| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico State University | Las Cruces |
Our 2020 ranking of the top animation school program in New Mexico. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
New Mexico State University (NMSU) was founded in 1888 as Las Cruces College. The NMSU system, which consists of five colleges, serves more than 36,000 students enrolled in more than 100 programs across seven colleges and the graduate school. The Las Cruces campus, which serves nearly 20,000 students, is NMSU’s largest campus.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college at NMSU, teaching every freshman and offering degrees to over 6,000 majors. The college is home to 24 academic departments, including the Creative Media Institute for Film and Digital Arts (CMI). The Institute offers a Bachelor of Creative Media in Animation & Visual Effects (BCM-ANVE) or Digital Filmmaking. A Minor in Animation & Visual Effects and Certificates in Graphics and Animation and Creative Media are also available.
Per the school, the 120 credit, cross-disciplinary BCM-ANVE program “prepares students for the 21st century in Digital Filmmaking and Animation & Visual Effects.” Students in the program will study all aspects of digital filmmaking and digital arts, whether they are aspiring animators, directors, cinematographers, or writers.
The CMI curriculum, which focuses on the art, craft, and business of storytelling, consists of courses such as 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Character Design and Development, Digital Illustration, Drawing for Animation, Modeling, Rigging for 3D Animation, Screenwriting, Sets and Environment, 2D and 3D Production Studio, Visual Effects, and Writing for Animation.
Other program highlights include internship and study abroad opportunities, access to a state of the art digital projection screening room, post-production lab, animation lab, and production space, and free entry into the Las Cruces International Film Festival.
