| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DePaul University | Chicago |
| 2 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago |
| 3 | Columbia College Chicago | Chicago |
| 4 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago |
| 5 | Bradley University | Peoria |
Our 2025 ranking -our fourteenth annual- of the top animation school programs in Illinois. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
The School of Cinematic Arts at DePaul University (DePaul) graduated its first class in 2005. Since then, the school has produced directors of hit television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and The Blacklist; Emmy Award nominees such as Vera Drew; and animators for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, Epic Games, and Gus Van Sant's Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot.
Housed in Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM), the School of Cinematic Arts also provides many programs for students seeking careers in animation. Options include the Animation BA, BFA, MA, MFA, BA/MA, and BFA/MA, and a Computer Science (CS) + Animation (CS+ANI) BS with an Animation Technical Director (TD) concentration. An Animation TD minor is also available.
The Animation BFA has concentrations in 3D Animation; Game Art; Visual Effects; Storyboarding and Character Design; Motion Graphics; and Cinema. While the Animation BA does not have concentrations, students in this program may create their own focus area through both major and open electives. Examples include Sound Design for Animation; Visual Effects; Stop Motion Animation; 3D Design for Animation; Screenwriting for Majors; Digital Puppet Animation; Illustration Foundations; and Hybrid Animation.
Open electives may be selected from more than 20 Jarvis College minors. Minor examples include Film Production; Designing for Physical Technology; Experimental Filmmaking; Visual Effects; Television Graphic Design; Production; Information Technology; Comedy Filmmaking; and User Experience Design.
The Animation MA program at DePaul University has five concentrations including Traditional Animation; Storyboarding and Character Design; 3D Animation; Technical Artist; and Motion Graphics. Course examples for the program include 3D Animation Production; Animation Figure Study; Advanced Topics in Visual Effects; Topics in 3D Animation; and Game Art Pipeline.
The Animation MFA program at DePaul is designed for animators who have earned an undergraduate degree in visual arts areas such as animation, film, graphic design, or illustration. Because the program follows the project model, students will spend most of their time creating short films and thesis projects under the direction of MFA co-chairs and faculty mentors.
Course examples for the program include Animation Mechanics; Storyboarding I; Sound Design for Animation; Cinema, Animation and Art; Animation History and Practice; Directing Sound Design and Music; Animation Graduate Seminar; and Graduate Teaching Seminar.
The multidisciplinary BS in Computer Science and Animation is designed for students seeking technical artistic roles in animation and game development. In addition to a concentration in Animation TD, the program has a concentration in Game Art TD. Course examples for the program include Introduction to Animation Production; Optimized C++; 3D Character Animation; Environment Modeling; Programming Languages; 3D Modeling and Shading; Advanced Motion Capture Studio; Rendering and Graphics Programming; 3D Animation; Motion Graphics Foundations; 3D Design and Modeling; Advanced 3D Rigging; and Game Art Pipeline.
In addition to access to a variety of in-demand courses, DePaul CS+ANI students benefit from interdisciplinary group projects with students majoring in areas such as 3D animation, storyboarding and character design, game art, game programming, and game design.
Across all School of Cinematic Arts programs, students benefit from courses taught by award-winning filmmakers who are part of one of the nation’s largest full-time animation faculties; access to a state-of-the-art, 32,000 square feet production facility known as DePaul Cinespace Studios; and the new Jarvis Student Center for Innovation and Collaboration. This open, 8,000 square feet space focuses on industry partnerships and multidisciplinary professional learning across emerging technologies. Collaborations and projects between students and faculty emphasize innovation and community needs.
Cinespace and other CDM/SCA studios and facilities provide access to the latest industry-standard animation software, tools, and technologies. This includes Cintiq labs, stop motion stages, fabrication studios, 3D motion capture, motion control, sound studios, professional animation and effects software, and 3D printing.
All DePaul Animation students also have the unique opportunity to participate in the Los Angeles Quarter Program. Over 10 weeks, this immersive experience allows students to intern at major Hollywood studios such as The Jim Henson Company, Disney, Warner Bros. Animation, DreamWorks Animation, Nickelodeon, Sony Studios, and Titmouse.
Additional program benefits include participation in the Premiere Film Festival; the Japan Study Abroad program; Project Bluelight; visiting artists from places such as Disney and Pixar; and access to the Animation Lodge.
The Premiere Film Festival displays and awards the best student work in animation and film. The event attracts jury members from around the country including filmmakers, industry insiders, and festival programmers.
The Japan Study Abroad program is a biennial trip that takes students to Nagoya, Kyoto, and Tokyo for tours of Japanese animation and game studios, cultural sites, and galleries.
Project Bluelight provides hands-on experience in motion picture production to all interested students. Students at The Lodge have opportunities to collaborate on group projects, build their portfolios, and network.
