| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Iowa | Iowa City |
Our 2021 ranking -our tenth annual- of the top animation school program in Iowa. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
Founded in 1847, the University of Iowa serves more than 31,000 students from around the world. The school offers 200+ areas of undergraduate study and 100+ graduate, doctoral, and professional programs in 13 colleges and academic units.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which offers 69 majors to 17,900 students, houses the School of Art and Art History (est. 1936). Here, aspiring animators can earn a BFA in Media, Social Practice & Design (MSPD) with an Animation Area. MA and MFA degrees in Art-MSPD are also available, as well as an MFA in Studio Art with Emphases in 3D Design and Intermedia.
The school says that in the Animation Area, “wide varieties of skills are explored to animate images into motion graphics, produce digital video to create imaginative stories and adding voice and sound through the post-production process. Combining art and technology, students will use powerful computer hardware and industry level animation software to perform tasks in the entire animation pipeline from preproduction to post production. Concept art, storyboarding, character design, computer modeling, texturing, rigging, lighting, animation, rendering, compositing and sound design are all areas students will have the opportunity to conceptualize.”
Other program highlights include studio laboratories that are updated annually with “cutting edge digital imaging equipment,” high-definition video production facilities to provide students in MSPD up-to-date learning environments, and a “rich visiting artist series” that introduces students to national and international leaders in the field. In the media theater, students will also have the opportunity to showcase their animated projects on a 40-foot screen.
University of Iowa's art and art history graduates enjoy success as commercial designers, practicing professional artists, art administrators, professors of art history, teachers, museum directors and curators, theater designers, and more.
