The University of Edinboro’s award-winning animation program once again ranks among the best in the United States, having received two major national rankings and being named one of the best in Pennsylvania.
Animation Career Review, which publishes regional and national rankings of animation and game design schools, ranked the University of Edinboro #5 in the list of Top 5 Animation School Programs in Pennsylvania in 2022 and the #14 program in the Top 25 Animation Schools & Colleges on the East Coast.
“Our continued ranking is a testament to the talent of our students and the dedication and mentorship of our professors,” said Suzanne Proulx, Associate Professor and Chair of Edinboro’s Art Department. “It should be noted that similarly ranked programs are found at top art schools and private universities. Our animation teachers are active practitioners who work for Sesame Street, Disney and Nickelodeon, projecting their independent animations and winning international awards.
Students in Edinboro’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Applied Media Arts program can focus on traditional animation, computer animation, or film and video. Graduates of the program have landed careers at Disney Animation, Pixar, and Discovery Channel as animators, filmmakers, directors, and producers. Alumni names can be spotted in the credits of films such as “Zootopia”, “Frozen” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”.
Animation students at Edinboro have access to the latest tools in the field of animation, including professional studio/field cameras and video cameras, lights and sound recording equipment, video editing systems not linear, large green screen area and 2-D and 3-D computer animation workstations.
In 2021, Leah DeJohn, Abigail Frisch, Beau Henry, Tyler Kratz and Luke Shay, known as The Miraculous 112 – who created “The New Normal” for the national competition 24 HOURS Animation – completed their submission in one time 12-hour record, which was #1 in the United States. The team placed fourth overall out of 208 teams that participated in the 19th year of the competition.
At Edinboro, faculty, staff, and students promote a 100-year history of teaching visual arts and arts education. Additionally, the art department is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), which sets national standards for excellence in the field.
Students have access to everything they need to pursue a rewarding career in animation. Start with basic concepts like the 12 Principles of Animation and progress to advanced production concepts that will allow you to produce and direct your own animated shorts.
Animation Career Review analyzed 199 colleges and universities for the 2022 rankings, using criteria such as academic reputation, admissions selectivity, employment data, depth and breadth of program faculty, value when it comes to tuition and debt and graduation rate.
To learn more about Edinboro’s Applied Media Arts major and the full range of art programs, visit art.edinboro.edu.
Photo: Leah DeJohn, Abigail Frisch, Beau Henry, Tyler Kratz and Luke Shay, known as The Miraculous 112, finished in the top five worldwide in the 24 HOUR National Competitive Animation Competition in October 2021.