| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willamette University | Salem & Portland |
Our 2022 ranking -our eleventh annual- of the top animation school program in Oregon. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
Willamette University (Willamette U) offers a BFA in Animated Arts and a Minor in Arts, Technology and Multimedia. Housed in the Pacific Northwest College of Art, the Animated Arts BFA consists of 120 credit hours including the Media Arts Thesis. During the first two years of the program, students will take beginning and intermediate courses such as Animation I-II, Theory & Practice, Perspectives on Society & Culture, Basic Drawing, Visual Elements Digital Tools, Beginning Video, 3D Design, and Beginning Sound.
In the third and fourth years of the BFA program, students will take advanced courses such as Animated Short Film, Animated Installation, Professional Practices, Social Service Seminar, and Research for Creative Practice. A number of seminars and studio electives are part of the program, as well as an internship and the Media Arts Thesis. Students will produce the Thesis in collaboration with classmates, faculty, and a mentor.
Animated Arts BFA students have gained experience through internships with (or working on projects for) Laika, the NW International Animation Festival, Design Week Portland, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), and the Oregon Jewish Museum.
Graduates of the Willamette U PNCA Animated Arts BFA go on to become Animators, Storyboard Artists, Character Designers, Art Directors, Effects Animators, Visual Development Artists, Modelers, and Compositors.
The Minor in Arts, Technology and Multimedia is a multidisciplinary program that consists of coursework from the Departments of Computer Science, English (Film Studies), Art, Sociology, Art History, Music, Philosophy, and Theatre. Introduction to 4D Art, 3D Animation, Creating Music with Technology, Advanced 3D Animation, Computer Graphics, Images and Imagination, Digital Music Techniques, Video Art, Acting for Non-majors, and Cinema studies are just a few course options.
The Arts, Technology and Multimedia Minor requires 20 semester hours of study and may be taken alone or with any major offered at Willamette U/PNCA.
Willamette University was established in 1842, making it the oldest university in the West. This liberal arts college serves close to 1,900 students enrolled in dozens of programs across the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and Law, Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), and the Atkinson Graduate School of Management. Willamette University and PNCA merged in 2021.
PNCA, which will remain an independent college within Willamette, was established in 1909 and serves around 650 students. The school offers 11 BFA degrees, eight minors, and eight graduate MA and MFA degrees within the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies.
Willamette University and Pacific Northwest College of Art are accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). PNCA is also a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD) and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).
