Louisiana State University (LSU) houses the College of Art and Design, home to the School of Art. Within the School are several paths to study animation. The Studio Art program has BFA and MFA options with a Digital Art concentration. A Master’s in Digital Media Arts & Engineering (DMAE), in collaboration with the College of Engineering and the College of Art and Design, is another graduate option. The School of Art also has a Digital Art BA, an arts-oriented Digital Media Art minor (DMART), and a technology-oriented Digital Media Arts and Engineering Technology (DMAET) minor.
The DMAET minor is provided in partnership with the Manship School of Mass Communication, the School of Music, and the Departments of Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and English. Both minor options are interdisciplinary and require 21 credit hours, including 12 credit hours of electives. Course examples across programs include 3D Animation; Video Game Design; Moving Image; Interactive Computer Graphics; Computer Music; and Screenwriting Workshop. A three credit hour Capstone is also part of both programs.
The LSU Studio Art-Digital Art BFA provides instruction and training in Animation, 3D Modeling, Visual Effects (VFX), Games, and Experimental New Media Art. Course examples include Creative Coding; Moving Image; Virtual Space and Motion; Digital Art; Two-Dimensional Design; and Three-Dimensional Design.
The Studio Art-Digital Art MFA at Louisiana State University is an experimental program that allows students to blend courses that explore computational artmaking with coursework in animation, film, electronic music, computer science, painting, and more. Graduate MFA students will complete 60 credit hours, with 12 general electives to be taken in any specialization. Students will take nine credits in a focus area, and six in Thesis Research.
The interdisciplinary DMAE Master’s is an intensive, two-year program that explores Animation, Video Games, and VFX. Course examples include Interactive Design; Digital Media Production & Project Management; Production Workshop; Innovation; Advanced Programming & Digital Art; Rapid Prototyping, and Interactive Production Team I-II.
Electives allow students to take additional animation courses or other courses of interest. A Digital Media Internship also part of the DMAE Master’s program, as well as a Capstone.
Across programs, student have access to LSU’s Arts, Visualization, Advanced Technologies, and Research (AVATAR) Initiative; opportunities to join the Digital Art and Design Association (DADA), which hosts an Annual Animation Jam; and the new Digital Media Center—a state-of-the-art, $29.3 million facility shared with Electronic Art’s North American Test Center.
The College of Art & Design at Louisiana State University also provides more domestic and study abroad programs than most other schools. For Studio Art, DMAE, DMART, and DMAET students, examples include ArtNYC; Art in Florence; Art in Ireland; Footsteps in Berlin; LSU in China; LSU in South Africa; College of Art + Design in Rome; and Design in Paris. Other study abroad destinations include Vietnam, the UK, Haiti, and the Netherlands.
Louisiana State University was founded in 1860 as the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy. The flagship institution of the Louisiana State University System, LSU serves approximately 32,490 students enrolled in more than 330 programs across 18 colleges, schools, and centers, and LSU Online. Louisiana State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).