Program Mission
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Arts & Animation program provides graduates with the relevant career skills needed to obtain and develop careers in the animation industry. The goal is accomplished through a focused curriculum based on industry referenced program exit competencies. Instructors who possess industry experience and content expertise as well as appropriate resources support the curriculum.

Desired Student Outcomes
1. Communication: Graduates will be skilled visual communicators, will effectively collaborate with other artists and designers on a team, will be able to tell a story visually, and will possess written and oral skills that enable them to communicate effectively with prospective employers, colleagues, and clients.
2. Problem Solving: Graduates will possess the creative design skills to conceptualize, and develop an animation; critiquing skills that lead to evaluation and editing; problem-solving skills to resolve unsatisfactory elements of an animation; graduates will understand the process of project management.
3. Conceptual: Graduates will have the conceptual and drawing skills to create storyboards and design original characters, backgrounds, and other visual elements.
4. Technical: Graduates will understand the elements and principles of image manipulation, 2-D and 3-D animation, audio production, programming, and game design including technical skills and terminology.
5. Context: Graduates will possess an ability to apply real world observations to animation, an understanding of the human figure; will understand the principles of acting and staging; will understand animation in social, cultural, and historical contexts; and will have the research skills needed to develop animation elements.
6. Professional: Graduates will have developed current professional awareness, a high standard of ethics, an ability to work independently, an understanding of the corporate culture and business practices of the film and animation industry, and a desire for life-long learning and professional growth.

Program Description
The Media Arts & Animation curriculum provides students with a substantial foundation in drawing skills, color theory, design concepts, audio/video techniques and basic computer applications. From this foundation, degree candidates develop advanced skills in various aspects of computer graphics and animation. Students explore the various tools used in computer animation including operating systems, 3-D modeling and animation software, 2-D animation techniques and desktop video production. These tools and concepts enhance our student?s versatility and creativity and enables them to produce a digital portfolio that demonstrates their practical and technical abilities to employers.

Graduation Requirements
To receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Media Arts & Animation, students must complete a minimum of 180 quarter-credits with 60 quarter-credits in general education courses and 120 in the specialty area with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. Also a student must receive a passing grade or credit for all required course work, meet portfolio requirements including participation in the Senior Portfolio Show. Graduating students must pass a required course in which a portfolio is produced and satisfy all financial obligations to The Illinois Institute of Art.