Bachelor of Fine Arts - Animation and Visual Effects

The School of Animation & Visual Effects BFA program provides students with the skills necessary to master today’s digital technology. Students choose one primary area of emphasis between visual effects, 3D modeling, 3D animation, 2D animation and stop motion, and storyboarding.

Undergraduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:

Visual Communication and Problem Solving

• Make effective design choices to support narrative, character, and/or mood
• Demonstrate the ability to research for inspiration, reference, accuracy, and incorporate findings into design solutions

Technical Skills

• Demonstrate facility and flexibility with animation and/or VFX digital media, technology, and software

Professional Readiness

• Assemble a professional digital or portfolio demonstrating an understanding of the target market
• Demonstrate an understanding of the production pipeline through successful participation in the collaborative/pipeline process

Specialty Skills: Storyboarding

• Create and pitch stories and concepts through the use of sequential imagery
• Demonstrate an understanding of cinematic continuity by creating sequential imagery that supports narrative, character, and/or mood

Specialty Skills: Traditional Animation and Stop Motion

• Successfully convey motion and interaction of character and/or object kinesis
• Demonstrate proficient drawing and/or modeling skills and concepts appropriate to project parameters

Specialty Skills: Modeling

• Model with appropriate use of form, proportion, and anatomy (specific to Modeling students)
• Create and apply texture and lighting consistent with the overall look of the project (specific to Modeling students)

Specialty Skills: 3D Animation

• Convey motion (biped and quadruped) and interaction of moving objects
• Apply principles of animation to effectively communicate character action, emotion, and mood

Specialty Skills: Visual Effects

• Combine digital effects and elements from diverse sources to create a fine degree of visual believability and consistency (specific to Compositing students)
• Apply appropriate integration dynamics into professional-quality shots or sequences (specific to Dynamics students)

*Note App Fee Waiver in effect for ApplyBoard to reduce the application fee to $50*