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What is Animation?

Animation is the area of study and employment responsible for the creation of effects, cartoons, computer generated imagery, or any other type of motion attributed to two or three dimensional images. Individuals in this field must be familiar with traditional and modern forms of animation, including software and associated techniques in order to deliver the desired product.  Earning an animation degree from a reputable university will posture you to make an impact on employers.

Career Summary

MEDIAN SALARY

$72,200

PERCENT ABOVE NATIONAL
INCOME AVERAGE

48.66%

TOTAL SECTOR EMPLOYMENT

29,810

Degree Median Salary vs Adjacent Degree Types

Source: BLS, US Census, and IPEDS

2024 Best Animation Schools

Northeastern University's top ranked Animation degree provides students a deeper focus on developing robust conceptual, narrative, and technical skills. Through their rigorous studio program, students explore the power and potential of effective visual communication through 2D and 3D motion design. The course offers abundant opportunities to discover and collaborate with related creative disciplines making it a unique learning experience for passionate students. Through the study, students will work to develop a professional-level portfolio that they can utilize for future employment. Upon completing the program, graduates can demonstrate an extensive set of skills that makes them stand out from the rest.

Acceptance Rate

18.05

Student to Faculty Ratio

14:1

New York University's Animation courses offers a comprehensive and diverse array of classes, covering traditional and computer-based styles. Students have the opportunity to learn the basic principles of animation, develop visual language, storytelling, observation, and communication skills. The program explores a wide variety of experimental animation techniques. By semester's end, every student will produce a short film or video using 3D or 2D techniques that incorporate the principles of personality animation. They will gain unique experiences in all phases of animation production, including concept art, storyboards, layouts, exposure sheets, test animation, in-betweening, final animation, color, sound, and many more.  

Acceptance Rate

16.2

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Emerson College's Department of Visual & Media Arts helps students transform their vision into reality. They will dive right in and start working along with talented mentors, collaborators, and crew members from day one. The animation department offers unlimited opportunities to grow, collaborate, and thrive with access to their sophisticated, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that aid their creativity take flight. They have the chance to learn from the institution's experienced faculty members. Graduates will benefit from Emerson's extensive alumni network, which spans every medium and every market in the industry.

Acceptance Rate

33.35

Student to Faculty Ratio

15:1

Syracuse University's Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in computer art and animation is dedicated to exploring the great possibilities of digital media. The program provides quality instruction in various art media where the computer plays the primary role. Students are introduced to a strong foundation for working within the digital realm while developing an artistic voice engaged in the language of the medium. They help students investigate the diverse possibilities of computer art. Challenging them to further develop the intellectual resources needed to inform their work. They take pride in their alumni who are mostly working at some of the most prestigious animation and visual effects companies in the world.

Acceptance Rate

44.38

Student to Faculty Ratio

15:1

Ohio State University's Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Art, emphasis on Art & Technology is a creative degree that offers students hands-on experience with state-of-the-art digital media technologies and formats. This program in the Department of Art is dedicated to conceptualization as the driving force for creative experimentation with digital media and advanced technologies. The institution seeks to expose their undergraduate to a wide array of creative and conceptual approaches to understanding a critical use of technology that acknowledges history and theory. All their courses take a project-based learning approach where students conceptualize new ideas, 3D model them and build them. Graduates are prepared to become practicing artists or to enter into a wide variety of creative, educational, and business-related fields.

Acceptance Rate

53.74

Student to Faculty Ratio

19:1

Southern Methodist University's Film and Media Arts is an art degree focusing on the development of the unique and creative voice of its students. The program requires 51 credits within the major and culminates in the production of a collaborative project, or an individual thesis film/media project. The admission is limited and requires application through a selective process. Through its extensive training and instruction, they produce highly skilled and knowledgeable individuals that are prepared to navigate their way in the industry.

Acceptance Rate

47.29

Student to Faculty Ratio

N.A

Fashion Institute of Technology's Animation, Interactive Media, & Game Design is one of the country's most comprehensive curricula for a Bachelor's program. Students receive a solid foundation in 3D modeling and animation through a sequence of courses in a real-world production environment. They have the opportunity to design and produce an interactive group project. New York City is the epicenter for 3D animated content, visual effects, and motion graphics for film and broadcast. Students who finish the program are employed in every aspect of production in the field.

Acceptance Rate

53.89

Student to Faculty Ratio

16:1

Chapman University's Animation and Visual Effects program help students develop their artistic skills and technical experience. Students have the chance to bring their ideas to life on the screen while utilizing their cutting-edge technology. The program is dedicated to gaining the skills and knowledge to help students realize their artistic vision. Students learn essential knowledge and skills to make their way in the industry. Upon completing the program, graduates are great candidates for employment in major gaming, VFX, or animation studios, including Pixar, Disney, Blizzard, and more.

