Program Overview
Mercy University's Design and Animation program equips students with the skills and knowledge for careers in animation, gaming, and design. Through a combination of lectures, hands-on projects, and critiques, students gain a comprehensive understanding of design principles, digital skills, and art history. The program boasts state-of-the-art studios and a visiting artists program featuring industry professionals, providing students with opportunities to connect with the field and pursue internships at leading companies.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Overview:
The Design and Animation program at Mercy University provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue careers in animation, gaming, and communication design, among other fields.
Objectives:
- Prepare students to shape the digital landscape through the transformation of the way we view the world.
- Provide students with a comprehensive understanding of design principles, digital skills, and the history of art and animation.
Description:
The program consists of 120 credits, which include classes in design principles, digital skills, and the history of art and animation. Students will have access to two digital design and animation studios and a traditional studio for drawing, painting, and design.
Teaching:
Methods:
The program utilizes a combination of lectures, hands-on projects, and critiques.
Faculty:
The program's faculty consists of full-time and part-time professors with expertise in various areas of design and animation.
Unique Approaches:
- Visiting artists program featuring industry professionals from Disney, Pixar, Blue Sky Studios, and the Museum of the Moving Image
- Strong record of internships at leading companies such as Blue Sky Studios, Atlantic Records, Harper's Bazaar, NBC News, and New York Magazine
- Design and animation labs equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including Cintiq Interactive Pen Displays and dedicated video projection and audio equipment
Careers:
Potential Career Paths:
- Graphic Design
- Interaction Design
- Interface Design
- Information Design
- Multimedia Design
- Web Design
- Digital Media Design
- Package Design
- Design for Film & Television (Motion Graphics)
- Computer Graphics
- Digital Photography
- Digital Imaging
- Digital and Classical Two- and Three-dimensional Animation
- CGI Modeling
- Character Animation
- Special Effects (SFX)
- Storyboarding & Scripting
- Prototyping & Playtesting for Gaming
- Level Design
- Digital Painting
- Rotoscoping
- Filming with Digital Video
- Post Production & Editing
- Art Direction
- Creative Direction
Opportunities:
- Graduates have worked for companies such as Sony Pictures Imageworks, Marvel Entertainment, Framestore, NBC Sports, Vineyard Vines, NowThis, Afropunk, Viacom, iHeartRadio, Verizon Wireless, Intel Corportation, Definition Media, Via – On-Demand Transit, Gensler, McNamara Salvia, Disney/ABC Television Group, WayForward Technologies, Stanley Black and Decker, JWT, Armstrong Partnership, Ideas on Purpose, EF Education First, Nautica, Rockstar Games, Whiteboard Animation, Powerhead Games, Pyramid America, N-Fusion Interactive, Fox Business Network, Prestige Brands, Inc, Federated Media. Fusion TV, 8 Point Studio, Softtek, WorldNow, Zwilling/J.A. Henckels, World Wrestling Entertainment, Little Airplane Productions, Aquent, VHB, Consumer Eyes, DHS Systems, SCHAWK! OnBrand Group at MasterCard Worldwide, General Electric, New Media Technology team, FAI Design Group, Incentient, Classic Medallics, Chad Lavigne LLC.
- Internships have been available at companies such as Blue Sky Studios, Luckeyou, Atlantic Records, Ideas on Purpose, Mechanism Digital, Diesel USA, Blackmaled Productions, Harpers Bazaar, JJ Sedelmaier Productions, Momentum Advertising and Design, Jacob Burns Film Center, Gaia Industries, Black Hammer Games, NBC News, The Cartoon Bank, New Yorker Magazine, Redbook, Tiny Mantis, and PM Sports.
