<p>Hi Collegemom,
Great info above. DS found it wasn’t easy to find detailed information about four-year, BA-based animation programs (this is what he was interested in, also). I’ve included some info that might be helpful to others. </p>
<p>I second what JerrySpiteri said about LMU. If your student is interested in the BA route, Loyola M. is definitely worth a look. The program is well-connected to the industry. Santa Monica/Venice are nearby–these areas are chock full of new, innovative entertainment start-ups, etc. LMU is less well known than some other programs, but it’s very good. And they have recently invested a lot in their facilities; here is a thread describing the recent gift of $1/2 million to their animation program from the Walter Lantz Foundation.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/loyola-marymount-university/1296124-large-donation-lmu-animation-program.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/loyola-marymount-university/1296124-large-donation-lmu-animation-program.html</a></p>
<p>My son ultimately chose Chapman’s Dodge College, where he’s majoring in Digital Arts/Animation. It has <em>much</em> to recommend it. It’s well-connected to the industry–better than we’d anticipated. DS, for example, was thrilled last week to spend an evening “hanging out” with Andrew Stanton (Pixar director of Finding Nemo, Wall-E, and A Bug’s Life). When I say hanging out, I mean he talked to him all evening and sent me pics of him arm in arm with Mr. Stanton, both of them laughing. And DS is still a wet-behind-the-ears freshman! Leigh Rens, who did the Dubai Tower sequence for Brad Bird in Mission Impossible 4, teaches Intermediate Character Animation at Dodge. This fellow is legend. There are wonderful opportunities there. Dodge is extremely forward-looking and DS is having a blast, while being challenged in Chapman’s Honors College (where heavy critical essay writing and debate form the basis for small seminar courses). </p>
<p>Below are links with good info about the animation program at Dodge. Dodge’s Digital Arts major is headed by Bill Kroyer (of Tron and Fern Gully fame). He’s great with the students, very involved, and with only 20 students in DS’s freshman class there is a lot of one-on-one guidance and attention. Animation majors have the opportunity to collaborate with film students on as many projects as they desire–this offers a very ‘real-world’ experience that is good preparation for future industry work. (Digital arts kids are called the ‘rock stars’ of Dodge because their collaboration is so sought after by the rest of the film school’s UG and graduate students.) </p>
<p>Anyway, Chapman-Dodge is a hopping place…worth looking into if your kid is seeking a BA-based animation degree with lots of opportunity. More detailed info about the program below…</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/chapman-university/1312909-animation-digital-arts-chapman-great-inside-view.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/chapman-university/1312909-animation-digital-arts-chapman-great-inside-view.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/1313355-training-job-prospects-animation-digital-arts-2d-3d-visual-fx.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/1313355-training-job-prospects-animation-digital-arts-2d-3d-visual-fx.html</a></p>