Animation and Visual Effects
Major: Animation and Visual Effects
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 187.0
Co-op Options: One Co-op (Four years); Three Co-op (Five years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 10.0304
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 27-1014
About the Program
The Animation & Visual Effects major provides students with the artistic, technological, story-telling, and design skills necessary to succeed as 3D animators and visual effects artists in the highly competitive entertainment, design, and communications industries.
Animation and Visual Effects has grown beyond its traditional applications in the entertainment industry. While many artists choose a career in film, television, and internet-based programming, animation production techniques are also widely used in medical research, engineering, virtual and augmented reality systems, immersive media, web content, the performing arts, interactive game systems, corporate communications, higher education, and more. The depth and complexity of this field necessitates a rigorous course of study.
To best prepare students for the demands of careers in these cutting-edge disciplines, the program provides a foundational understanding of design and technology with core courses in digital media, the option to choose between a six or eighteen-month co-op plan, and a curriculum of rigorous coursework covering specialized aspects of digital animation, visual effects, and immersive media. While courses are predominantly offered face-to-face on campus, we also offer a variety of virtual courses taught by a diverse range of professionals from across the nation, exposing students to a wider network of industry professionals and to the evolving climate of industry work, and engaging with students outside the campus boundaries. In this curriculum, students will learn the underlying principles of animation and advanced, industry-standard software and hardware technologies. The entire creative pipeline, from storyboarding to modeling and animation to rendering and compositing, is covered in-depth, allowing students to experience all aspects of a production.
Additional Information
To find out more about this major, visit the Westphal College’s Animation & Visual Effects Major webpage.
Degree Requirements
General Education Requirements | ||
CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
COM 230 | Techniques of Speaking | 3.0 |
COOP 101 | Career Management and Professional Development * | 1.0 |
ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
MATH 101 | Introduction to Analysis I | 4.0 |
PHYS 170 | Electricity and Motion | 3.0 |
PHYS 171 | Computational Lab for Electricity and Motion | 1.0 |
PHYS 175 | Light and Sound | 3.0 |
PHYS 176 | Computational Lab for Light and Sound | 1.0 |
UNIV A101 | The Drexel Experience | 2.0 |
Required Arts and Humanities-students elect a minimum of 9.0 credits ** | 9.0 | |
Required Social Science-students elect a minimum of 9.0 credits *** | 9.0 | |
Free electives | 24.0 | |
Art and Art History Requirements | ||
Required Art History (ARTH) students elect a minimum of 6.0 credits | 6.0 | |
ARTH 300 [WI] | History of Modern Design | 3.0 |
VSST 108 | Design I for Media | 3.0 |
VSST 109 | Design II for Media | 3.0 |
VSST 110 | Introductory Drawing | 3.0 |
VSST 111 | Figure Drawing I | 3.0 |
VSST 210 | Painting Basics | 3.0 |
Media and Computer Science Requirements | ||
ANIM 231 | Scripting for Animation and Visual Effects | 3.0 |
CS 171 | Computer Programming I | 3.0 |
FMTV 206 | Audio Production and Post | 3.0 |
SCRP 270 [WI] | Screenwriting I | 3.0 |
Digital Media Core Requirements | ||
ANIM 140 | Computer Graphics Imagery I | 3.0 |
ANIM 141 | Computer Graphics Imagery II | 3.0 |
ANIM 211 | Animation I | 3.0 |
DIGM 105 | Overview of Digital Media | 3.0 |
DIGM 350 [WI] | Digital Storytelling | 3.0 |
DIGM 451 [WI] | Explorations in New Media | 3.0 |
DIGM 475 [WI] | Seminar: The Future of Digital Media | 3.0 |
DIGM 490 | Digital Media Senior Project † | 9.0 |
