There is a wide selection of animation courses at colleges in the UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, France, and other countries. Programs provide the opportunity to obtain a prestigious bachelor’s or master’s degree, which is in demand by employers around the world.
In this article, we decided to give general recommendations to students who want to obtain a bachelor’s, master’s, or postgraduate education in the field of animation. We will also tell you what admission requirements you should meet.
Admission requirements
Admission requirements for majors in animation at colleges will depend on the country of study. At a minimum, to enroll in a bachelor’s program, a student will need to provide:
● Certificate of Secondary Education.
● Admission essay. By the way, if you have never written such a paper before, it is better to order admission essay from the writing service. You will receive a paper sample that will show you how you should attract the admission committee to your candidacy.
● Foreign language test results (for international students).
● Portfolio with your artwork, paintings, sketches, or similar works.
● Academic performance. Grades in Mathematics and Physics may be important for the admission committee because they can show that you can handle the technical aspects of animation. Also, your grades in English are significant as well.
To enroll in master’s programs, students must provide:
● Bachelor’s degree in a specialty.
● Foreign language test results (for international students).
● Internship. Some educational institutions require applicants to have internship experience in animation to enroll in master’s programs.
Conditions for admitting students to bachelor’s or master’s programs in animation may depend on the educational institution and country. Your task is to correctly determine the enrollment requirements of the college where you want to study and prepare documents for further enrollment.
Features of an animation specialty
An animation course will improve your skills in drawing, animating, and creating graphics and video and will allow you to master every stage of the process from start to finish. Industry professionals who have extensive knowledge in this difficult matter, which requires high qualifications and skill, teach many animation disciplines.
You will be expected to produce material that can be used in films, television commercials, cartoons, and computer games, and you should have creative and technical talent. The course covers all aspects of working with 3D animation, including modeling, texturing, lighting, rendering, graphic design, and character animation. In addition to the basic practical skills needed to succeed, students also learn conceptual and theoretical topics such as art, design, communications, writing, and screenplays. Studying animation allows students to become part of a network of 3D, computer graphics, games, and film producers.
Course modules include mainly illustration, visual communication, digital film, visualization, design, and animation for computer games and media in general.
Examples of animation majors at colleges around the world
● 3D Animation and Character Design
● Animation
● 3D and animation
● Animation – Digital Production
● Digital Creature Animation Technical Direction
● Computer Animation
● Game Art
● Game Level Design
● Game Art and Animation
● Game Development
● Moving Image Design
If you want to get one of these specialties, you must understand that during your training, you will not only be engaged in animation. For example, you will be assigned a lot of technical assignments as well as writing tasks. If you don’t have enough time to handle the latter, then you can turn to one of the top essay writing services for help. This way, you will have more time to focus on the animation itself rather than being distracted by secondary tasks.
Career in Animation
Studying animation will prepare you for work in digital media, film production, television, advertising, and computer game creation, which are the main areas of employment for specialists in this field.
The animation industry is very competitive, and graduates at the start of their careers often have to work for some time in entry-level positions as a courier or assistant. Freelancing is also a popular area of employment for animators, as it gives you the opportunity to choose a task to your liking from a wide variety of existing tasks.
Colleges and universities where you can study animation
Below are some of the best educational institutions that offer animation courses:
Canada
● Centennial College
● Durham College
● Conestoga College
● Fanshawe College
● Humber College
● George Brown College
● Mohawk College
● Sheridan College
● Seneca College
● Vancouver Film School
USA
● New York Film Academy (Los Angeles, NY)
● Full Sail University
● Northeastern University
● University of Kansas
● University of Central Florida
Great Britain
● De Montfort University
● Edge Hill University
● University of Edinburgh
● Falmouth University
● Middlesex University
● University of Lincoln
● Northumbria University
● SAE Institute
● Nottingham Trent University
● University of Sunderland
An animator – one of the best specialties in animation
An animator creates animated films and other media products using moving images. A representative of this profession not only “animates” images but also develops a plot and scenario line for animation.
What does an animator do?
Animation is widely used in many areas of media. The work of an animator includes not only a creative but also a technical aspect, as it requires the ability to work with various technologies to create animated images.
What an animator should be able to do
● Animation direction
● Writing a script and developing animation images
● Making sketches of cartoon scenes
● Storyboarding and coloring
● Animation of static images
Why is the profession of an animator in demand?
Animation is in demand not only in the production of films but also for the creation of television programs, advertisements, video games, and music videos. Throughout the world, there are many public and private studios that produce animated content. This gives animators ample opportunities for professional implementation.
How to become an animator
Modern cartoons are created using a computer, but a good specialist must still be proficient in classical drawing. You need to learn specialized programs (3DSMax, Maya, and Cinema 4D), modeling, texturing, lighting, and rendering.
A good professional base can be obtained at universities, animation schools, and colleges. There are programs for students from primary school age to high school graduates.