Graduates of the Animation programs at DePaul University are prepared to pursue advanced roles in industries such as film and television, games, and advertising. Program alumni have been hired at major studios and gaming companies such as Lucasfilm, DreamWorks Animation, Electronic Arts (EA), Warner Bros. Animation, Google, Cartoon Network, Disney Animation Studios, Epic Games, Nickelodeon, LAIKA, Blizzard Entertainment, Iron Galaxy Studios, and BioWare.
DePaul University is the largest Catholic university in the United States. Serving 21,210 students, the school is also the nation’s 12th-largest private, not-for-profit university, and the largest private, not-for-profit college in the Midwest. Founded in 1898, DePaul provides more than 300 undergraduate majors and graduate programs across two campuses, and 10 academic colleges and schools. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accredits DePaul University.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) provides two paths to study animation—the BFA and MFA in Studio. Housed in the Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Department (FVNMA), the programs feature visiting artists; graduate seminars, screenings, and performances; access to state-of-the-art film, editing, and production equipment; and unlimited admittance to the Art Institute of Chicago Art Museum and on-campus galleries.
All students have access to SIAC’s Gene Siskel Film Center, which regularly showcases student and other films from around the world. In addition, FVNMA MFA students can participate in Critique Week. During the event, the entire faculty, invited artists, and visiting designers form panels to critique student work. Critique Week takes place every semester. All classes are suspended during the event.
The Studio BFA at SAIC has an FVNMA pathway. Students in this program will take courses that cover animation (experimental 2D and 3D), cinema, new media art, and video. Course examples include 3D Character Animation; Sonics and Optics; Media Practices: The Moving Image; Advanced 2D Computer Animation; Real-Time 3D; Motion Graphics and Visual Effects; Puppet Animation; Experimental Technology Lab for 3D Animation; Advanced Drawing for Animation; and Writing and Art Direction for Animation.
The FVNMA Studio Art BFA culminates with the Senior Film/Video Projects Capstone. During this final course, students will complete a professional quality moving image project for public presentation.
The Studio MFA program has an FVNMA pathway. The program, which also supports creative work across 12 different departments, allows students to specialize in one specific area or acquire skills across many different areas of study. MFA students will take many of the same courses as BFA students, along with 3000-level electives, 4000-level art history courses, and a graduate level seminar.
Specialization areas may include Hand-Drawn and Digital 2D and 3D Animation; Moving-Image Installation; Nonfiction/Documentary and Narrative Film and Video; Media Art Histories; and Interactive Art, VR, AR, and Web-Based Projects.
The MFA program culminates with a final project and the SAIC Graduate Thesis Exhibition at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Projects may also be presented at other end-of-year events at SAIC. Each year, more than 200 graduate students present their works to more than 30,000 people at SAIC events.
Graduates of SAIC’s FVNMA Department are prepared to pursue positions in animation, film, games, digital media, and more. SAIC alumni have been hired at places such as Disney, the Whitney Museum, NASA, and YouTube.
Founded in 1866 as the Chicago Academy of Design, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the nation’s oldest accredited independent schools of art and design. Serving approximately 3,395 students, SAIC provides more than 50 areas of study across 24 academic departments.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) since 1936. SAIC is also a member of the National Conference of Artists, the College Art Association of America, and the National Art Education Association.
The School of Design at Columbia College Chicago houses an Animation and Computer Graphics BA with opportunities to customize a concentration area. Past students have specialized in everything from traditional animation to game art to computer vision for visual effects (CVFX).
Columbia College also lists an Animation BA, Computer Animation BFA, Traditional Animation BFA, and an Animation minor for the 2024-2025 academic year. The minor, which explores the basics of hand-drawn, object, and stop-motion animation, can be taken alone or with any major.
The Animation BA has several options and areas of study including hand drawn animation, cinema visual effects, stop motion animation, computer animation, alternative forms of animation, or a combination of all areas. The Computer Animation BFA is a professional degree with advanced courses in story, critical studies, and CG Animation. The Traditional Animation BFA is also a professional degree that focuses on advanced animation, story, classic art, and critical studies.
Students in all programs may participate in the Animation Studios in LA Program. Activities for this one-credit program include specialized classes, tours, employment screenings, and portfolio reviews. Past participating studios include Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Cartoon Network, Disney, and Warner Bros.
Columbia animation students also have access to state-of-the-art classrooms and workshops; Cintiq labs, stop-motion labs, and traditional animation camera labs; instructional spaces for stop-motion and traditional animation projects; and the Animation Equipment Center. Other program benefits include the internship program, which provides opportunities to work at local studios, and the study abroad program, which provides access to faculty-led experiences (and others) in more than 20 countries.
Across programs students can expect to take courses such as History of Animation; Storyboarding for Animation; Scriptwriting; Animation Layout; Alternative Strategies in Animation; Animation Maquettes; Environmental Design and Modeling; Digital Animation Techniques Current 2D Trends; Acting for Animators; Drawing for Animation I-II; Digital Animation Techniques: Ink, Paint & Composite; and The Business of Animated Content.
