Top Animation Programs in Illinois

What’s the anatomy of a top animation school? Some students say convenience and affordability are important when considering which schools should be at the top of the list, while others think the type of facilities, social groups, and class size are the most important things. These and many other factors are taken into consideration by bloggers, students, alumni, and others when creating their own “top” lists.

A number of agencies and groups create “best schools” lists each year. U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review, and others consider certain factors to determine which schools belong on the list. The factors they use may differ from “top” lists, but somehow, many of the top schools are also on the best schools list! Agencies and groups typically consider number of program offerings, graduation and retention rates, peer assessment, faculty resources (student-teacher ratio), financial resources, and student selectivity when creating annual best schools lists.

Continue reading to find out which Illinois animation schools made the list of top schools and what each has to offer. Please note that the top schools listed below are in order by student population from largest to smallest.

Top Animation School Programs Illinois - Chicago

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University of Illinois at Chicago
Student Population: 16,925
Backdrop: Urban, 240-acre campus
Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Electronic Visualization, Graphic Design; M. F. A. Graphic Design, New Media Arts

DePaul University
Student Population: 16,052
Backdrop: Urban, 36-acre campus
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

Columbia College
Student Population: 12,500
Backdrop: Urban, Downtown Chicago Campus
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

School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Student Population: 2,577
Backdrop: Urban, Downtown Chicago Campus
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
Student Population: 100+
Backdrop: Urban, Downtown Chicago
Degrees Offered: A. A. S. Animation and Visual Effects, Game and Interactive Media

Top Animation School Programs Illinois Other Cities and Towns

Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana
Student Population: 31,540
Backdrop: Small city, 4,724-acre campus
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

Normal
Illinois State University
Student Population: 18,594
Backdrop: Small city, 490-acre campus
Degrees Offered: B. A., B. S., B. F. A. Graphic Design

Dekalb
Northern Illinois University
Student Population: 18,917
Backdrop: Rural, 546-acre campus
Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Design, Visual Communication, Illustration, Time Arts; M. F. A. Studio Art, Studio Art, Design,Time Arts

Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Student Population: 15,000
Backdrop: Rural, 1,136-acre campus, easy access to St. Louis
Degrees Offered: B. F. A. with Specialization in Communication Design; M. F. A. Media Arts

Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
Student Population: 11,305
Backdrop: Small town, 2,660-acre campus
Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Art and Design

Macomb
Western Illinois University
Student Population: 10,520
Backdrop: Small town, 1,050-acre campus
Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Art with Emphasis in Graphic Design; B. S. Instructional Simulation and Gaming

Charleston
Eastern Illinois University
Student Population: 9,657
Backdrop: Small town, 320-acre campus
Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design

Peoria
Bradley University
Student Population: 5,067
Backdrop: Small city, 85-acre campus
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
Student Population: 3,112
Backdrop: City, 746-acre campus
Degrees Offered: B. A. Visual Arts

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