| Qualification: | Diploma |
| Level: | 5 |
| Dates: | 2026 Semester 1: 09 February to 13 November |
| Duration: | One year full-time |
| Location: | |
| Credits: | 120 |
The New Zealand Diploma in Animation Level 5 is a one year programme that allows you to express your creativity using the latest techniques and technology.
You will engage and develop skills from day one in team work and collaboration, building critical creative problem-solving skills vital to working in the screen and animation industries. You will develop practical skills in both 2D and stop-motion art and animation production to develop rich storytelling experiences for a diverse range of target audiences. You will be able to work on both solo and collaborative projects so you are exposed to a wide variety of skills and experiences which will prepare you for rewarding and creative future.
You will learn:
BSA503 Cross-Disciplinary Workshops 1
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will participate in cross-disciplinary workshops to gain an understanding of real-world creative industry practice and communication. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will be introduced to industry-specific techniques, gaining knowledge and skills required to participate as part of a team. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop research skills to identify and demonstrate historical and theoretical practice. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will document and analyse the progression of their projects.
BSA542 Studio Digital 1
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will be introduced to the fundamentals of design within the current creative industries. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will complete projects that meet the requirements of a design brief, implementing various software solutions to develop an understanding of how to read and use imagery. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will also explore and create digital artworks which apply the fundamentals of design principles. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will investigate and a diversity of historic and contemporary digital design practices.
BSA524 Stop-Motion Animation
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will acquire the skills and understanding required to produce a small stop-motion animation film, developing basic storytelling, design, and practical character and environment asset building skills within a collaborative team environment. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will learn and apply the principles of animation to a stop-motion production pipeline. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will also explore and utilise basic camera skills; shooting, lighting, and editing techniques in line with industry best practices.
BSA529 Storyboarding
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will be introduced to the process of drafting and planning story driven short form screen arts projects. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will learn basic screenwriting skills for short form narratives and how to design for a target audience. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will gain an understanding of the creative process and apply visual language and film grammar to produce a completed storyboard and animatic project for the creative industries.
BSA526 Principles of Animation
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will be introduced to the principles of animation and apply them to a contemporary pipeline. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will create a visually appealing character with a unique biography and storytelling poses and expressions. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will use industry standard software to bring their character to life through paperless 2D animation techniques. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will discuss relevant existing practices, and reflectively document their project progress.
BSA527 2D Animation
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will combine visual storytelling skills and the principles of animation to produce a short 2D animated project with a proposed purpose, narrative, and target audience. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will apply a range of 2D animation techniques and implement a 2D animation production pipeline. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will discuss relevant existing and practices, and reflectively document their project progress.
BSA515 Studio Drawing 1
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop fundamental skills in drawing, both digitally and physically. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will participate in a variety of different drawing methods such as life drawing, mural design, and prompt illustrations. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will develop visual storytelling skills through producing a narrative-driven short, illustrated project. ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ will discuss relevant existing and emerging practices, and reflectively document their project’s progress.
This programme is eligible for the Zero Fees Scheme.
International Fees can be found here.
Graduates of this qualification will be equipped to work as:
2D Animators
2D Digital Artists
Stop-motion animation artists
Storyboarders
Animators
All applicants must submit a portfolio and attend an interview to be considered for entry.
School Leavers
University Entrance - NCEA Level 3. Three subjects – at Level 3, made up of 14 credits each, in three NZQA University Entrance approved subjects, and
Literacy – 10 credits at Level 2 or above, made up of five credits in reading and five credits in writing, and
Numeracy – 10 credits at Level 1 or above, made up of specified achievement standards through a range of subjects, or package of three numeracy unit standards (26623, 26626, 26627 – all three required).
Mature Applicants
Must be at least 20 years of age when the programme begins and provide evidence of aptitude or appropriate work or other experience.
Preference will be given to those mature aged applicants who can demonstrate evidence of successful completion of a programme of study to NZQA Level 3 or higher.
Addition Criteria - Portfolio Requirements
Applicants are required to submit a portfolio of their work with their application as follows:
(Please do not include any original material in your portfolio)
English Language Requirements
Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following
NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or
an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or
Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL);or
Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand,,Australia,Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of a Bachelor's Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or
Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment
IELTS test - Academic score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 550 (with an essay score of 5 TWE)
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 46 (with a writing score of 14)
Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 162. No less than 154 in each skill
OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests
NZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current: a) Level 4 (General) or (Workplace) b) Level 4 (General) or (Employment)
Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 42 with no band score lower than 36
Language Cert - B2 Communicator International ESOL Written (LRW) HIGH PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS
Trinity ISE - ISE II with no less than merit in any band
* New versions of some NZCEL qualifications, and in some cases new qualifications, were published on 13 June 2017. These are intended to replace pre-existing versions and qualifications, which have been given expiring status until discontinued on 31 December 2019. (a) denotes expiring (b) denotes current
To satisfactorily complete the New Zealand Diploma in Animation (Level 5), and be awarded this qualification the student must successfully achieve:
(Please Note: students failing to attend for 80% of timetabled programme hours may forfeit zero fees entitlement)
For those wishing to pursue further study, SIT offers: