Visual Effects for Live Events

You should have at least a lower second class (2.2) honours degree (or equivalent) in any subject or five years’ relevant work experience.

If you hold an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject, you may provide a transcript or other documentation that details your prior study. Alternatively, you may be able to demonstrate your professional experience via a portfolio of attested work. Please contact the programme leader to discuss your options.

If you wish to gain admission on the basis of five years’ relevant work experience, you’ll be required to attend an online or face-to-face interview and present evidence in the form of a portfolio of work and examples that demonstrate your suitability and aptitude for the course. The evidence should be presented in electronic format and attested by an independent person. The independent person could be a current or former lecturer or an employer who has a more senior role than yourself. The University is looking for candidates who can demonstrate a clear style and commitment to their professional practice and who will benefit from experiencing this area of study.

We'll consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.

If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band (or equivalent).

Please note: it is our practice to interview all applicants. 

Assessment tasks are linked to the learning outcomes of each module and are completed before the end of the module. Module assessments typically involve written coursework, project work, oral assessments and portfolios.

Our team of academic and professional staff will use a variety of teaching and learning strategies to help you gain and develop appropriate concepts, knowledge and skills. You can expect practice-based enquiry, self-directed study, lectures, seminars, tutorials, presentations and work-based learning.

It’s important to realise that the time spent with a tutor during formally scheduled activities is only a small part of the learning time identified for a module. You’ll also be expected to spend a significant amount of time in guided independent study, such as general background reading, preparing for seminar activities and working on assignments. We are committed to supporting you throughout your learning journey. Over time, our guidance will purposefully become less structured and prescriptive. This will encourage you to develop confidence and independence in your studies and take responsibility for managing your own learning time as you increase in autonomy.

The assessment strategy for the programme is designed to help you achieve the overall aims of the curriculum, as well as the learning outcomes for individual modules. As well as assessing your achievement, it helps to organise and develop your learning. Assessment feedback can help you develop your skills and an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses.

The types of assessment you’ll be required to complete fall into two general categories: formative and summative. Formative assessments help in learning and developing knowledge and skills. Summative assessments, on which grades are allocated, reflect the quality of the learning that has been achieved. Formative assessment will take place via tutorial discussion, group workshops including peer and tutor review, and guidance on work in progress. Formative feedback will be provided face-to-face via discussion, online or in written form. Summative assessments consist of both practical and applied theoretical work. These will include a range of assessments including practical projects, written work, presentations and portfolios.

Graduates will gain a competitive edge as VFX specialists in the dynamic and developing creative industries. This is a career-focused postgraduate degree that will support you to develop advanced knowledge and skills. The skills training is combined with project-oriented creative education and will enable you to adapt and develop your practice throughout your future career. 

We’ll guide you to make clear plans as to how you will use your expertise to progress your career during the course. As a graduate of this MA, you will be well prepared to seek employment, promotion, or become self-employed using the professional skills you’ve developed as part of the course. This qualification also forms the basis for doctoral studies if you wish to pursue a career in academia or research and development.  

The course will equip you with a range of transferable, interpersonal, technical, and non-technical skills allowing you to capitalise on diverse career opportunities that exist. Roles could include Compositing Artist, Effects (FX) Technical Director (TD), FX Animator, Multimedia Artist, VFX Artist, VFX Supervisor, Game Artist, Graphic Designer and many more. 

Students at Academy of Live Technology benefit from having access to a wide range of specialist equipment, software and technology in line with the latest industry developments - much of which is made possible through our partnerships with some of the industry’s best entertainment technology manufacturers and distributors. 

Depending on your programme of study, this may include:

Sound equipment such as:

• Desks from Allen & Heath, Avid, Midas and Soundcraft
• Sound Systems from D&B and KV2 Audio
• Microphones from Audix, Sennheiser and Shure.

Lighting equipment such as:

• Wide range of lighting fixtures including Art2000s, Powercubes, moving lights, Source 4s and blinders from Avolites, Chauvet, Chroma-Q, Clay Paky and Prolight
• Lighting control from Avolites, ChamSys, GrandMA and Hog
• TitanNet processors from Avolites.

Video equipment such as:

• Media servers from Avolites, Disguise, Green Hippo and Isadora
• LED video wall from ROE Visual and Prolights
• Laser projectors from Epson and Panasonic
• Video switcher and cameras from Blackmagic Design
• Networking from Luminex.

Communications equipment from Riedel. 

Software such as: Avolites Ai & Titan, Blacktrax, Disguise, Green Hippo Zookeeper, Isadora, Notch, SketchUp, Smode, Vectorworks, WYSIWYG, Adobe Creative Cloud package and Microsoft Windows 365 suite. 

Rigging equipment such as:

• Truss from Prolyte and Sixty82
• Motors from CM Lodestar
• Load cells from Broadweigh.

Academy of Live Technology welcomes students of all ages to study on our degree programmes. 

We accept applications from international students to study full time. For further information please visit our International Students page.

Applications for our MA Visual Effects for Live Events are now open and are made directly to the Academy of Live Technology. 

If you are a Home student please complete the application below.  

If you are an International student please complete the application below. Visit our International Students page for guidance on visa requirements, fees & funding.   

Please contact admissions@altech.ac.uk for any support or advice when completing your application.   

Please note, we do not accept deferred entry applications for postgraduate study. 

FEES AND FUNDING

Home full time - £11,500, Part time - £5,750 p/year

International full time - £20,000 per year. We do not offer this course to international students on a part time basis.

To find out more about fees and funding, please visit our Student Finance page.

International & EU Students

The Admissions Team provides support through the visa process, but it’s ultimately the student’s responsibility.  We start issuing CAS numbers about 3 - 4 months before courses begin, typically from late May for September starts.

Student Visa costs vary by course length and include the mandatory Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access, even if you have private insurance. More details are available on the government website. Different rules may apply if you're already studying in the UK — check UKCISA for guidance.