My college isn’t that big on art, but it has an art building. I was planning on finishing part of my GE at this college, then transferring to this other college that is mainly focused on art. But, for now, the college I’m at only has majors of Art in studio art or graphic design, and I’m not sure which one is better for preparing I guess for animation? I’m not too sure about the animation industry, or the different type of positions there are, but there was one I saw that might be interesting, which is concept art, and I know that could also apply to the video game industry, as well, but I’m mostly aiming for animation companies.
I have absolutely no idea.
But what my kids did when faced with that sort of dilemma was email a bunch of people who have the job they wanted, and ask for opinions.
You may not get many responses. But the ones you get will be worth their weight in gold.
From the people I know in the animation industry, graphic design all the way, as you will need to get used to creating with computers as your tool, and you still should have basic art principles in graphic design. If possible, do take some general studio courses focusing on 2D drawing.
Animation is an incredibly competitive field, and if you don’t have the option to take animation courses, you’re going to have to teach yourself. Google is your friend - look up the most popular animation software and begin playing around with it. Eventually, graduate to doing some increasingly complex tutorials. Networking is also extremely important, so if you are serious, I would do what is suggested above and try to contact people. Linkedin is the place to start there.
Try asking in: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/