KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 15, 2022

Animation Career Review publishers rank KSU’s new Animation Program in top listings

Kennesaw State University’s School of Art and Design’s Animation Program has been ranked nationally and regionally as a top program by Animation Career Review. The recognition is particularly significant in that KSU's Animation Program is only four years old. 

Geo Sipp, Professor of Art and Director of the School of Art and Design, says, “This spring, we will be graduating just our 4th cohort from this program and to receive this national recognition is exciting. The university has been very supportive, providing fully equipped studios and recognizing the need for additional faculty support.” 

Animation Career Review ranked the KSU Animation Program in the Top 40 Nationally Among Public Schools and Colleges (#38), in the Top 25 in the South (#18), and #2 in the State of Georgia. 

KSU School of Art and Design has lofty goals for the future, too. Sipp explains, “We will be developing a 3D Animation track that should significantly enhance our ability to educate students and graduate them to positions in the industry. The Digital Animation track of our new Master of Arts in Art and Design also enhances the students’ abilities to prepare their films and reels for potential success in the industry.” 

Harrison Long, Interim Dean of the College of the Arts, says, “How impressive that this young, innovative program has risen so quickly to regional and national prominence. As a leader in digital entertainment industries, Georgia demands a quality professional degree like ours to prepare students for the workforce. Once again, KSU answers the call.”

The Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Digital Animation (B.F.A.) is a professional degree program. The BFA prepares students for a variety of animation and animation-related careers or graduate school by providing a thorough grounding in fundamental principles and techniques. The degree focuses on intensive work in digital animation supported by a program of general studies. The School of Art and Design is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

Animation Career Review started publishing regional and national rankings in 2012, in response to requests from aspiring animators and game designers asking what the best schools were in the US, a given state, or in a particular area of the country. The goal of publishing the ranking is to provide students and their parents access to ample information so they may make an informed decision about the school they choose to attend and the program they pursue.

The animation programs are ranked based on the following criteria: academic reputation; admission selectivity; employment data; depth and breadth of program faculty; value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness, and graduation rate. 

--Kathie Beckett