UW-Stout's Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation & Digital Media provides you with the skills and flexibility to succeed in a wide variety of animation-related careers, combining robust art foundations with discipline-specific courses in animation and design software. Students will produce individual and collaborative works to engage audiences in a variety of venues ranging from corporate and commercial to broadcast and streaming platforms.
Our experienced faculty will introduce you to creative and critical thinking skills, principles of visual storytelling, character and environment design, traditional two-dimensional animation, three-dimensional modeling and animation, motion capture, real-time production and much more.
Our program is an exceptional value compared to other regional and national animation schools offering:
- Industry-inspired animation studios, labs and technology
- Energetic and engaged faculty with wide-ranging professional experience
- A cross-disciplinary environment with frequent opportunities for collaboration
- Regional, national, and international internship opportunities
- A rigorous program advised by a board of industry professionals
Program Overview
We’re looking forward to kick-starting your creative future in the fast-changing world of entertainment, animation, and digital media.
"My work on my student thesis film Marcus The Teenager’s Never-Ending Quest for Popularity demonstrated clearly what I could do for potential employers. Suddenly I had this amazing conversation starter, and I landed my first animation industry gig before graduation!”
BFA Alumnus
"I was very fortunate to work on the Memorial Student Center design team as a digital signage and animation designer. It gave me a taste of real world experiences, what it is like to work for clients with specific requests and visions."
B.F.A. Alumna
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Animation & Digital Media (formerly Entertainment Design).
Request Information
New First-Year Students
Students admitted as Pre-Bachelor of Fine Arts (Pre-BFA) students will join an exciting community of first-year art and design students with classes and events geared towards preparing you for a successful application to the intended BFA program.
As a student accepted into one of the six BFA programs, please be aware of the following:
- You will be required to submit a portfolio in the spring semester of your freshmen year to apply for acceptance into the intended BFA program. Portfolios will be evaluated by School of Art and Design faculty. Through your first-year experience, you will be given the tools and skills required to prepare and submit the portfolio, and the necessary support to navigate the application process.
Transfer Students
- All transfer students will be admitted as a Pre-Bachelor of Fine Arts (Pre-BFA) student. Upon acceptance information will be provided on how to submit a portfolio and essay to be reviewed by a committee of School of Art & Design faculty, who will determine direct admissions into the BFA major of your choice. The priority deadline is no later than 9:00 a.m. on October 1st for spring admission and 9:00 a.m. on March 1st for fall admission.
- Submissions may be made after the priority date; however, there is no guarantee when it will be reviewed for a decision nor what art-specific coursework you may be able to get into after the review is completed and whether or not registration for the next semester has begun. There is a $10 application fee assessed at the time you electronically submit your portfolio.
Transfer students are considered both fall and spring. This includes portfolio and essay submission priority dates. Students applying for one of the BFA programs will remain admitted as a "Pre-BFA" student if you:
- do not submit a portfolio/essay
or - apply after the BFA program has closed
or - are not approved for the BFA program after submission of a portfolio/essay.
You may then apply for a change of major in subsequent semesters, depending upon available openings in the program. If needed, BFA Foundations courses will be available to "Pre-BFA" students pending seat availability.
Upon completion of the proposed B.F.A. in Animation and Digital Media, graduates will be able to:
- Understand and apply knowledge, techniques, and methods necessary to become a successful production artist.
- Understand the collaborative, multidisciplinary nature of art and design through exposure to faculty and students from multiple design disciplines.
- Define, understand, and identify the elements and principles of art and design and apply them to a variety art and design solutions.
- Understand, analyze and integrate art, design and technology within a historical, cultural and aesthetic context.
- Communicate successfully using various means including speaking, writing, and graphic communication including the discipline specific communication of technical information.
- Apply art and design solutions in relationship to various social, behavioral, and cultural factors.
- Utilize industry-standard software, equipment, production technologies and materials.
- Apply methods and theory (best practices) through all research and development phases of the art and design process.
- Apply and demonstrate visual storytelling techniques and cinematic structure to a variety of creative problems/projects.
- Understand and apply standards of practice for the entertainment design profession including ethics, professional development, and business models.
- Draw, model (three-dimensionally) and illustrate using a variety of traditional and computer-based tools.
Positions
- Animator (2D or 3D)
- Digital Illustrator
- Concept Artist
- Creative/Art Director
- Producer
- Stop Motion Animator
- 3D Modeler
- Game Designer
Employers
- Ziba
- Flurry Animation Studio
- Puny Entertainment
- Larsen Design
- Studio 150
- Raven Software
- Disney
- The Nerdery
- Fantasy Flight Games
- Kuryakyn
Salaries
- Animation & Digital Media Salaries (Animator, Digital Artist, Digital Cinema)
- Entry-level salary $27,000 – $34,000
- Average mean salary in the Minneapolis area $53,300 – $55,200
2022-23 Animation & Digital Media Advisory Committee
Industry Representatives
| Betty | Chin-Wu | Motion Graphic Artist | Target |
| Chris | Grun | Head of Matte Painting | Dreamworks Animation |
| Kate | Hadley | Senior Content Producer / Filmmaker | Don't Blink |
| Gus | Hinton | Associate Producer / Animator | Weber Shandwick |
| David | Lund | Multimedia Designer | Siteimprove |
| Stephen | Nicksic | Senior Designer | Trane / Ingersoll Rand |
| Mike | Owens | Director, Animator | Mike Owens Productions |
| Grace | Pedersen | Animator / Illustrator | Ordinary Folk |
| Rachel | Rohe | Look Artist | Gasket Studios |
| Jayson | Slinger | Creative Director | Ghost Productions |
Student Representatives
| Theo | Phan | BFA ENT: Animation, Senior |
Faculty Representatives
| Shannon | Brady | Lecturer | Dept. of Art & Art History |
| Jim | Bryan | Professor | Dept. of Art & Art History |
| Holly | Clark | Lecturer | Dept. of Design |
| Kimberly | Delain | Lecturer | Dept. of Design |
| Cyndi | Greening | Lecturer | Dept. of Design |
| Michael | Heagle | Assistant Professor | Dept. of Design (ADM) |
| Gus | Hinton | Lecturer | Dept. of Design |
| Karl | Koehle | Lecturer | Dept. of Design |
| Kim | Loken | Former ADM/ENT Program Director | Dept. of Design (GDD-Art) |
| Shelley | Pecha | Chair | Dept. of Design |
| Darren | Tesar | Lecturer | Dept. of Art & Art History |
| Andrew | Williams | former ENT Program Director | Dept. of Art & Art History |
| Jesse | Woodward | Lecturer | Dept. of Design |
Student Gallery
Our students gain experience working on real-world projects with a unique combination of art and technology. We'll teach you the foundations to create both 2D and 3D animations for fine art, film, games, and visualization. You'll explore everything from visual storytelling to stop-motion modeling and concept design to 3D printing. Check out the student gallery of recent work.
Studios, Labs & Galleries
Modern studio classrooms provide open, creative environments for learning. Extensive open studio hours allow access to these spaces outside of class periods.
Two galleries are housed in the School of Art and Design, a student gallery and the John Furlong Gallery. These, along with other spaces on and off campus, provide student, faculty and outside exhibition opportunities throughout the academic year.