Acceptance Rate

55.65

Student to Faculty Ratio

13:1

The degree in animation from the College for Creative Studies helps students sharpen their skills in traditional and computer-generated (CG) animation and design. They get to experience stop-motion, motion graphics, and experimental media. Animation graduates work throughout the industry as designers, storyboard artists, fabricators, animators, and visual development artists. Earning a degree in this field can lead to various creative careers. The institution's curriculum teaches the type of critical thinking and professional skills that give graduates great flexibility and many options as their careers unfold.

Acceptance Rate

43.78

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

Pratt Institute-Main's Department of Digital Arts cultivates outstanding artists and professionals in the fields of animation, interactive arts, and gaming. Their structured curriculum immerses undergraduates in the execution of individually produced projects while honing marketable skills for employment. The program facilitates collaborative and interdisciplinary efforts through required courses, electives, and student groups. Students develop unique artistic voices through a culture of freedom of expression. Its small classes enable students to acquire robust production skills and create a professional portfolio or reel.

Acceptance Rate

55.5

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Bennington College's degree program in Animation incorporates the visual and performing arts. Students have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of producing an animation. Providing them with current software programs to be used as their medium in their art. Students are encouraged to consider their work in a wide historical context as they work to master technical developments. Emphasizing exploration, bringing life to mundane objects, and giving a voice to a drawing, an image, or an inanimate object.  Learn more about the BC animation program today by requesting information from the admissions team.

Acceptance Rate

60.79

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's Digital Art, Studio Art, and Visual Communication Program focus on life drawing, art history, studio art, multimedia studio, computer animation, new media theory, digital photography, professional practices, and 3D computer animation. Students complete a senior studio and create a portfolio and/or senior exhibition. Visual Communication Design students focus on studio arts, design for print, layout, typography, 2D and 3D design, visual branding, visual communications, interactive art studio, and topics in graphic design. A portfolio is highly required with the application to the Studio Art and Creative Technologies programs.

Acceptance Rate

70.04

Student to Faculty Ratio

14:1

North Central College's Animation degree provides students a unique experience to develop and enhance their career in graphics, art direction, marketing, or fine art. Offering a dynamic opportunity to demonstrate their skills that can be beneficial for prospective employers as much as for personal artistic growth. The institution is part of the University Partner Program offered by the Art Institute of Chicago. Students have the opportunity to join Design Agency a practicum course that provides a creative environment similar to a design studio to develop client-based independent art and design projects.  

Acceptance Rate

53.64

Student to Faculty Ratio

14:1

Brigham Young University's Center for Animation is a highly dynamic, hands-on program designed to provide students with the essential skill sets necessary for success in the field. The majority of their alumni go on to work for major studios in the United States. With a focus on the artistic and technological aspects of animation. Students are equipped to create an appealing design decision and have the technical know-how to execute it professionally. Through the study students heavily increase their skills and develop a mature eye for design through hard work, experience, and teamwork.

Acceptance Rate

67.49

Student to Faculty Ratio

N.A

Bradley University's Animation degree provides students a chance to bring their ideas to life in a top-ranked animation program. Offering various styles of animation from hand-drawn to 3D characters and environments. The skills they learn and acquire can be utilized in the future. Classes will help them develop their storytelling and art skills. Upon completing the program, graduates will experience a unique set of skills and knowledge. Their recent graduates are working in the prestigious environment in the United States.

Acceptance Rate

70.21

Student to Faculty Ratio

12:1

The animation degree at DePaul University helps to provide students with a thorough foundation in the art of animation. The program is structured for students who are deeply passionate about having a career in the field. Its visual arts history and studio art requirements give students a style grounding vital to success in the area. Students will gain valuable production experience in class and through internships. The recent graduates from the program have been hired in animation roles at several companies around the United States.

Acceptance Rate

68.22

Student to Faculty Ratio

15:1

SUNY College at Oswego's Graphic Design program focuses on the study and practice of contemporary graphic theory, emerging digital media, techniques, and application. The program prepared graduates for positions in the visual communications industry. Students get to utilize the institution's state-of-the-art computer workstations and peripheral devices in a hands-on animation studio to produce a wide range of projects. Its studies include studio study of print, web, and multimedia design as well as the study of photography, illustration, integrated media, 3D modeling, motion graphics, and animation.            

