BGSU ranks seventh in Midwest, 38th in nation for animation

Alumnus Hunter Grant, a cinematic animator in the gaming industry, speaks to a digital arts class.

Bowling Green State University’s latest school ranking is a reason to get animated.

BGSU ranks seventh in the Midwest (a region of 13 states) and 38th nationally for animation schools and colleges, according to Animation Career Review’s annual rankings.

Animation Career Review, which started its rankings in 2012, looked at several hundred schools that offer animation or game design. The criteria used for the rankings were academic reputation, admission selectivity, depth and breadth of the program, and value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness and geographic location.

BGSU’s ranking in the Midwest was up from in 2015 when it ranked 15th.

"VR is having a revival right now, and we are excited to prepare our students for a possible future in this field"

According to the publication’s website, BGSU’s School of Art programs for aspiring animators were cited as key factors in the rankings. That includes a Bachelor of Fine Arts in digital arts and a Bachelor of Arts in art with a digital arts specialization with three areas of focus: computer animation and video, imaging and interactive multimedia. Graduate programs include a Master of Fine Arts in art with a major in digital arts in computer animation, digital imaging and interactive media. In the fall semester, a new 21-credit Minor in Digital Arts also will be available to BGSU students.

“Digital Arts majors have a variety of routes to success while studying at BGSU,” said Heather Elliott-Famularo, the division’s chair. “Our curriculum includes courses in traditional and 3-D animation, digital imaging, video art, and interactive multimedia. In addition, our VR (virtual reality) course has been completely revamped and is being taught by our new animation professor, Heejoo Kim, using the Unity 3-D game engine.

“VR is having a revival right now, and we are excited to prepare our students for a possible future in this field. In fact, many of our alumni have gone on to successful jobs in the animation and game-design industries upon graduation.”

The digital arts labs, housed in the Wolfe Center for the Arts, are state-of-the-art and feature industry-standard software.