VIA

VIA University College is Denmark’s second largest university of applied science, with more than 18,500 full-time students and a staff of approx. 2,100 – academic and non-academic.

Character Animation, Computer Graphic Arts and Graphic Storytelling (CA, CGA, GS) at the Animation Workshop

The Animation Workshop (TAW) provides world-class education in animation, games and graphic storytelling mainly across the three bachelor programmes: Character Animation, Computer Graphic Arts and Graphic Storytelling (CA, CGA, GS). TAW again and again ranks at the very top amongst animation schools, ranking 3rd best in the world and 2nd best in Europe according to Animation Career Review in 2024.

To a large extent TAW draws on external professionals from the industry to ensure a flow of state-of-the-art expertise from the industry as well as connecting industry with talent. Our educations are therefore craft-based and use situated learning as much as possible.

TAW is located in Viborg city, which has become a national hotspot for animation and visual creativity. ARSENALET is located on campus which is an incubation center for all things animated, housing 30+ different companies focusing on animation, games, visualization and XR. Furthermore, as of 2019, Viborg became a UNESCO Creative City, making the city a regional hub for animation and visual storytelling constituted by Viborg Municipality, VIA University College and Viborg Business Council. Finally, TAW host the annually recurring Viborg Animation Festival, which since its creation in 2012 has become the Nordic’s biggest animation festival.

VIA offers more than forty research-based educational programmes, focused on professional practice within areas such as healthcare, teaching, social education, technology and creative industries.

In addition to the full-time students, VIA annually has approximately 30,000 registered participants in our continuing education programmes, diplomas, courses etc., making VIA the largest provider in Northern Europe of professional development of practitioners.

VIAs department for creative industries offers programmes within storytelling, animation design and business spread out across a handful of cities in Denmark. Programmes include Multiplatform, Storytelling and Production (MSP), Character Animation, Computer Graphic Arts and Graphic Storytelling (CA, CGA, GS) at the Animation Workshop, amongst others.

Multiplatform, Storytelling and Production (MSP) at Film and Transmedia

Multiplatform, Storytelling and Production (MSP), established in 2013, this bachelor programme focuses on various forms of filmic storytelling in different genres and media platforms. With a set-off in traditional filmmaking and transmedia, we prepare the students for storytelling in future formats. MSP is located in the Film City of Aarhus among leading creative media companies. Situated in the old harbour area in Aarhus, Filmby Aarhus consists of a large business park, where film production companies all along the value chain are situated as well as smaller technology businesses. Filmby Aarhus and MSP participate in development-projects to build capacity and support the more than 80 companies that are active in Filmby Aarhus. Examples of such projects are Interreg CreativePorts and Create Converge. Filmby Aarhus also run two professional studios.

Our alumni has a strong impact on developing the digital vision industries of tomorrow

Research and development

VIA’s seven R&D Centres, with more than 200 researchers, underpin the ambition to be a research-based university college and help ensure that our educational programmes are based on the latest knowledge. VIA’s research activities and educational programmes are spread across seven Research and Development (R&D) centers with more than 200 researchers.

The Research and Development Centre for Creative Industries and Professions engages in practice-based, application-oriented research and development activities within four R&D programmes: Film and Transmedia, Animation and visualization (functional animation, science visualization, AR/VR), Product Design and Materials Technology (smart textiles, sustainable materials and production, fahion), Creative business and sustainable Development. Film and Transmedia is rooted in the programme Multiplatform, Storytelling and Production (MSP) as Animation and visualization is rooted at TAW.