The culminating experience for the programs is the production of an animation portfolio and an animated film to be presented at Manifest—Columbia Colleges annual art festival highlighting graduating students work.
According to the most recent available figures, 98% of Columbia College Animation graduates are employed or pursuing an advanced degree within a year of graduation.
Animation alumni have been hired at major networks and studios such as Pixar, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network, Disney, Microsoft, and Weta Digital. They have worked on films and series such as Frozen, Pocahontas, The Lion King, Coco, Robot Chicken, Brave, The Lego Batman Movie, and UP.
Program alumni have also gone on to win Oscars and Emmy Awards, while others have launched their own independent studios and freelance businesses.
Columbia College Chicago was established in 1890 as the Columbia School of Oratory. This private, nonprofit college serves nearly 6,700 students from 50 states and more than 60 countries. Programs include more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degrees in all creative disciplines. The school also provides business management and cultural studies programs. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accredits Columbia College Chicago.
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is home to the School of Art and Art History, which has two paths to study animation. Options include BFAs in Art and New Media Arts. The Art BFA program has a Moving Image concentration that features seminars, independent study, and production courses in digital animation, film, and video. Students will complete at least 129 credit hours of study, with 61 credits in the major, and up to a dozen credit hours of electives.
Course examples for the program include 3D Space: Animation; Interactive 3D: Expanded Cinema and Virtual Performance; Introduction to Filmmaking; Topics in Drawing; Trends in International Contemporary Art Since 1960; Introduction to Creative Coding in New Media Arts; and Advanced Critique. The Moving Image BFA program culminates with the BFA Thesis Project and Exhibition/Final Thesis Show.
The New Media Arts BFA at UIC is an interdisciplinary program that allows students to engage with peers in engineering, biovisualization, and the sciences on team-based projects and advanced topics-based courses. The program explores 3D animation, physical computing, the history and theory of New Media Arts, mobile application design, and Info-aesthetics. Students also have the option to focus in animation through electives.
Course examples include 3D Space Animation; Topics in New Media Arts: Intermediate Game Play; Animation Cinematography; Topics in Motion Graphics; Creative Coding; Advanced Topics in New Media Arts; and Information Aesthetics.
The New Media Arts BFA culminates with the BFA Thesis Project and Exhibition/Final Thesis Show. Graduates of the Art and New Media Arts programs at University of Illinois at Chicago are prepared to pursue creative and technical roles in industries such as entertainment, game design and development, advertising, architecture, science and medicine, law, government, and education.
Serving approximately 33,500 students, University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest university in the Chicago area. The school formed in 1982 when two U of I campuses (the Medical Center and Circle Campus) merged. Today, UIC provides more than 250 degree programs and 85 minors across 16 colleges and schools. The University of Illinois at Chicago is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts at Bradley University (Bradley) is home to the Department of Interactive Media (IM), which provides two paths to study animation—the Animation BA or BS. Both programs focus on the 12 principles of animation and how they are utilized in procedural animation, stop-motion, character animation, and previsualization. Students in both programs will master storyboarding, shading, compositing, rigging, texturing, modeling, lighting, and scripting through immersive studios and projects.
Courses and mentoring for the program are led by professional faculty who have worked on productions such as Thor: Dark World, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Rise of the Guardians. Course examples include Drawing I-II; Principles of Animation; Issues in New Media Theory; Storytelling for Animation; Two-Dimensional Animation I-II; Experimental Animation; Interactive Design; History of Animation; Scripting for Animators; Two-Dimensional Rigging for Animation; and Interactive Media Practicum I-II.
Other BA/BS program features include the opportunity to begin animating in the first semester of the program; internships at places such as the Boy Scouts of America, Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center, OneFire, and Maui Jim; Study abroad experiences in Ireland or the Netherlands; off-campus study in Los Angeles; and opportunities to present works to the public at the Annual FUSE Exhibit.
The culminating experience for the Bradley Animation BA and BS programs is the Animation Capstone completed across two courses totaling nine credit hours.
Graduates of the Animation programs at Bradley University are prepared to pursue graduate studies or careers in areas such as animation, film and video, television production, game art and design, and advertising. Program alumni have been hired at places such as Sony Pictures Imageworks, DNEG, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), UR Studio, Scientific Games, ArtSkills Inc., and Cutters Studios.
Bradley University was founded in 1897 by Lydia Moss Bradley—a business pioneer and wealthy philanthropist. When the school opened as Bradley Polytechnic Institute, it had just 14 faculty and 150 students. Today, Bradley University employs 340 full-time faculty that serve approximately 4,800 students from 36 U.S. states and 55 other countries.
With more than 200 programs provided across eight colleges and schools, Bradley University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
