Best Animation Programs in Massachusetts

Animation is one of the fastest growing specialized fields in the entertainment industry, once again. When the worst part of the recession hit, the nation lost thousands of animators, but by 2006, the population was already starting to grow again. In 2006, the U.S. was home to 23,790 salaried animators and thousands of freelance animators. Today, the nation is home to nearly 30,000 salaried animators, and still thousands of independent artists.

Because of promising growth and the strong demand for animators across the country, the number of colleges that offer animation programs has grown. Animation programs are more common at traditional universities and technical schools than ever before, and just about every art and design school offers programs for animators and other digital artists. While some of the best animation program offerings can be found in more “entertainment-oriented” states such as New York, California, and Florida, many are also offered at traditional colleges, art schools, and technical schools in places like Massachusetts.

Massachusetts is home to more than 120 accredited colleges. The state’s animation school programs made many “best of” lists based on a variety of factors such as student selectivity, class size, peer assessment, number of program offerings, financial resources, and graduation and retention rates. These are just some of the factors college ranking agencies or groups use to determine which schools deserve a place on the list. Just a few of the state’s best animation school programs include the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, and University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Browse through our list below to review some of the best animation school programs in Massachusetts and what they have to offer.

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Best Animation School Programs - Major Massachusetts Cities

Boston
Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Animation, Design, Illustration; M. F. A. Visual Arts; Advanced Professional Certificates in Animation, Design and Illustration
Northeastern University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Digital Art, Graphic Design; Combined Majors in Game Design, Interactive Media (type of degree awarded depends on the combination chosen); M. F. A. Studio Art
School of the Museum of Fine Arts - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Film and Animation, Text and Image Arts; M. F. A. Studio Art (with Tufts University), one-year post-baccalaureate program
The New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design, Illustration; M. A. Graphic Design; Certificate in Graphic Design

Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Art with Concentration in Design, Emphases in Animation, Graphic Design, Interactive Media and Web Design

Springfield
Springfield College - Degrees Offered: B. S. Computer Graphics/Digital Art

Best Animation School Programs - Other Massachusetts Cities and Towns

Amherst
Hampshire College - Degrees Offered: B. A. Animation and Digital Art; Digital Media
University of Massachusetts Amherst - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Studio Art with Concentration in Animation, Digital Media: Still Imagery or Digital Media: Time Based

Beverly
Montserrat College of Art - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Animation and Interactive Media, Graphic Design, Illustration

Dartmouth
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Visual Design with Concentration in Digital Media, Graphic Design, Illustration; M. F. A. Visual Design with Emphasis in Digital Media, Graphic Design or Illustration

Fitchburg
Fitchburg State University - Degrees Offered: B. S. Communications Media with Concentration in Graphic Design, Interactive Media

Salem
Salem State University - Degrees Offered: B. A. Art with Concentration in Graphic Design, Interactive Multimedia; Graphic Design Certificate

More Programs to Consider: