Degree overview
Study this degree if you want to work in the visual effects industry as a visual effects artist.
Join the rapidly growing visual effects industry that’s worth over $550 million in Australia1.
Study a degree designed in association with world-renowned visual effects studio Rising Sun Pictures (RSP).
Learn from the World No. 17 Visual Effects School2 with UniSA and Rising Sun Pictures.
Experience unparalleled industry-based learning opportunities when you spend 60% of your degree onsite at Rising Sun Pictures’ Adelaide studio.
Learn from experienced visual effects (VFX) artists and supervisors in a simulated production environment.
Gain specialist skills in compositing and tracking, dynamic effects and lighting, creature effects, 3D animation and 3D modelling.
Have the opportunity to work on real-world productions through our industry partnerships.
Gain experience with current trends, technologies, and professional practices.
Graduate industry ready with your own professional VFX showreel.
UniSA is an unstoppable university for unstoppable people. As one of the World’s Top Young Universities3, we’ll ensure you get the experience your future profession demands so it’ll feel like you’re studying one minute and, in a career, the next.
The visual effects industry is undergoing a remarkable expansion and reshaping the global screen sector. With the rise of popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, there has been increasing demand for captivating and original content, powering the need for top-tier visual effects.
UniSA’s Bachelor of Visual Effects is an innovative, industry-focussed degree that puts you at the cutting edge of visual effects production. Combining theoretical knowledge, technical skills, and unparalleled industry-based learning, it will set you up for a career as a multi-disciplinary visual effects artist.
Developed with one of Australia’s largest and most awarded VFX studios, Rising Sun Pictures, you’ll spend 60% of your degree onsite at RSP in their purpose-built simulated studio. This industry-based learning starts in your first year of study, and you’ll learn from experienced VFX artists and have access to the latest technologies, while gaining first-hand experience of professional practices.
Throughout the degree you’ll gain an understanding of all stages of the professional production cycle, from conceptualisation right through to post-production. You’ll also develop your knowledge and practice of core VFX areas including compositing and tracking, dynamic effects and lighting, creature effects, 3D animation and 3D modelling.
You can also choose to accelerate your studies and complete your degree in 2.5 years.
What you'll learn
[What you Learn]
When you study this innovative and highly practical degree, you’ll learn the theoretical knowledge, technical skills and professional expertise needed to produce high quality visual effects for the global screen and media industry.
You’ll also experience firsthand how a world-class VFX studio operates, when you undertake over half of your degree onsite at Rising Sun Pictures, in their Adelaide VFX studio. This unparalleled, industry-based learning starts in first year and includes the entire final 1.5 years of your degree.
Throughout the degree, you’ll develop a comprehensive understanding of practices, processes, and techniques within these key VFX disciplines:
dynamic effects and lighting
compositing and tracking
creature effects
3D animation
3D modelling, and
look development.
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution
July 2025
Magill Campus
UniSA Magill campus, Saint Bernards Road,
Magill,
South Australia,
5072, Australia
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution
February 2026
Magill Campus
UniSA Magill campus, Saint Bernards Road,
Magill,
South Australia,
5072, Australia
Applicants are required to meet one of the following criteria with a competitive result, and demonstrate that they
fulfill any prerequisite requirements and essential requirements for admission:
Recent secondary education
Meet any prerequisite requirements with a minimum grade of C- or equivalent
AND
Qualify for the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), and achieved a competitive Selection Rank (ATAR), or
Complete secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE, or
Complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 24 points
Applicants who have not achieved the Selection Rank required for automatic selection may be selected for any
remaining places based on the grades of their year 12 subjects.
OR
Higher education study
Complete or partly complete a recognised higher education program at a recognised higher education
institution, or
Complete at least four Open Universities Australia (OUA) courses at undergraduate level or above
OR
Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Complete an award from a registered training organisation at Certificate IV or above
OR
Work and life experience
Qualify for Special Entry, or
Complete a 12-month UniSA Foundation Studies program or equivalent, or
Hold completed secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE obtained more than 2 years in the past
English language requirements:
IELTS score of 6.0; TOEFL iBT score of 60 with Reading and Writing not less than 18; TOEFL paper-based test (PBT) score of 550 with TWE of 4.5; Cambridge CAE/CPE score of 169; Pearson's test of English (Academic) (PTE) score of 50 with Reading and Writing communicative scores not less than 50; CELUSA score of AE4.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
The University of South Australia is a globally connected and engaged university with industry-informed teaching and inventive research.