Acceptance Rate

54.05

Student to Faculty Ratio

17:1

The Elmhurst College Digital Media programs will prepare students with the essential knowledge and skills they need for a dynamic career in film, television, game design, animation, journalism, screenwriting, digital marketing, and beyond. Students have the opportunity to choose from three majors: Digital Media, Multimedia Journalism, and Digital Marketing Communication. The institution's program will make students more employable even in non-media-focused jobs in the future. The program's curriculum is collaborative and interdisciplinary.

Acceptance Rate

67.78

Student to Faculty Ratio

13:1

Ringling College of Art and Design's Computer Animation degree program provides students the chance to create characters and tell their stories, as well as design, paint, model, texture, animate, light, composite, and edit an original film. Students combine essential technical skills with conceptually original ideas that affect an audience emotionally, visually, and intellectually. Their mix of talents is the reason why they have been called the number one computer animation program in the United States. Graduates go on to win in film festivals and Student Academy Awards and become tomorrow's top animated filmmakers.

Acceptance Rate

63.86

Student to Faculty Ratio

11:1

School of Visual Arts' Animation prepares young artists for the animation industry for over 40 years. Their faculty includes some of the best artists in the industry. The student's mentors will include directors, fine artists, photographers, special-effect artists, writers, character designers, and commercial artists. They will not only learn innovative drawing techniques and methods of storytelling but also industry-standard software. Immersed in hands-on experience, whether they are studying traditional, stop-motion, or computer animation. Graduates from the program have gone to work for prestigious companies in the United States.

Acceptance Rate

72

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

Kansas City Art Institute's Animation degree provides students with a comprehensive education in the practice and history of animation. They encourage their students to think and act critically following their unique creative practices and goals. The curriculum is prioritized into a suite of sequential courses with built-in synergies that develop the essential skills and work habits necessary for mastery. The department features technologically integrated classrooms and studios utilizing Google Fiber. Students get a chance to work in environments designed to cater to inspiration and to provide a variety of essential creative tools within reach.

Acceptance Rate

56.55

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

The University of Tampa's (Bachelor of Fine Arts) BFA in Animation is a professional degree program focusing on 2D and 3D computer animation. Students graduating with this degree will seek roles as creative artists within the animation industry and related fields, and/or graduate study within MFA programs. They have opportunities to participate in internships with many different companies. Career opportunities in the future with this degree are plentiful such as animation creator, 3D modeler and texture, special effects artists, legal animation, just to name a few.

Acceptance Rate

44.75

Student to Faculty Ratio

17:1

Art Center College of Design's Entertainment Design requires a fertile imagination, an understanding of the technological tools. Their alumni work in the fields of animation, video games, theme park design, film, and television. The department offers three tracks: Concept, Animation, and Game Design. Animation develops students in the disciplines of character animation, storyboarding, modeling, art direction, and lighting for 3D and 2D animation.

Acceptance Rate

70.84

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Daemen College's degree program in Animation provides students the chance to learn about character animation, storyboarding, 3D modeling and rigging, 2D rigging in Harmony, and character design. The program has a dual focus on traditional drawn animation and the latest in computer graphics animation. The institution works closely with studios throughout the United States to aid place students with exciting internships. Their faculty consists of industry professionals having worked at well-known companies in the country.  Graduates can pursue rewarding careers in many areas of the animation field.

Acceptance Rate

61.56

Student to Faculty Ratio

12:1

The University of Hawaii at Manoa's Academy for Creative Media (ACM) is at the forefront of cinematic arts in the Pacific. The program is dedicated to academic and creative excellence through its Bachelor of Arts degree. Focused in the heart of a state with a robust film and television industry. It nurtures and empowers students to develop their unique voices as storytellers, exploring creative media forms rooted in personal experience and placed-based learning through animation, critical studies, digital cinema, and screenwriting. Students from the program embody the values and ethics of emerging artists and scholars who aspire to educate, challenge and entertain audiences through their work.

Acceptance Rate

63.09

Student to Faculty Ratio

13:1

What Do Computer Animators Do?

Computer animation is a subset of animations and graphic design that leverages technology to create moving images. Computer animators and animation game design will most frequently utilize 3D modeling software applications although two-dimensional software applications are used for quick-rendering results. The term computer animation is also known as computer-generated imaging (CGI) in the film industry to create the illusion of real-life or simulated movement of an object or person.

Computer animation is the natural evolution of laborious, time-intensive stop-motion animation and two-dimensional frame-by-frame animation methods. Instead of recreating each frame by hand, computer animators utilize mathematical models to annotate frames to bring animated objects to life in a process known as morphing or tweening. The final process in computer animation is to have the frames rendered which is the illustration process of assembling the digital frames into a coherent set of actions.

Animation School Programs & Degrees

Animation as a field is not restricted to a particular level of education, but due to the increasing complexity of software and techniques used by the field, many programs have become available offering an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree in the field of animation. The primary goal of these programs is to assist students in developing the necessary skills and knowledge in order to enter the workforce as competent and capable individuals.

