of room. Find out more about the cost of living in our student residences. 

University facilities - You will have access to a modern, comfortable and efficient study environment, including the Mountbatten library and learning resource centres. Solent offers a wide variety of sports halls, gyms and sports equipment, plus superb IT, media, and cutting-edge specialist facilities. Find out more about our first-class facilities here.

Living in Southampton - Southampton is a modern, vibrant student city brimming with arts and culture, top high street brands, green spaces and a buzzing nightlife. Studying at Solent means that you’ll be at the very heart of it. Find out more about being a student in Southampton.

Solent Students’ Union - Run by students for students, Solent Students’ Union is on hand to offer independent advice and support while you’re at university. Visit the Students’ Union website for more information.

The CGI and Visual Effects course is structured and delivered as a direct response to the growing international markets that require specialist skills in 3D computer graphics.  CGI is a direct entry route in Film, Television and Games but also less commonly known markets such as simulation, architecture/ military and traditional visualisation, Virtual and Augmented Reality and many other areas.

Since the commission of the NextGen report in 2013, the UK has aggressively tried to recruit students into creative subjects that are still today considered shortage areas – creating the term STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).  The term STEM is used frequently in education to refer to areas of high employability or high salary.  Many of the areas that the UK cannot fill from the existing talent pool we still rely on Europe and overseas.  This is a growing concern with a pending and uncertain Brexit as to how the market will cope with such a skills shortage.  Despite this – the UK is still considered the world leader in this sector.

As a result of the growth of this market, the UK Shortage Occupational List (SOC) lists 7 areas directly covered on the course; a further 8 career options that are provided a good entry into this field via the subject and 3 subjects that are very loosely tied but still relevant and worth stating for the purpose of this category.  This list was reviewed in 2019 with a hope that several of these areas had been addressed, instead the update found that a further 3 areas should be added.

In 2014, the UK was also considered to be the world's largest international exporter of TV content, and although it has since been replaced by the US, it still ranks high.  With continuing tax relief for filming and compositing work, poor performance of the British pound and the incredible geographical base of all major studios in London, the industry continues to thrive through times of economic uncertainty.