Visual Effects Schools in California

There’s no better place on the map for aspiring visual effects artists than the state of California. The Golden State is home to more artists than any other state in the U.S., and the entertainment industry here is the largest in the world. The state is home to top film studios such as DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Fox Searchlight, Universal Studios, Focus Features, Columbia Pictures many more. Although the Los Angeles area is the top location for aspiring visual effects artists, they can also find an active scene in cities such as San Jose, San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Redwood City, Long Beach, and Glendale.

In addition to plenty of job opportunities, aspiring visual effects artists will find dozens of schools that offer programs for artists and designers. Some cater to artists and designers only, while others are part of a traditional university. California State University and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) are just a few popular universities for aspiring artists and designers.

California Visual Effects Schools

According to the latest Institute of Education Sciences (IES) report, California is home to a whopping 454 accredited colleges and universities. This means, California is home to more colleges than anywhere else in the U.S. California’s coveted colleges offer the widest variety of art and design programs in the U.S., if not the world. Scroll through the list below to review California’s most poplar schools for aspiring visual effects artists and the unique degree programs they have to offer.

Emeryville
Ex’pression College for Digital Arts - Degrees Offered: B. A. S. Animation and Visual Effects; Game Art and Design; Motion Graphic Design

Hollywood
Gnomon School of Visual Effects - Degrees Offered:  Gnomon School of Visual Effects is not a college in a traditional sense, so no degrees are offered. Instead, Gnomon offers one-, two- and three-year Certificate Programs in Entertainment Design, Digital Production for Entertainment and Entertainment Design for Digital Production

Orange
Chapman University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Digital Arts with Emphasis in Animation or Visual Effects; Graphic Design; Studio Art: New Genres

San Francisco
Academy of Art University - Degrees Offered: A. A., B. F. A., M. F. A. Animation and Visual Effects; B. F. A., M. F. A. Game Design; A. A., B. F. A., M. F. A. Graphic Design; A. A., B. F. A., M. F. A. Illustration

Valencia
California Institute of the Arts - Degrees Offered:  B. F. A. Art, Graphic Design, Character Animation or Experimental Animation; M. F. A. Graphic Design (with or without specialization in Motion Graphics), Art and Technology, Experimental

Another school that’s worth looking into is The Art Institute of California (AI). AI has several locations that offer a B.S. Visual Effects and Motion Graphics including Orange County (Santa Ana) and Los Angeles.

Employment and Salary Trends for California Visual Effects Artists

Salary and employment information for visual effects artists is included in the “multimedia artists and animators” category. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs in this field reached 28,400 in 2010. In the state of California, the number of jobs/professionals  is at 8,840, up from 8,110 in 2002. This means, California now has the highest employment level in this occupation.
California multimedia artists and animators average around $83,730 per year (mean), up from $68,360 in 2002. Nationwide, the mean annual wage for animators and multimedia artists was $62,810 in 2009, and as of March 27,2012, the salary was $68,060. A large number of visual effects artists are self-employed. In previous years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not report salary information for these individuals. As of March 27, 2012, the Bureau stated that independent workers in this field average around $73,030 per year.
It is important to keep in mind that salaries for visual effects artists (independent or not) still vary based on a number of factors such as industry, location, company, and other factors. For example, visual effects artists working in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale metro area may average around $89,860 per year, while artists working in the San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City metro area may average around $72,920. In addition, the motion picture and video industry pays the highest average salary ($83,250) and at an average annual salary of $61,820, computer systems design and related services pays the lowest salary.