Online or Campus Bachelor Degree

Ultimately the choice is yours to determine which learning modality is best.  You may elect to study remotely or on campus depending on what you think is best.  Factors in that decision may include timing, cost, flexibility, and interactions.  Degree options bachelor degree program or associate degree pathways for you to choose among.  Two-year AA or affordable bachelor degrees are common options to earn an online animation degree depending on average program cost.   In either case, you will find the curriculum may include the following courses:

  • Video Editing
  • Keyframing
  • Sculpting
  • Color Selection and Correction
  • Compositing

When searching for a school, students should consider the success rate of graduates, job assistance, and the notoriety achieved by alumnus. Schools that maintain ties with graduates, asking them to return to lecture or offer advice allow students to connect and possibly find internship or job opportunities which can be invaluable for the establishment of one’s career.

Top Online Animation Degree Programs

The top animation degrees online and best animation degrees can be found below.  By searching by school, location, degree type, or breadth of related programs in computer animation you will be able to find the program that is best for you.  In fact, it is more important to find the best program for you by collecting information from schools that fit your list of priorities.  To help you generate a full priority list, you can simply read our book titled The Complete Guide to the College Admissions Process followed by the book Crush the Odds by Getting into Your Top College for unique insights and resources to help you make the best decision for your college journey.

After reading our resource guides, simply find schools that fit your goals and educational objectives through our resource page or proprietary matching portal to find the top animation degree programs both online and on campus.  After assembling animation school programs from our college rankings, schedule a time to visit the school or talk with an admissions counselor to address specific degree related questions that pertain to you and your priorities.

Schools Other Students Requested Information From:

Employment & Animation Specializations

Entry into animation as a field may be difficult due to the limited number of jobs and competitive atmosphere. But this is generally specific to animation for the purposes of entertainment, such as cartoons, movies, or special effects, as opposed to animation for titles and other motion graphics related areas, for which employment may be more readily available both locally and in general. Animation as a field is expected to grow over the next decade as its products becomes more widely used in media, costs become reduced due to cheaper and more powerful technologies, and more individuals are capable of performing tasks associated with the field.

How Much Money Do Animators Make?

The amount of money you will make as an animator will depend on a variety of factors that may include your geographic location, work experience, education, organization type, and role within a company. As such, we have outlined the annual median income for animators and associated career types gathered from the United States BLS for you to review below. These career summaries are intended to provide prospective animation students with a guide as there are many factors that go into arriving at a nationwide, median income for a specific profession.

Animators: The median annual income for an animator is $65,300 based on the latest data available with an expected job growth of 6% over the coming decade adding some 4,000 animation jobs during that time.

Art Directors: Average annual income for art directors is $89,820 with a steady job outlook for the coming reporting period.

Graphic Designer: The average graphic designer will make $47,640 annually with the top ten percent making $82,020 on an annual basis.

Computer Programmers: A computer programmer will make $79,840 on average with large bumps in pay given substantive work experience, additional degrees in the field, and geographic location. As an example, a computer programmer working in Washington State averages $116,170 on an annual basis with the District of Columbia right behind at $96,070.

Web Developer: The median annual income for a web developer is $66,130 with an eye-popping 27% expected job growth projected over the coming decade. This growth is driven by demand and technical acuity for web sites and web development for large and small organizations worldwide.

Top Jobs in Computer Animation

We have assembled a list of the top computer animation jobs in the industry. Below you will find the top jobs in computer animation and associated animator related jobs from across the country. By getting acquainted with the job titles, you will be better equipped to understand the lingo and cross-section of jobs in the industry. The top jobs in computer animation include the following list:

  • Animator
  • Film Producer
  • Forensic Animator
  • Video Editor
  • Background Painter
  • 3D Modeler
  • Film Editor
  • Animation Director
  • Video Game Designer
  • Stop Motion Animator
  • Graphic Designer
  • Art Director
  • Flash Animator
  • Visual Developer
  • Storyboard Artist
  • Texture Artist
  • Concept Artist
  • Digital Painter
  • Character Animator
  • Cartoonist
  • Mathematical Modeler
  • Lighting Technician
  • Key Animator
  • Effects Animator
  • Director
  • Character Rigger

There are many organizations that offer assistance in the growth and advancement for the field of animation, either as an art form or professionally. One of the largest is the Association Internationale du Film dAnimation, which works to advance motion picture animation internationally with chapters in many countries including the United States. In addition, the Society for Animation Studies (SAS) is another well-respected association that provides support, education, and conferences for animation professionals.

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