Best Animation Programs in Illinois

Examples of the Best Illinois Schools offering Animation Degrees
School	City
Columbia College Chicago	Chicago
DePaul University	Chicago
School of the Art Institute of Chicago	Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago	Chicago
Bradley University	Peoria

Animation is a growing field in the U.S. In 2006, the nation was home to 23,790 salaried animators and thousands of freelance animators. Today, the nation is home to nearly 30,000 salaried animators, and even more freelancers, independent contractors, and entrepreneurs. Now, the country’s aspiring animators have more options for training than ever before. They may earn a degree at an art school (the usual route) or they can choose to enroll in a traditional college, university, technical school, or specialty school. These schools have developed a wide variety of animation programs to help supply the nations animation and feature film studios with top talent.

Some of the best animation school programs can be found in Illinois where a large number of the state’s 180+ schools offer art and design programs. These programs make the “best of” lists each year based on factors such as peer assessment, class size, student selectivity, number of program offerings, faculty resources, graduation and retention rates, and financial resources. These are just some of the factors college rankings use to determine which schools deserve a spot on the list.

Just a few of the state’s best animation school programs include the world-renowned School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Columbia College (Chicago) and Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy. Browse through our list below to review some of the best animation school programs in Illinois and what they have to offer.

Best Animation School Programs - Major Illinois Cities

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Chicago
Columbia College - Degrees Offered: B. A. Art and Design; B. A. Film and Video with Animation (Traditional or Computer) Concentration; B. A. Game Design with Concentration in Game Art, Game Development, Programming or Game Sound; B. F. A. Graphic Design, Illustration; B. A., B. F. A. Interactive Arts and Media
DePaul University - Degrees Offered: B. A./B. S. Animation; B. A. Art, Media and Design with Concentration in Art and Design or Media Arts; B. S. Computer Game Development, Computer Graphics and Motion Technology; B. F. A. Graphic Design; M. S. Computer Game Development, Computer Graphics and Motion Technology
School of the Art Institute of Chicago - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. with departmental or interdisciplinary emphasis; SAIC departments include Animation, New Media and Visual Communication Design. M. F. A. Visual Communication Design
Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy - Degrees Offered: A. A. S. Animation and Visual Effects, Game and Interactive Media
University of Illinois at Chicago - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Electronic Visualization, Graphic Design; M. F. A. Graphic Design, New Media Arts

Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design, New Media; M. F. A. Art and Design with Concentration in Graphic Design, M. F. A. Studio with Concentration in New Media

Peoria
Bradley University - Degrees Offered: B. A., B. S., B. F. A. Art with Concentration in Graphic Design; B. A., B. S. Interactive Media with Concentration in Animation and Visual Effects, Game Design or Web and Application Design; M. A., M. F. A. Drawing/Illustration, Visual Communications and Design

Springfield
University of Illinois, Springfield - Degrees Offered: B. A. Visual Arts

Best Animation School Programs - Other Illinois Cities and Towns

Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. with Specialization in Communication Design; M. F. A. Media Arts

Charleston
Eastern Illinois University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design

DeKalb
Northern Illinois University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Design – Visual Communication, Illustration, Time Arts; M. F. A. Studio Art, Studio Art – Design, Time Arts

Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Art and Design

Normal
Illinois State University - Degrees Offered: B. A., B. S., B. F. A. Graphic Design

Macomb
Western Illinois University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Art with Emphasis in Graphic Design; B. S. Instructional Simulation and Gaming

More Programs to Consider: