Top 5 Animation School Programs in Indiana - 2020 College Rankings

Established in 1869, Purdue University serves around 43,400 students from all 50 states and nearly 130 countries. One of the 10 academic colleges at Purdue University, Purdue Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1964 as Purdue University’s School of Technology. Around 12% of Purdue’s students are enrolled in the Polytechnic Institute, which houses eight departments and schools offering 68 academic options in six subject areas. The Department of Computer Graphics Technology (CGT) offers animation programs at all degree levels.

The BS in CGT with a Major in Animation focuses on six areas of animation including 3D Modeling, Texturing, Lighting, Rendering, Character Rigging (creating a digital skeleton) and Motion. Graduates of the BS program have found employment at DreamWorks, Walt Disney Company, and Rhythm & Hues and eight of the school’s alumni were part of the creative teams behind 2014 Oscar winner Big Hero 6 and 2014 Golden Globe winner How to Train Your Dragon 2.

The CGT Department also offers a BS in CGT with a Major in Visual Effects Compositing that combines Animation, Visual Effects, and Video to create “highly graphical” videos for episodic television and films. A BS in Effects Technical Direction is also available and it highlights supplemental coursework in Animation. Graduates of the program have also landed positions at DreamWorks, Walt Disney Company, and Rhythm & Hues.

Graduate offerings include an MS in CGT and a PhD in Technology offered through the Department of Computer and Information Technology (CIT). The MS offers several focus areas for aspiring animators including Computer Animation, Video Production and Visual Effects, Computational Art, and Virtual and Augmented Reality.

The PhD Program offers a CGT Specialization that covers Animation, Game Studies, Human Centered Design and Development, Virtual Product Integration, and Web Programming and Design. Students may also earn a BS CGT/MS Technology with a Specialization in CGT, which may be completed in just five years instead of six years or more if pursued separately.

Founded in 1897 as Central College, Huntington University (HU) serves nearly 1,300 students enrolled in more than 70 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs through more than a dozen departments. The Department of Digital Media Arts (DMA) offers four BS degree options: Animation, Broadcasting, Film Production, and Film Studies.

The Animation BS focuses on image, motion, character, and story. The school says, “through a studio environment, students work closely under the mentorship of award-winning faculty, learn industry standard equipment, and explore both the craft and art of their chosen field.” Students will learn 2D hand-drawn and stop-motion animation, motion graphics, the most complex 3D computer technology, “and everything in between.”

The Department is located in a “state-of-the-art facility,” known as the Martin Center for Digital Media Arts, which consists of labs and studios outfitted with “top-of-the-line equipment.” The Center includes open access to computer, traditional, and stop motion labs, a green screen, editing labs, a sound stage, a Foley pit, and a screening theater. Students will work with professional workstations, VR equipment, 3D printing technology, and industry standard software.

Other program highlights include the opportunity for students to showcase their animated films in festivals around the world, the opportunity to work on projects for businesses and nonprofits, and the world on a variety of animation-related trips over J-term and Spring Break.

University of Saint Francis (USF) was founded as Saint Francis Normal School by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration in Lafayette, Indiana in 1890. The school serves 2,300 students enrolled in more than 70 academic programs through Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership, and the Schools of Creative Arts, Health Sciences, and Liberal Arts and Sciences. The School of Creative Arts (SOCA) houses the Animation Program, which leads to a BA.

The program is structured to run like a professional animation studio, which means students start animating on day one. Throughout the program, students will travel to Burbank, California, where they will attend the annual Creative Talent Network Animation Expo — the industry’s top event for animation talent, and meet with professionals (including USF alumni) at Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar, Warner Brothers, & Blizzard. Valuable Workshops & Webinars with professionals are also part of the program and include critiques by Disney feature film animator and USF alum Adam Green ’02 (animator for Frozen and Moana).

Students will create professional quality animation and a final polished portfolio in USF’s Animation Lab and Television Studio, which provides 24-hour, secured access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. USF students regularly submit their work to regional, national, & international film festivals. Graduates of the Animation BA Program at USF have landed positions at Disney Animation Studios, Blizzard Entertainment, Smashbits Animation/DreamWorks TV, Blue Pony Digital Media, Blue Sky Studios, Industrial Light & Magic, and more.