Animation & Game Arts
BFA

Massachusetts is one of the world's hubs for digital technology. UMass Dartmouth's animation and game arts program integrates digital art, design, and technology to advance the quality of digital communication and create a more understandable world.

You'll concentrate on digital animation and interactive multimedia while exploring 2- and 3-dimensional design, web design, and virtual reality. As you explore the potential of various digital media technologies, you'll engage in consistent, hands-on experimentation, working with faculty members who have considerable expertise in the field.

Your BFA in Art + Design: Animation & Game Arts will prepare you to meet the design and communications challenges of the 21st century with careers in areas such as art direction, advertising, animation, broadcasting, creative direction, education, environmental design, game design, interface design, multimedia, scientific visualization, software application design, special effects, video editing, virtual reality and web design.

The BFA is a professional degree with concentrated areas of specialization, so you will take more art courses than you would in a BA program. At UMass Dartmouth, you also have the advantages of a university education where you can diversify your studies and expand your career opportunities.

Our curriculum emphasizes conceptual development, digital production, and creative solutions to technical and communication problems. You'll explore:

storytelling and storyboarding
two- and three-dimensional animation
three-dimensional modeling
interactive design
game design
virtual reality studies

For the BFA in Art + Design: Animation & Game Arts, you'll complete 78 credits in courses related to your major, and 120 credits overall.

Computer requirement for CVPA majors

Course descriptions, schedules and requirements

The minor in animation offers students the opportunity to:

understand the roles of a professional animator in the field
work with digital tools such as Photoshop and Maya
develop skills which will enable production of animations for TV and film
produce a portfolio of 2D and 3D animation

Prepare for careers such as:

animator
rigger
3D modeler
texture artist

For the minor, you'll complete 18 credits. Five required classes provide students with necessary skills/knowledge for working in the animation industry, while one elective class chosen from a list of recommended classes allows each student to choose a course aligned with their personal animation interests.

The minor in game arts offers students the opportunity to accomplish the following:

understand the roles of professional game designer and game artist
work with digital tools such as Photoshop, Unity3D and Maya
develop skills which will enable production of physical prototypes
produce a portfolio of character, environment design, and functional prototypes

Prepare for careers such as:

game artist
game designer
game user interface designer
board game designer

For the minor, you'll complete 18 credits. Five required classes provide students with necessary skills/knowledge for working in the game arts industry, while one elective class chosen from a list of recommended classes allows each student to choose a course aligned with their personal game arts interests.

Note: Minors in this concentration may be required to have a laptop.

Animation & Game Arts student work

Fernando Quintanilla - Animation & Game Arts

Melissa DeAmaral - Animation & Game Arts

Student success

Animation & game arts major wins 1st place in JoyArt Boston

Jared Gula's "Atlas Resprite" places first in Pixel Art category.

Career placements

Blue Hills Bank
Bright Horizons
Fresh Tilled Soil
iFactory
Jack Morton Worldwide
Mad*Pow
Microsoft
MDG Brand Innovation
New York City
Philips Lightolier
Razorfish
Sametz Blackstone
Stirrings
Swedish Historical Museum
White Rhino
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Worldways Strategy + Creative
Yak Pak
Zildjian Cymbals

Graduate schools

Yale University

College of Visual & Performing Arts undergraduate median starting salary:
$55,000

NACE Data Collection of Class of 2023 Undergraduate Alumni

UMassD advantages

Internships: enhance your studies while gaining professional experience
Facilities: our computer, imaging, and virtual reality labs feature state-of-the art workstations, printers, and scanners with industry-standard software
Community: interact with professionals and peers by joining CVPA student clubs

Rankings

#9 Best Animation & Game Arts Program in Massachusetts - Animation Career Review stat-195a Dec, 2023 Keywords: Academics, CVPA, Distinction, Factsheet, Undergraduate,

Expand your opportunities

Master of Fine Arts in Visual Design: Continue your education with a master's in visual design. You can choose to specialize in digital media, graphic design, illustration, or photography.

Master of Art Education: With an emphasis on how the arts are integrated into daily life, the MAE program leads to a single-level professional certification in Massachusetts as an art teacher in grades Pre K-8 or 5-12.

Web & Interaction Design Certificate: Enhance your marketability with a certificate in web and interaction design. Your design knowledge will increase as you explore issues of web accessibility, findability, and usability.