Animation: Courses & Colleges

Animators bring images and stories to life, designing visual effects for television, games, advertising and more. Some professionals work with specialized software that renders computer-generated images (CGI). Other animators draw images by hand or use storyboards to present a series of graphics.

Animation and related courses may introduce you to character modeling and rigging, lighting, backgrounds and compositing, in addition to 2D and 3D design and animation software programs. Related courses include computer science, programming, graphics, drawing and film.

A variety of industries rely on animation, such as entertainment, software publishing, business communications, e-commerce, journalism and public relations. Some animators specialize in one kind of product, for example, educational videos, online advertisements or games for mobile devices like smartphones. A job in animation may involve both independent work and teamwork with colleagues dedicated to the same creative project.