Studying animation is one of the most entertaining courses for every student’s dreams. Finishing a degree in this field will give anybody excellent career prospects with good pay. Many best animation schools in the World have different curricula on the subject. Still, every school lets students dive into various animation approaches and explore other techniques for creating moving pictures for digital media. Animation is not exclusive to the entertainment industry but is also a potential tool to transform our society. Studying in one of these schools will help students enhance their creativity and build technical skills that they may apply in other careers and sectors.
Below, we will be talking about some of the world’s best animation schools.
What is the Highest Paid Animation Job?
Skilled animators are highly sought-after by all kinds of companies worldwide. Video game designers and animators are the most paid in the industry. The field requires extensive knowledge of 3D modeling and animation as well as technical knowledge of animation software. Their responsibilities are not limited to designing characters and items in the games but also the different environments and settings the games take place in. If you are interested in animation, many universities around the world have Design Courses open right now to international students from your country. More programs can also be found on our Open Courses Page, so check them out now and take the first step toward your dream of being an animator.
How do I Choose an Animation School?
The main thing you should be looking for in the Animation school you want to enroll in is the overall reputation of this institution. Students tend to leave their opinions on the institutions they enrolled in on social media platforms like Reddit, which will give a realistic idea of what the school is like from those who have been to it. The second thing you should consider is if the school is within your budget. Reputation alone is not enough because if the school has a good reputation but charges exorbitant fees for attendance, it is not worth your while. One last thing you should be looking for is if the graduates of your chosen institution are landing jobs and if these jobs are within the field of animation.
Also See: The Best Design Schools in the World
Top Animation Schools in the World
1. Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is one of the best animation schools in the US and the world. RISD ranks 3rd in the 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject in Arts & Design. The school offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film, Animation, and Video, allowing students to work with live-action, animation, or open media.
The program will help them cultivate creative thinking skills while promoting cultural and social awareness, deepen their knowledge of the beauty of moving images, and master their skills in producing a wide variety of genres.
The Rhode Island School of Design ensures that students access world-class facilities equipped with the latest instrumentation used throughout the animation industry. One notable alumnus from the school includes Michael Dante DiMartino, an animator on “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “Family Guy,”.
2. Ringling College of Art and Design
Ringling College of Art and Design is one of the most-sought schools of applied arts across the globe that offers a world-renowned Bachelor of Fine Arts in Computer Animation program. Graduates from the program consistently bags awards in many film festivals and Student Academy Awards and are known as one of the best-animated filmmakers in the industry. The program will help students in this top animation school build technical skills and creativity, essential tools for creating animated characters and storytelling. It includes four major namely visual & story development and traditional & 3D animation.
According to Animation Career Review, the BFA in the Computer Animation program of Ringling College of Art and Design has been named the #1 Animation School in the United States.
3. Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a world-class and top-rated school for arts & design in London and worldwide. It tops as the #1 school for Arts and Design in the 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject.
The school’s commitment revolves around tailoring courses that will improve professionals, businesses, and organizations’ art & design skills and practices.
RCA offers a world-class Master of Arts in Animation program that will develop every individual’s creativity and critical thinking to influence our society’s intellectual, artistic, political, and cultural agendas.
The institution mainly focuses on helping individuals create meaningful works in social contexts to reach out to different aspects of society and initiate change and unity.
Check Also: The Best Animation Schools in Europe
4. California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of Arts (CalArts) is another one of the best animation schools. It was established in 1961 by Walt Disney, a pioneer of the American animation industry and founder of Walt Disney Productions. CalArts is the first institution granting undergraduate and graduate studies for visual and performing arts. Its School of Film/Video offers a character and experimental animation program.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Character Animation program will focus on enhancing students’ creativity and technical skills in creating animation both with traditional and computerized techniques.
In their early term, students will work with the basic techniques of creating character animation and storytelling, and as they progress, they will work in specialized courses to make their films based on their interests.
The Bachelor’s and Master’s of Fine Arts in Experimental Animation will let students divulge into a broad range of animation approaches and different modes of experimentation and incorporate them into their projects.
5. University of Arts London
The University of Arts London is the largest and most-recognized specialized arts and design school in Europe. It is among the best in the World, ranking 2nd in the 2021 QS World University Ranking by Subject in Art & Design. The school offers BA (Hons) and MA Animation degree programs. At the undergraduate level, students will practice fundamental skills and learn the basic principles of animation, which will be their solid foundation to succeed and work in different areas of the animation industry.
Students in this excellent animation school may also choose among the four specialization courses: Animation Arts, 3D Computer Animation, Applied 2D Animation, and Visual Effects (VFX). On top of that, they will participate in live projects and competitions with partnerships in different global industries, which will expose them to a professional environment. At the Master’s level, students will use both theoretical and other modes of experimentation across multimedia.
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) also offers one of the best animation courses in the United States and globally. The university provides Animation and Special Effects as an undergraduate minor which students of any major can take. They may also explore different digital animation applications in different contexts and learn how to integrate narration and sounds into their digital animation projects. The school also has Bachelor’s, Master’s, and inter-college degree programs in Fine Arts.
7. University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC) is the oldest private research university in California. It is well-known for its world-class academic and research programs across multiple fields of study, including liberal arts and arts and sciences.
It offers a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Fine Arts in Animation + Digital Design to help students explore the essential technical and innovative techniques in character and experimental animation, motion graphics, visual effects, 2D and 3D storytelling, science visualization, and interactive animation. USC also believes that the most vital aspect of the course is to help students make their artistic vision into real-life, moving pictures.
Even though the market for animators is pretty competitive, the animation is still an excellent degree to pursue as an international student. Many animators choose not to follow the conventional route of working for established animation studios; many choose freelancing or content creation on YouTube, which can be quite lucrative. If you are looking for more institutions other than the ones listed above, check out our curated list of the 7 Best Animation Schools in Europe.
We hope that you found this article on the best animation schools in the world informative and helpful. Make sure to also check out the Available Programs for International Students to know more!
