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New York has the second highest population of artists in the U.S. California has the largest. Many New York artists work with a variety of materials such as paint, plaster, and fiber, while others rely on computers and software to create art. Digital artists belong to this group. Although they use computers (mostly) to create art, digital artists can find work in more environments than painters and sculptors. Their skills are in high demand at ad agencies, media firms, animation studios, game design firms, web design companies, and other creative environments.

A number of college ranking agencies and groups have decided that certain factors separate the best schools from all the rest. These agencies or groups may consider factors such as graduation and retention rates, student selectivity, and variety of program offerings when deciding which schools are best. But what may qualify as a “top school” to students may have more to do with how affordable a school may be, where its located, and having a hassle-free admissions process, than how many students graduate each year.

Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Communications Design, Digital Arts; M. F. A. Communications Design, Digital Arts; M. S. Communications Design (with optional Emphasis in Digital Design), Package Design

Tuition Information:  Undergraduate $37,500; graduate $32,112 for the 2011 – 2012 school year.  Tuition does not include undergraduate fees of $1,480 or graduate fees of $1,800 per year.

The New York City Art Scene

The state of New York has the second highest population of animators in the U.S. and more than 90 percent live in New York City. Although Los Angeles holds the crown for producing and housing more animators than any other city, the New York City animation scene sees itself as a creative alternative to the L.A., rather than living in it’s shadow. Instead of relying on large studios to produce the bulk of the art in NYC, the industry taps into its hearty network of local freelancers and prolific indie production studios, with the goal of creating works with varied (and interesting) points of view.