Games/Animation

For incoming students, there is a new major structure starting in the Fall of 2022:

The School of Media Arts and Studies will offer a new undergraduate degree in Animation. This degree will provide students with the skills to design, create, and engage with technologies to produce digital animation content across diverse storytelling platforms. In addition to the updated major, Media Arts and Studies will have a new Advanced Animation Lab available for students to access in Fall 2022.

The McClure school will be offering a new undergraduate degree in Virtual Reality and Game Development. This degree will provide students with the skills to design, develop and manage digital games and produce immersive experiences using tools like VR, AR and spatial audio.

For students enrolled prior to Fall 2022 in the Games and Animation major, please know that none of these changes will impact your required courses to graduate or the degree that you will be conferred upon graduation. 

The Games & Animation (G&A) emphasis area encourages students to explore the production of computer animation and digital games while also emphasizing creative decision making, storytelling and experiential learning. Students can choose from the animation core or the games core, offered in in partnership with the J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies. Games classes provide the opportunity to work through the whole game pipeline from level design to asset creation to playable game. Animation students have the opportunity to pursue animation for games, VR/AR, and film/television. The G&A cognate area allows students to take production courses outside the games or animation cores, broadening their skills while enhancing the creative process.

Students may choose from the following classes:

MDIA Foundation/Core

• MDIA 1010 - Evolution of Media
• MDIA 1020 - Media & Creative Process
• MDIA 2010 - Media Analysis and Criticism
• MDIA 2011 - Business of Media

Global Impact of Media (choose one)

• MDIA 3150 - Global Media Systems
• MDIA 3172 - Public Media
• MDIA 4015 - Media & Development
• MDIA 4140 - New Media and Communication Technologies
• MDIA 4141 - Satellite Media and Communications
• MDIA 4170 - Media and the Muslim World
• MDIA 4176 - Technology, Communication, and Culture 

Take either the Animation Core or the Games Core

Animation Core

• MDIA 1350 - Animation Foundation
• MDIA 2500 - Animation I
• MDIA 3500 - Animation II (3D)
• MDIA 4500 Animation III

Games Core

• MDIA 1350 - Animation Foundation
• MDIA 2401 - Digital Game Design
• MDIA 3401 - Game Development I
• MDIA 4401 - Game Development II

Games and Animation Elective (choose one course)

• MDIA 2701 - Visual Storytelling
• MDIA 3160 - History of Computer Graphics
• MDIA 4801 - Motion Graphics
• MDIA 4905 - Special Topics in Games & Animation

Capstone (choose one course)

• COMM 4023 - Storytelling, Technology and Digital Media in Theme parks (Disney)
• MDIA 4405 - Digital Games Capstone

Cognate

Complete three additional courses in MDIA, ITS, ECT, or COMM at the 2000, 3000 or 4000 level.