Top Animation School Programs in Georgia - 2022 College Rankings

Students in the Animation Program at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) have access to more than 800 networked computers and a 60,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art digital media center consisting of a green screen lab, in-house theater, and studio environment. At all degree levels, SCAD animation students receive instruction from celebrated professors who have worked at major studios and on award-winning productions such as The Lion King, Ice Age, and Pocahontas.

SCAD animation programs are housed in the School of Animation and Motion. Three degree pathways are available including a BFA, MA and MFA. Two 25 credit hour minors are offered, including Animation and Concept Design for Animation and Games.

Incoming BFA students have the opportunity to enroll in Gradpath@SCAD. This program provides students with the chance to earn their BFA and MA or MFA at an accelerated pace. The BFA/MA may take less than four years to complete, and the BFA/MFA can be completed in five years or less.

The 180 credit hour BFA in Animation is offered at SCAD’s Atlanta and Savannah campuses. The program includes 80 hours in the major, which consists of concentrations in 2D Animation, 3D Character Animation, Storytelling and Concept Development, or Technical Animation. Students may also choose 10 hours of free electives. Course examples for the program include Collaborative Experiences in Animation, 3D Character Animation: Creatures and Quadrupeds, and Story and Concept: Seeding the Narrative.

Each student in the SCAD Animation BFA Program will complete three Film Capstone courses including Preproduction, Production, and Postproduction. An optional internship is also part of the program.

Savannah College of Art and Design’s MA and MFA in Animation programs are 45 and 90 credit hours, respectively. The MA is offered in Savannah and through the schools online learning platform SCADnow. The MFA is offered in Atlanta, Savannah, and via SCADnow. MA students will complete courses such as Animation Aesthetics and Practice, Environment Look Development, and Computer-Generated Modeling and Design. Students will also complete a collaborative project and a final project. The graduate internship is optional.

The SCAD MFA in Animation requires a graduate internship and completion of three thesis courses. Students in the program can expect to take other courses such as Drawing in Motion, Media Theory and Application, and Storyboarding and Previsualization. Completion of at least seven 500- to 700-level electives are also part of the program. 

From Stop-Motion Animator to Creature Technical Director, SCAD Animation graduates have been recruited by major studios such as 20th Century Fox, Electronic Arts, DreamWorks, Lucasfilm Animation, Pixar, Disney, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and many others.

Savannah College of Art and Design opened its doors to 71 students September 1979. Housed in the renovated Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory, the school began with just one classroom and an administration building. Today, SCAD serves more than 15,000 students across campuses in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, and Lacoste, France. Offering more than 100 degree programs and over 75 minors and certificate programs, Savannah College of Art and Design has more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design college in the U.S.

Savannah College of Art and Design is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Additional accreditation includes the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and the National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB).