<p>Does anyone know where I can find a list of the top animation programs in liberal arts college? Ideally I would like to double major in polysci and animation, so that leaves out art schools. Any suggestion would help.</p>
<p>Here is a link to stateuniversity.com for a list of the most popular Cinematography and Film/Video Production programs.
[Most</a> Popular Schools for Cinematography and Film/Video Production Major & Degree Program](<a href=“Most Popular Schools by Degree Program”>Most Popular Schools for Cinematography and Film/Video Production Major & Degree Program)</p>
<p>I know Chapman University offers double major so you might want to look into it if you’re interested, but you would need to apply to Dodge separately and be accepted there before you can get in for animation. Hope this helps. Good luck!</p>
<p>Start with collegeboard.com and do a “match” search. If you have not been on the site before, it’s the same people who bring you the glorious SATs – but there is a section called “Find a College” and you can be a specific or general as you’d like. You will need to then look at the schools’ website and look at the actual courses they offer to see if animation (computer?) is there. Also, what types of schools are you looking at? Small liberal arts, large university, etc?</p>
<p>I have checked out a number of animation programs. Honestly, I haven’t seen a really good one in a liberal arts college. Certainly, I haven’t seen one that has the quantity of offerings as a good art school. In my opinion, if you want animation, don’t go to a liberal arts college.</p>
<p>There is a thread in these forrums for top ranked animation programs. The main schools mentioned are , in no particular order: </p>
<p>Ringling, SVA, Pratt, USC, UCLA, Laguna College of Art and Design, RISD (undergrad only), MICA ( which is experimental animation), CalArts, Academy of Art, Digipen, SCAD, RIT, and a few others.</p>
<p>hear hear!! taxguy is here!!</p>
<p>I am just wondering, being wanting to do polisci, you must be “different” kind of animator/ artist.
would -up to date technical thing and/or - I want to work for Pixar!- important to you or you just want to do theory, art-side of animation?
it is wrong thing to say at the moment but Simpsons guy, Dilbert guy, I forgot few more, all went to LACs. they are cartoonist first, but someone would offer to move your pictures once you are really good at.
most good LACs have half decent art program that teach you basics, there would be student publication of politics galore, more range you can test your skills on.
that’s what my kid ended up chose to do.
just a thought.</p>
<p>Risd offers the option of declaring a “concentration” in various liberal arts tracks. Politcs and Policy is one of them. You would also be able to do some of your courses at Brown, so you’d have a lot to choose from. [Concentration</a> | History, Philosophy + the Social Sciences | Academic Departments | RISD](<a href=“http://www.risd.edu/templates/content.aspx?id=4294972986]Concentration”>http://www.risd.edu/templates/content.aspx?id=4294972986)
If you have the stats you might apply to the RISD/Brown dual degree program which takes 5 years to complete, giving you a BFA and a BA.</p>
<p>RIT offers a minor in Political Science: [Minors</a> and Concentrations | Programs of Study](<a href=“http://www.rit.edu/programs/minors-and-concentrations]Minors”>Immersions and Minors | RIT).</p>
<p>Syracuse University School of Art has a minor in animation and of course you could study poli sci there. I don’t know if you have to be accepted into the school of art to do the animation minor. Just call…the admin office at the school of art is very helpful.</p>
<p>Is going to an NASAD accredited school important to you? If yes, here is the very long list from the National Portfolio Day site. Surely all LACs or Univs have Political Science. You could scan for those that interest you. </p>
<p>ANIMATION
Academy of Art University: (Animation & Visual Effects: 2D & 3D) Undergraduate Major / Graduate Major
Bowling Green State University, School of Art: (computer) Undergraduate Concentration / Graduate Concentration
CalArts (California Institute of the Arts): (traditional, computer, character, experimental) Undergraduate Major and Concentration / Graduate Major and Concentration
California College of the Arts: Undergraduate Major
Carnegie Mellon University: (computer) Undergraduate Major / Graduate Major
College for Creative Studies: (traditional, computer, game design, video) Undergraduate Major
Columbus College of Art & Design: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major and Concentration
Cornish College of the Arts: (computer) Undergraduate Major
Delaware College of Art and Design: Undergraduate Major
Drexel University, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design: Undergraduate Major
Emily Carr University of Art + Design : (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major / Graduate Major
Fashion Institute of Technology: (computer) Undergraduate Major and Concentration
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising: (Computer) Undergraduate Concentration / Graduate Concentration
Grand Valley State University: (computer) Undergraduate Major
James Madison University: (computer animation) Undergraduate Concentration
Kansas City Art Institute: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major
Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major
Laguna College of Art + Design: (traditional, cpmputer) Undergraduate Major and Concentration
Lawrence Tech : (BS in Imaging- Digital Arts Concentration) Undergraduate Major
Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus: Undergraduate Concentration / Graduate Concentration
Maryland Institute College of Art: (computer) Undergraduate Major and Concentration
Massachusetts College of Art & Design: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major
Memphis College of Art: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major and Concentration
Mercy College, Computer Arts + Design Program: Undergraduate Major
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major and Concentration
Minneapolis College of Art and Design: (Traditional 2D, Computer-Generated 3D, Stop Motion) Undergraduate Major / Graduate Major
