Game Design, Animation Programs Ranked

March 20, 2013

Columbia College Chicago was recently ranked number 8 on Animation Career Review’s list of the “Top 100 US Schools for Animation and Game Design.” The site is an online resource for aspiring animation, design, and gaming professionals. Columbia College was ranked number 18 on the same list in 2012.

According to Animation Career Review, colleges were judged by academic reputation, admission selectivity, the strength of the school’s program, tuition in relation to value and geographic location. More than 400 US programs were considered for the list.

The rankings mention Columbia College’s different opportunities for students who desire a program in animation. Columbia College’s Interactive Arts & Media department offers both BA and BFA degrees, a BA/BS in Game Programming, and a Major in Game Design with concentrations in Game Art, Game Development, or Game Sound Design. The Animation Program in the Film & Video Department offers degrees in both traditional and computer animation.

In an interview with the Columbia Chronicle about the ranking, Joe Cancellaro, chair of the Interactive Arts and Media department, credits the videogame programs’ ranking to its teachers and the 260 currently enrolled students. “Columbia’s gaming programs are unique because they are centered in an already integrated department and because they focus on story narrative in the games they design,” he said.

In the Columbia Chronicle article, Bruce Sheridan, chair of the Film & Video Department, said the “recognition is important because it acknowledges the high level of professional work that the department expects and instills in its 150 animation students.”