About Art College...

Recently we got an inquiry about colleges for animation! This post is going to cover my (Mod Future) knowledge on the subject (which is limited to California oops haha). 

Virtually any Art and Design college is going to be looking at your portfolio first. There are also very good universities with animation programs that you may want to look into, as they’re much cheaper and less competitive to get into.

Your best bet for information is to look for “National Portfolio Days” near you, and attend one. Schools from all around will send spokespeople to these conferences, and you can get pamphlets, information, and even portfolio reviews to see where you’re at.

Speaking as a Californian, I only know of California schools, but there are so so so many more options that I encourage you to look into. Also, I encourage you to ask a guidance counselor you trust, or perhaps an art teacher with some experience, on advice for your situation. Guidance and transfer counselors often have more knowledge because they’ve done this for years.

This is a non-comprehensive list of my knowledge about options for post-secondary education in the Digital Media/Animation field. Always do your own research for the best options for you. 

UCLA - This school has a good Masters program in animation. Its BFA animation program is part of its Film major.

CSU - San Jose, Long Beach, Fullerton - CSUs are public universities, making them really affordable if you’re a resident of California. These CSUs are known to have pretty good art programs.

California College of the Arts (CCA; not to be confused with CALarts) - Good animation program, located right next to Pixar studios so it has instructors who are also working in the field right next door.

San Francisco Art Institute - Like UCLA, its animation program is tied into its film major.

ArtCenter College of Design - Really intense, competitive program, and for a reason. The instructors and students here are insane. ArtCenter is known for its Product Design and Automotive Design programs, but they recently opened a Character Animation program in their Entertainment Design category.

Otis College of Art and Design - Otis is known for its Toy Design, but also has an animation program.

Some Alternative Educations:

Schoolism - Online classes. Much like the format of SkillShare, except only in the arts, and by some pretty big names too. Useful for building a solid foundation and picking up industry tips for an affordable price.

Animation Mentor - Online course learning 3D animation. It’s an affordable way to learn how to work in the animation pipeline if you know you can handle online courses.

Concept Design Academy - A private design school. Its classes are non-accredited, meaning they won’t be transferable and you won’t get a degree. However, because of this, their classes are purely focused on skill training and portfolio development.

Gnomon School of Visual Effects - A tiny college in Hollywood. They do offer a full 4 year BFA degree program, however more popular are their 2 year certificate programs and 10 week  individual courses.

ArtCenter…. At Night! - ArtCenter offers individual courses on the weekends and at night

CalArts Extended Studies - Good for portfolio building, these online courses are provided by CalArts’ very own instructors.*

(*Many art institutes and colleges provide “extended” or “extension” courses open to the public, so if you can’t afford a full ride, taking a select few of these classes to buff your portfolio is also a viable option. Also look into scholarships for these programs!!!)

If you’re still in High School..

Consider searching for Summer Camp/Programs available only to high school students. Not only will these prepare you for what college will actually be like, but you could make some good friends too!

Just Be Smart

Avoid “The Art Institutes” - a private for-profit college that is known for ripping its students off and leaving them in great debt for a worthless degree.

Always do your research - find reviews, visit the school, look at alumni who’ve graduated and what projects they’re working on, find student work, and talk to professors if you can! 

-Mod Future (ko-fi)

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