Montclair State University, College of the Arts: Undergraduate Major
Montserrat College of Art: Undergraduate Concentration
Mount Ida College, School of Design: (computer) Undergraduate Major
Otis College of Art and Design: (computer) Undergraduate Major
Pacific Northwest College of Art: Undergraduate Major
Parsons The New School for Design: Undergraduate Concentration
Pratt Institute: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Concentration
Rhode Island School of Design: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major
Ringling College of Art and Design: (Computer Animation) Undergraduate Major
Rochester Institute of Technology: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major / Graduate Major
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design: Undergraduate Major
Salve Regina University:
School of the Art Institute of Chicago: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major / Graduate Major
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: (traditional, computer) Undergraduate Major / Graduate Major
School of Visual Arts: (traditional, computer and special effect) Undergraduate Major / Graduate Major
The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University: (traditional and computer based) Undergraduate Major / Graduate Major
The Cleveland Institute of Art: (computer) Undergraduate Concentration
The Cooper Union School of Art: (computer) Undergraduate Concentration
The University of the Arts: Undergraduate Major
University of Michigan, School of Art & Design: Undergraduate Major
University of Saint Francis, School of Creative Arts: (Computer Art) Undergraduate Major
VCUarts: (Kinetic Imaging) Undergraduate Major / Graduate Major
Woodbury University, School of Media, Culture & Design: Undergraduate Major</p>
<p>and the link for reference [National</a> Portfolio Day - Majors and Concentrations](<a href=“http://www.portfolioday.net/content/view/24/38/]National”>http://www.portfolioday.net/content/view/24/38/)</p>
<p>Hi Taxguy,
DS just applied for digital arts/animation and he specifically wants a program within a LAC. DS says his imagination and art are inspired by science, literature, and history; he believes the liberal arts foundation, along with travel and life experience, will help him become a more mature storyteller/animator. Interested in your thoughts on the pros and cons of art-school based training versus the programs in LACs. He applied to USC, Chapman, LMU, Cal States (LB, Fullerton, SFSU). Those apps are all done. He’s also thinking of adding LCAD and Art Center – they have later due dates so he can think about it some more. He is taking a life drawing class at LCAD now and it’s great. But he seems so set on the full-college-experience-plus-animation-major. Dodge is emerging as his first choice. Hope he gets in – their merit aid package is looking great!</p>
<p>Hi Gladiatorbird,</p>
<p>My senior daughter has also applied to many of the same schools your son applied to and her favorite is also Chapman. What did he end up doing and how is it going? I would have to agree that there are a few full blown universities with respected animation programs. UCLA, USC, Loyola Marymount, RIT, Chapman/Dodge, and also UCF has a kickin’ character animation program. It’s a little gem of a program at a huge university. Many ex Disney animators went there as faculty when Disney closed its Orlando studio in 2004. The tuition is inexpensive, too.</p>
<p>Any feedback and/or advice on Chapman/Dodge or any wisdom you can impart would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Hi Chrissy,
I’ve been off CC for awhile, glad I saw your post. Son was accepted into all the programs he applied to (noted in post #10 above) and faced a difficult decision. It came down to Chapman vs USC vs LMU–all excellent programs. He chose Chapman and loved his freshman year there in digital arts and honors college.
After his first year, however, he decided that he DID likely need a full art school to pursue a career in animation/TV/story-boarding. So, although his first year at chapman was nothing short of fantastic and wonderful, he’s transferred and is now at Laguna College of Art + Design (LCAD) as an animation major. This school has the intensive art/drawing foundation he was seeking and the animation program is intense, small, and all-consuming in the way he wanted. LCAD is a jewel, with Disney veterans teaching in a program based on fundamentals, close industry ties, and individual, one-on-one mentoring. They also have a record of good job placement. So, after all that, he’s in a full art school, more fierce about pursuing animation/story-boarding than ever, and loving the intensity and focus of an all-arts school. 
I can say more later. Gotta run now.</p>
<p>Yes, UCLA supposedly has a good art and design program and good animation program. RIT also supposedly has a good one too, although the animation program is relatively new. However, I wouldn’t call UCLA, USC, or RIT a “Liberal Arts College.”</p>
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<p>Hi gladiatorbird. Thanks for updating us all on your son’s journey. I know a bit about Laguna College of Art & Design and it is all fabulous. The game animation work of their students/artists is among the best I’ve seen (my older son worked with a team of LCAD students on his thesis game). I wonder why it isn’t mentioned more on these boards.</p>
<p>Please do keep us informed and best of luck!</p>
<p>Yes, thank you, mad bean! LCAD is phenomenal. I can’t believe it gets such little attention here on CC. DS Is receiving the very intensive animation training he sought, from fundamentals on up. We are so glad he found it! I’ll post some info on LCAD on a thread here from time to time. It’s a program people should know more about. </p>
@gladiatorbird, Hi, I have sent you a PM, but I am not sure if you are active on CC anymore. Our DS is attending LCAD as a freshman this Fall and I’d like to know how your son is doing and if you have any pointers for our son before he attends. I think he may take a summer course there to get a bit ahead of the busy first semester of foundation courses. Thanks for any info you can provide.
Or… Anyone else?