Animation (BFA)

You will expand your knowledge of animation’s history which will inform the development of your aesthetic breadth and depth.

You will transcend your comfort zone by participating in projects in which you’ll collaborate with musicians, dancers, actors, and other artists.

You will hone your professional skills (and add to your resume) during your internship or group production of animated work for a real-world client in Client Animation class.

You'll meet with industry professionals and gain real-world experiences and insights through guest lectures from visiting artists and through classroom and studio trips in Philadelphia and New York City.

On our annual Ottawa International Animation Festival and Los Angeles Experience trips, you will meet directors, recruiters, and other artists from around the globe.

Finally; you will be challenged to continuously evolve as the unique animation artist that you are, as you work in a dynamic medium to tell the stories you feel passionate about and express your personal vision.

Learning from Exceptional Faculty

Working closely with an accomplished faculty of professional filmmakers and animators—whose work has screened in festivals internationally and aired on networks and channels such as Cartoon Network, HBO, Comedy Central, IFC, Netflix and Nickelodeon—you’ll take animation classes that are a mixture of hands-on instruction, lectures, screenings and critiques. Taking an internship or choosing to study abroad for a semester are additional ways to broaden your experience. When you graduate, you’ll do so with the skills to confidently pursue a career in animation.

Your Focus Is Your Choice

In your first year as an Animation major you will take introductory courses in 2D, 3D, and Stop Motion animation, studying the principles of creating motion and performance while experiencing a variety of tools and techniques. At the beginning of your second year, you will be able to plan a 2D, 3D, Stop Motion/Experimental, or hybrid Focus path through the rest of the curriculum with your advisor.

Animation Program Accolades

UArts Animation measures up. In 2023, the Animation bachelor’s degree program at UArts was named in the top five animation schools in Pennsylvania, the top animation schools on the East Coast and the top animation schools in the U.S. by Animation Career Review.

Resources Available to Animation Students

Collaborative by design, our Animation bachelor’s degree program allows you to work with peers from different programs. You’ll get instruction across disciplines by taking courses in screenwriting, film, and illustration alongside your major courses. You’ll also be able to use UArts’ production and technology spaces, like the 5,600-square-foot Center for Immersive Media (CIM), animation and film studios, computer labs, and stop-motion studios, among other cutting-edge spaces. Media Resources provides students with cameras, tripods, lights and other technology needed to succeed in coursework and beyond.

Alumni Spotlight

Our alumni work on blockbuster special-effects films, animated TV series, commercials, video games and more in a variety of roles, from director to storyboard artist.

Careers

Animation students begin developing their first demo reel during their freshman year and revise that reel throughout their academic career. As a part of the Animation Professional Practices class in the spring of their junior year, students post their reels to their own portfolio websites that are developed in conjunction with their personal visual identity, which is also deployed on business cards, resumes, and other materials.

Professional Practices also visits studios in New York City and Philadelphia to give students the opportunity to meet professionals and tour facilities. Guest speakers and alumni visit on a regular basis to give lectures and advice.

Students also have the opportunity to intern at a professional studio. Organizations that have hosted interns in the past include Augenblick Studios, Sesame Workshop and Stretch Films Inc.

Companies in and around Philadelphia that have hired BFA in Animation alumni include Alkemy X, Center City Film & Video, and unPOP.

Nationally, our alumni have been hired by Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, Disney, Nickelodeon, Bento Box, Augenblick, Titmouse.

As the industry continues to grow, graduates find themselves in a variety of roles. Career options for Animation majors include:

The space includes

• Optical motion capture system for full body performance capture and location-based VR applications;

• A four-channel audio system, multiple video projectors and lighting, as well as a control station; 

• 16-station computing classroom with PCs optimized for real-time graphics rendering; and 

• Two large project rooms with ceiling grids for development of installations and virtual environments.

Your Animation Application Portfolio

You do not need previous animation experience to apply to UArts Animation. If you do have animated work, you may include your strongest examples in your portfolio.

When compiling your application portfolio, show us your enthusiasm for learning through examples of your previous work which may include:

• Observational figure studies of the model
  • Gesture poses (short duration quick sketches)
  • Longer poses (include face, hands and feet)
• Observational life drawings
  • Sketches of people and animals on location in parks, zoos, cafés, etc.
  • Interior and exterior environment drawings that capture the sense of a specific space
  • Drawings with opinions on the subject: intentional exaggeration, stylization, or abstraction, and drawings that illustrate an exploration of form, shape, color, and mood.
• Imaginative Drawings (any of the below)
  • Sketchbook pages to show your range, experiments, and studies
  • Original character, creature, prop, or vehicle designs
  • Original visual development work of fictional locations
• Visual Storytelling (any of the below)
  • Character driven comics (short 1-4 panel comics, one or multi-page comics, genre comics, slice-of-life comics, autobio comics)
  • Sequential illustrations, or single illustrations that have a strong narrative sensibility (like a picture book)
  • Storyboards or thumbnail storyboard examples (a sequential plan for a moving picture)
• Time-based Media (any of the below
  • Animation examples (rough or cleaned up are both OK)
  • Video turntable rotations of 3D models
  • Video flip-throughs of sketchbooks or studies
  • Live-action video with a visual direction and awareness of staging, composition and editing
  • Multimedia video showcasing compositing, collage, or experimental film techniques
• Dimensional Sculptural Work (any of the below)
  • Photos or videos of models, sets, sculptures, puppets, ceramics

Scholarships & Financial Aid 

UArts recognizes the extraordinary talent of our students through a range of merit-based scholarships. All applicants are automatically considered for such scholarships—no special application is necessary.

Nearly 80 percent of UArts’ undergraduate students enrolled on a full-time basis are eligible for some type of need-based aid. Additionally, some scholarship opportunities take need-based criteria into account. All students who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens and are enrolled in a degree program are encouraged to apply by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Learn more about financial aid 

Learn more about tuition & fees 

About the School of Film 

University of the Arts’ School of Film strongly believes in creative collaboration, self-expression and professional preparation through its programs in Animation, Film, Film and Animation, Film Design, Game Art, and Screenwriting.

It also offers minors in

• Animation,
• Film,
• Film and Media Studies,
• Game Art, and
• Screenwriting.

The School of Film prepares students for careers in the film and entertainment industries via internships, networking events and an on-campus series with professional alumni. Our graduates become directors, editors, animators, game artists, cinematographers, art directors and screenwriters, working in the region and around the world.

Learn more about the School of Film.