College Magazine ranks DePaul among 10 best colleges for animation

“These 10 colleges prepare aspiring animators for the real world with cutting-edge programs, technology available for projects and practice, professional opportunities and alumni networks that connect students to opportunities beyond graduation,” notes College Magazine. 

Here’s what else the magazine says about DePaul’s animation programs: “DePaul students showcase their animation skills at the university’s annual Premiere Film Fest. For (13) years, the film festival has showcased the best of student work in cinema and animation and presented awards in 20 categories. Back in the classroom, students can earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation. The program provides its students with a foundation rooted in the history of animation, combined with practice and multifaceted engagement. From there, animation students pick from five concentrations in modern animation: game art, storyboarding and character design, motion graphics, cinema animation and 3D animation.”

Also, “Students working towards a Bachelor of Arts in Animation take more of an interdisciplinary approach. All animation students can join the Animation Lodge, a student group that discusses animation trends and techniques and hosts the week-long animation marathon Mayday. As a part of the L.A. Quarter, DePaul animation students live in L.A. for three months, interning with studios like DreamWorks Animation, Nickelodeon Animation and more.”

In addition to the College Magazine ranking, DePaul was ranked 14th in 2018 among the top 50 animation schools and colleges in the U.S. by Animation Career Review​, which also ranked DePaul as second among schools in Illinois, third among schools in the Midwest, 10th with an MFA program, and second with a master’s program.

“We believe that DePaul has one of the best animation programs in the country, mostly due to our fantastic faculty, one of the largest in the country, and our talented students,” says Scott Roberts, associate professor and animation program chair. He and associate professor Josh Jones are co-founders of the animation program at DePaul.

“That others are starting to notice is satisfying, and the success that our alumni are having is even more rewarding to us. For example, two of our alumni, Iain Collins and Lynda Rollins, were recently nominated for Annie Awards for their work on SuperMansion, and Dawn Adepoju was promoted to Post Production Coordinator at DreamWorks Animation TV,” Roberts says.

Degree programs in animation — BA, BFA​, MA, MFA — are offered through the DePaul University College of Computing and Digital Media’s School of Cinematic Arts, which recently was ranked as 13th among the top 25 American film schools for 2018 by The Hollywood Reporter.​