| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design | Milwaukee |
| 2 | University of Wisconsin – Stout | Menomonie |
The 2025 ranking, our fourteenth annual, of the top animation school programs in Wisconsin. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) is Wisconsin’s only four-year private nonprofit college of visual art and design. Through internships and the creative development program at the school’s Lubar Innovation Center (LIC), students have opportunities to gain real-world experience with leading organizations, companies, and studios. Examples include Harley-Davidson, Kohler, the Milwaukee Ballet, Carmex, Johnsonville, Milwaukee Business Journal, Gallery at The Ave, 3rd St. Market Hall, Ninewise Publishing, Herzfeld Foundation, Imagine MKE, and The Marcus Corporation.
For students interested in animation, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design recently launched an Animation track within the Illustration BFA program. Both Illustration and Animation students will take courses that explore 2D, animation, video games, 3D animation, virtual reality, and interactive animation. Animation track students can create an additional focus area through studio elective requirements.
Course examples for the program include 3D Modeling and Animation; Systems of Drawing; Visual Development and Storytelling; Digital 2D; Visual Language; Interactive and New Media; 2D Motion Fundamentals; Illustration I-III; Advanced Figure Drawing; and Animation Professional Practice.
The culminating experience for this 120 credit-hour program is the thesis project completed across two courses. Students will work individually or in teams to produce an industry-ready animation project to be presented at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design Thesis Exhibition.
Graduates of the Illustration BFA/Animation program are prepared to pursue careers in entertainment, games, advertising, architecture, medical, education, legal, news media, graphic design, and more. Program alumni have been hired at Amazon Studios, HBO, Variety, Nike, and The New Yorker. Some MIAD alumni have also launched their own studios and freelance businesses.
Other MIAD graduates have been hired at places such as Harley-Davidson, Milwaukee Tool, and Kohl’s; Milwaukee’s top eight advertising agencies; five of the top seven architectural firms in the state; and galleries and museums worldwide.
Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design was established in 1974. The school serves approximately 900 degree-seeking students, 600 pre-college students, and 250 outreach/special programs students. Degree-seeking students have access to seven degree programs, five studio minors, and nine liberal studies minors. The school’s affiliation with Marquette University also provides access to additional courses in the humanities and sciences.
Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The school is also a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD)—a consortium of 39 leading art schools in the U.S. and Canada.
University of Wisconsin – Stout (UW-Stout) is the only career-focused polytechnic university in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Located just 24 miles from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and less than an hour from Minneapolis, UW-Stout boasts a 99% rate of employment (or graduate school) right after graduation. This is thanks, in part, to industry partnerships with major companies and studios such as Sony, Andersen Corporation, Target, 3M, Forbes, Thomson Reuters, and Great Northern Corporation.
The College of Arts and Humanities (CAHS) is one of the two colleges of UW-Stout. Within the college is the School of Art and Design (SOAD), which serves approximately 1,000 students enrolled in 18 degree and minor programs. As part of the SOAD, all programs are accredited by the National Association for Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Students in all programs also benefit from cooperative education and field experiences; hands-on, polytechnic-inspired curriculums supplemented by national and international internships; additional study abroad experiences; and access to dedicated SOAD studios, labs, and galleries. This includes the new motion capture studio (mocap) for animation and game design.
Specific program options for animators include the Animation and Digital Media BFA, and a Design MFA. The Animation and Digital Media BFA is a collaborative, cross-disciplinary program that explores 2D and 3D animation, motion capture, real-time production, animation software, character design, 2D and 3D modeling, design software, visual storytelling, and environment design.
Course and elective examples for this 120 credit hour program include 3D Modeling and Animation; Digital Sound; Pixel and Vector Art; Design Drawing and Concept Visualization; 3D Character Animation; Video Production; Typography in Motion; Fiction Into Film; Animation Production; Comics; Commercial Motion Graphics; American Cinema; Visual Effects and Compositing; Digital Illustration; Virtual and Augmented Reality Video Applications; 3D Game Art and Engines; and Professional Practices in Design.
The Animation and Digital Media BFA program at University of Wisconsin - Stout culminates with the two-semester sequence Animation Capstone. Students will develop a professional level project from using the techniques and tools utilized in the animation industry.
The Design MFA at University of Wisconsin – Stout takes place in a cross-disciplinary environment where students will participate in several design studios; complete a number or seminar courses; engage in independent study; and complete 21 Design/Art Studio “selectives” and nine credit hours of supporting electives.
The program has 11 formal focus areas. Examples include Animation and Digital Media; Illustration; Game Design and Development; Cinema, Video and Photography; Graphic Design and Interactive Media; and User Experience (UX) Design.
While the UW-Stout Design MFA cannot be completed 100% online, students can complete core classes during the evenings with a combination of online and on-campus meetings. Students may also select full-time, on-campus studio courses or customize their own part-time schedule with independent projects and hybrid classes.
The culminating experience for the flexible Design MFA program at University of Wisconsin – Stout is the Creative Thesis in Design. Students will complete an independent design research project under direction of a primary research advisor and committee. MFA students will present their final projects to the thesis committee, including a public lecture or exhibition.
Animation and Digital Media BFA, and Design/Animation Digital Media MFA graduates are prepared to pursue roles in animation, film and television, games, advertising, architecture, science, medicine, and technology, among others. MFA graduates may also pursue careers in education. Design MFA alumni have been hired to teach at UW-Stout, UW-River Falls, and Vancouver College of Art and Design (VCAD).
School of Art and Design (and UW-Stout) alumni have been hired at places such as DreamWorks Animation, Disney, Raven Software (part of Activision), Apple, Cisco, Grainger, Marriott International, 3M, Target, P&G, Boston Scientific, H&M, Ecolab, United Launch Alliance, Kohl’s, PUNY Entertainment, Fantasy Flight Games (FGG), Shutterfly, Larson Design Group, Lifetime Design, and The Nerdery.
University of Wisconsin – Stout was established in 1891 as The Stout Manual Training School. Today, the school is one of just 125 polytechnic universities in the U.S. Serving approximately 6,915 students, University of Wisconsin-Stout provides more than 145 programs across two colleges and the Graduate School. Many of these programs are unique to UW-Stout, or they are not offered anywhere in the Midwest.
University of Wisconsin – Stout is accredited the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The Graphic Design and Interactive Media program is accredited by the National Association for Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
