The MA in Animation provides a combination of artistic and technical training that prepares students for a future in 3D character animation, traditional animation, storyboarding, computer game art, motion graphics, or visual effects animation. Animation MA students have an opportunity to explore a wide and deep range of animation courses in traditional animation (hand-drawn, stop motion, and hybrid), 3D animation and modeling, character design, storyboarding, game art, motion graphics, VFX animation, as well as courses in screenwriting, editing, sound, directing, and game development. Students have access to the latest in animation software, tools, and technologies including professional-level animation and effects software, Cintiq labs, 3D printing, stop motion stages and fabrication studios, 3D motion capture, motion control, and sophisticated sound studios.

Alumni of our program have been hired in animation roles at a wide variety of companies, including DreamWorks Animation, LAIKA Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, Blizzard Entertainment, Bioware, Iron Galaxy Studios, The Mill, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, ShadowMachine, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Electronic Arts, and Cartoon Network, to name just a few.

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Concentrations

• current tab:Motion Graphics
• Storyboarding and Character Design
• Technical Artist
• Traditional Animation
• 3D Animation

Motion Graphics

Motion Graphics

Motion Graphics, sometimes known as Motion Design, involves putting graphic forms, text, and photographic elements into motion using the principles of animation. These are almost always paired with sound and music for a specific purpose, such as in advertisements, educational and industrial videos, films and television titles, visual effects, and video games. Chicago is a major center for commercial advertising production, and Motion Graphics is a significant part of the commercial production and post-production process.

Motion Graphics curriculum and requirements

Storyboarding and Character Design

Technical Artist

Traditional Animation

3D Animation

  The DePaul Animation Zine

This isn't a typical slick boring college brochure, because we're not a typical animation program.

Inside you'll learn why DePaul Animation is much more than a collection of classes—we're an animation community: the Frame By Frame Animators Conference; our Visiting Artist Series; 13 full-time Animation professors; LA Quarter, our successful alumni; a wide variety of storyboarding, character design, stop-motion, traditional, 3D, game art, experimental animation, and motion graphics classes; all the animation tools you could ask for; and our fantastic students.

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Nationally Recognized Programs

• #18 animation program in the US by Animation Career Review (2022)
• A Variety Best Film School (2021)
• #16 film school in the US by the Hollywood Reporter (2021)
• #7 animation program in the US by College Magazine (2018)

Curriculum Requirements

First Year

NOTE for SPRING TERM STARTS: Students admitted in Spring Term are advised to begin with electives that first term.

• Fall Quarter
  •  ANI 423 3D Animation Survey*
  •  ANI 460 Animation Graduate Seminar
  •  ANI 421 Animation Mechanics
  • * Students with 3D animation experience can have the ANI 423 requirement substituted by their Faculty Advisor, and replace it with an Animation Elective.
• Winter Quarter
  •  ANI 425 Storyboarding I
  •  ANI 422 Animation History and Practice
    or  ANI 466 Cinema, Animation and Art
• Required Courses that can be taken any quarter
  •  ANI 461 Motion Graphics
  •  ANI 462 Title Design
  •  ANI 463 3D Motion Graphics
  •  ANI 467 Motion Design Studio

Motion Graphics Electives

Students must complete 2 courses from this list

•  ANI 422 Animation History and Practice
•  ANI 428 Animation Figure Study I
•  ANI 429 Storyboarding III
•  ANI 456 Experimental Animation
•  ANI 457 Hybrid Animation
•  ANI 466 Cinema, Animation and Art
•  ANI 481 Sound Design for Animation
•  POST 400 Editing
•  POST 420 Post-Production Sound Design
•  POST 444 Advanced Color Correction
•  POST 460 Sound and Music Synthesis for Film
•  FILM 499 Internships in Media and Design
•  POST 499 Internships in Media and Design
•  DMA 527 Creative Process and Strategy
•  NMS 504 Text and Image
•  VFX 434 Virtual Cinematography
•  VFX 474 Compositing I
•  VFX 478 Compositing II
•  VFX 480 Cg Compositing
•  VFX 490 Advanced Topics in Visual Effects

 

CDM Electives

Students must Complete 8 credit hours from any graduate program in the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media. Elective courses must be in the range of 421 to 699.

 

Degree Requirements

Students in this degree program must meet the following requirements:

• Complete a minimum of 52 graduate credit hours in the designated program.
• Complete all graduate courses and requirements listed in the designated degree program.
• Earn a grade of C- or better in all graduate courses of the designated degree program.
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
• Students pursuing a second (or more) graduate degree may not double count or retake any course that applied toward the completion of a prior graduate degree. If a required course in the second degree was already completed and applied toward a previous degree, the student must meet with a faculty advisor to discuss a new course to be completed and substituted in the new degree. This rule also applies to cross-listed courses, which are considered to be the same course but offered under different subjects.
• Students pursuing a second master's degree must complete a minimum of 52 graduate credit hours beyond their first designated degree program in addition to any required introductory courses in their second designated degree program.

Students with a GPA of 3.9 or higher will graduate with distinction.

For DePaul's policy on repeat graduate courses and a complete list of academic policies see the DePaul Graduate Handbook in the Course Catalog.