DIGM 491 | Digital Media Senior Project Studio † | 3.0 |
GMAP 260 | Overview of Computer Gaming | 3.0 |
IDM 100 | Introduction to Web Development | 3.0 |
Animation Requirements | ||
ANIM 100 | Foundational Tools for Animation & VFX | 3.0 |
ANIM 110 | Digital Imaging for Animation & VFX | 3.0 |
ANIM 155 | Previsualization for Animated Production | 3.0 |
ANIM 212 | Animation II | 3.0 |
ANIM 214 | Digital Character Creation | 3.0 |
ANIM 215 | History of Animation | 3.0 |
ANIM 220 | Digital Compositing I | 3.0 |
ANIM 221 | Digital Compositing II | 3.0 |
ANIM 250 | Professional Practices for Animation & VFX | 3.0 |
Animation Electives | ||
Select five of the following: | 15.0 | |
Realtime Visualization | ||
Lighting & Surfacing | ||
Organic Modeling I | ||
Advanced Lighting | ||
Character Animation I | ||
Character Animation II | ||
Organic Modeling II | ||
Experimental Animation Lab | ||
Spatial Data Capture | ||
Advanced Compositing | ||
Advanced Animation | ||
Advanced Visual Effects | ||
Technical Directing for Animation | ||
Special Topics in Animation | ||
Special Topics in Animation | ||
Special Topics in Animation | ||
Special Topics in Animation | ||
Independent Study in Animation | ||
Independent Study in Animation | ||
Independent Study in Animation | ||
Independent Study in Animation | ||
Digital Cultural Heritage | ||
Overview of Immersive Media | ||
Game Development Foundations | ||
Character Animation for Gaming | ||
Total Credits | 187.0 |
- *
Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.
COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.
- **
Select from 100-499 level courses, including T380-T480 in AFAS, ARCH, ARTH, COM, DANC, ENGL, FMST, GST, HIST, INTR, IST, JWST, LANG, LING, MENA, MUSC, PHIL, PHTO, PPE, PBHL, RELS, SCRP, THTR, TVST, VSCM, WGST, WRIT.
- ***
Select from 100-499 level courses, including T380-T480, in AFAS, ANTH, CJS, CS, ECON, ENSS, ENVS, PSCI, PSY, PBHL, SOC, WGST.
- †
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.
Sample Plan of Study
5 year, 3 co-op
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ANIM 100 | 3.0 | ANIM 110 | 3.0 | ANIM 141 | 3.0 | VACATION | |
DIGM 105 | 3.0 | ANIM 140 | 3.0 | ANIM 220 | 3.0 | ||
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | COOP 101* | 1.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | ||
PHYS 170 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
PHYS 171 | 1.0 | PHYS 175 | 3.0 | MATH 101 | 4.0 | ||
UNIV A101 | 1.0 | PHYS 176 | 1.0 | VSST 109 | 3.0 | ||
VSST 110 | 3.0 | UNIV A101 | 1.0 | ||||
VSST 108 | 3.0 | ||||||
17 | 18 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ANIM 155 | 3.0 | ANIM 212 | 3.0 | ||
ANIM 211 | 3.0 | ANIM 215 | 3.0 | ||||
GMAP 260 | 3.0 | IDM 100 | 3.0 | ||||
SCRP 270 | 3.0 | VSST 111 | 3.0 | ||||
VSST 210 | 3.0 | Art History Elective | 3.0 | ||||
0 | 0 | 15 | 15 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ANIM 214 | 3.0 | ANIM 231 | 3.0 | ||
ANIM 221 | 3.0 | ANIM 250 | 3.0 | ||||
CS 171 | 3.0 | COM 230 | 3.0 | ||||
Art History Elective | 3.0 | DIGM 350 | 3.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | FMTV 206 | 3.0 | ||||
0 | 0 | 15 | 15 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ARTH 300 | 3.0 | DIGM 451 | 3.0 | ||
Animation Elective | 6.0 | Animation Elective | 3.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 6.0 | Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
Social Science Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
0 | 0 | 15 | 15 | ||||
Fifth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
DIGM 490 | 3.0 | DIGM 490 | 3.0 | DIGM 475 | 3.0 | ||
DIGM 491 | 1.0 | DIGM 491 | 1.0 | DIGM 490 | 3.0 | ||
Animation Elective | 3.0 | Animation Elective | 3.0 | DIGM 491 | 1.0 | ||
Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | Social Science Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 6.0 | ||
Social Science Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
16 | 13 | 16 | |||||
Total Credits 187 |
- *
Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.
COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.
4 year, 1 co-op
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ANIM 100 | 3.0 | ANIM 110 | 3.0 | ANIM 141 | 3.0 | VACATION | |
DIGM 105 | 3.0 | ANIM 140 | 3.0 | ANIM 220 | 3.0 | ||
ENGL 101 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | ||
PHYS 170 | 3.0 | PHYS 175 | 3.0 | ENGL 103 | 3.0 | ||
PHYS 171 | 1.0 | PHYS 176 | 1.0 | MATH 101 | 4.0 | ||
UNIV A101 | 1.0 | UNIV A101 | 1.0 | VSST 109 | 3.0 | ||
VSST 110 | 3.0 | VSST 108 | 3.0 | ||||
17 | 17 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ANIM 155 | 3.0 | ANIM 212 | 3.0 | ANIM 214 | 3.0 | ANIM 231 | 3.0 |
ANIM 211 | 3.0 | ANIM 215 | 3.0 | ANIM 221 | 3.0 | ANIM 250 | 3.0 |
GMAP 260 | 3.0 | IDM 100 | 3.0 | CS 171 | 3.0 | COM 230 | 3.0 |
SCRP 270 | 3.0 | VSST 111 | 3.0 | Art History Elective | 3.0 | COOP 101* | 1.0 |
VSST 210 | 3.0 | Art History Elective | 3.0 | Free elective | 3.0 | DIGM 350 | 3.0 |
FMTV 206 | 3.0 | ||||||
15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ARTH 300 | 3.0 | DIGM 451 | 3.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
Animation Electives | 6.0 | Animation Elective | 3.0 | ||||
Free Electives | 6.0 | Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
Social Science Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
DIGM 490 | 3.0 | DIGM 490 | 3.0 | DIGM 475 | 3.0 | ||
DIGM 491 | 1.0 | DIGM 491 | 1.0 | DIGM 490 | 3.0 | ||
Animation Elective | 3.0 | Animation Elective | 3.0 | DIGM 491 | 1.0 | ||
Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | Social Science Elective | 3.0 | Free Electives | 6.0 | ||
Social Science Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
16 | 13 | 16 | |||||
Total Credits 187 |
- *
Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.
COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.
Dual/Accelerated Degrees
The accelerated degree program enables academically qualified students to earn both their bachelor's degree and a master's degree in digital media, graduating sooner than they would in traditional programs.
Current Drexel Animation and Visual Effects students may apply for the accelerated BS/MS degree through the Graduate College of Drexel University after completing 90.0 credits, but no more than 120.0 credits. Contact the Graduate College of Drexel University for further information.
Facilities
This major is based in the Westphal College's Digital Media Department, located in the Westphal College's URBN Center.
The central creative space for the department is the Animation Capture & Effects Lab (ACE-Lab), featuring a 1200-square-foot open studio space dedicated to digital media production. The studio features include a 25-foot by 17-foot green screen cyclorama, studio lighting and modifiers, HD/2k/4k camera systems, camera dolly, Vicon Vantage motion capture system, stereo-360 “VR Video” capture systems, room-scale VR tracking systems, and a full 360° Immersive Projection Dome among other resources.
Additional spaces surrounding the main studio include screening rooms, classrooms and computer labs featuring advanced graphics work stations, VR labs, research labs, meeting rooms, and faculty offices.