Bachelor of Fine Arts in 3D Animation and Game Design
The 3D Animation and Game Design (ANGD) program prepares students to pursue careers in the field of computer-generated animation in film, television, advertising, and games. Graduates find work as modelers, texture artists, animators, character animators, compositors, game programmers, production managers and game designers. In addition to layout, illustration, and cinematic skills, students learn professional production values and practices.
The goal of the ANGD program is to prepare students for a demanding and competitive field. Because of this competitiveness, the department must be selective and demanding in course work requirements and assessments. A student's success in this area depends on a solid foundation in modeling, form finding, texture painting, motion studies, animation mechanics, cinematic theory, problem solving ability, and/or software skills. Since the experiences and backgrounds of entering students vary widely, some students need additional time at the foundation level before they are ready for their concentration courses.
It is University policy that students must pass courses in their major with a minimum grade of C. Students who make a D or less must re-take their major courses. In the ANGD program, students may attempt each ANGD course twice.
Portfolio Review
The 3D Animation and Game industries are highly competitive and demanding. Finding work in this environment requires a strong portfolio that can compete in a national and international arena.
Understanding this reality, the ANGD department strives to help students find if they will be successful in this major as early as possible in their academic career. The first year of the curriculum is dedicated to giving students an overview of the varying areas and skills used in the 3D industry. At the end of the first year of study, all ANGD students are required to submit a portfolio of the work completed in the ANGD first-year core. Only upon passage of this Portfolio Review can students enter the Animation, Modeling, Programming for Games, or Production Managment concentrations and continue study within the major.
Portfolios are reviewed at the end of the first year. All transfer students who wish to start in the Modeling or Animation concentration classes must submit a portfolio at the scheduled portfolio review time the spring semester before they plan to attend. Since the number of applicants will vary each year, passing grades in first-year classes will not guarantee admission to the major.
Students who do not pass the portfolio review may resubmit a portfolio the following year. Students who plan on resubmitting a portfolio for review should retake some or all of the first-year courses to enhance their portfolio.
Please note that acceptance to the University does not guarantee admission to the ANGD major.
Concentrations
The 3D Animation and Game Design program offers four concentrations: Animation, Modeling, Production Management, and Programming. The Bachelor of Fine Arts program requires completion of 120 credit hours in each concentration.
Minors
The 3D Animation and Game Design department offers minors in Game Programming and Production Management. Students do not need to be enrolled in the 3D Animation and Game Design program to enroll in the minors.
Degree Plan
Students may complete the 3D Animation and Game Design program in one of four concentrations: Animation, Modeling, Production Management, and Programming. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in 3D Animation and Game Design program requires completion of 120 credit hours in each concentration.
Animation Concentration
Through classes like Anatomy for Animators, Motion Capture, History of Animation, and our Animation I-IV series, students learn more about the connection between the story, performance, movement and mechanics for film and games.
UIW Undergraduate Core Curriculum
UIW core coursework is required. Review the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Here and review the degree plans for each concentration for scheduling of the core curriculum classwork. In addition, 45 Community Service hours are part of all bachelor's degree programs. See Community Service.
| UIW Core Curriculum |
| Composition and Rhetoric |
6 credit hours |
| Literature and Art |
6 credit hours |
| Science and Mathematics |
7 credit hours |
| History and Behavioral Science |
6 credit hours |
| Philosophy and Religion |
9 credit hours |
| Second Language |
6 credit hours |
| Wellness and Physical Education |
3 credit hours |
| |
43 total core credit hours |
| |
|
| Community Service |
45 clock hours (non-credit) |
ANGD Core Courses
The Animation Industry Seminar, ANGD 4100, is taken six times, the fall and spring of years 2, 3, and 4 in the program.
Animation Concentration Courses
Modeling Concentration
Through a series of courses on both Character Modeling and Environment modeling, students learn about the processes and pipelines to creating the environments and characters of games and film. From box modeling, to procedural modeling, to digital sculpting, students gain the knowledge of industry-standard workflows to the worlds players and viewers inhabit.
UIW Undergraduate Core Curriculum
UIW core coursework is required. Review the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Here and review the degree plans for each concentration for scheduling of the core curriculum classwork. In addition, 45 Community Service hours are part of all bachelor's degree programs. See Community Service.
| UIW Core Curriculum |
| Composition and Rhetoric |
6 credit hours |
| Literature and Art |
6 credit hours |
| Science and Mathematics |
7 credit hours |
| History and Behavioral Science |
6 credit hours |
| Philosophy and Religion |
9 credit hours |
| Second Language |
6 credit hours |
| Wellness and Physical Education |
3 credit hours |
| |
43 total core credit hours |
| |
|
| Community Service |
45 clock hours (non-credit) |
ANGD Core Courses
The Animation Industry Seminar, ANGD 4100, is taken six times, the fall and spring of years 2, 3, and 4 in the program.
Modeling Concentration Coursework
Production Management Concentration
The best of the technique and skill of animation and the production administration of management are emphasized in the Production Management Concentration. Students also learn more about managing projects and productions for different mediums from computer games, to virtual reality projects, to mobile projects, to name a few.
UIW Undergraduate Core Curriculum
UIW core coursework is required. Review the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Here and review the degree plans for each concentration for scheduling of the core curriculum classwork. In addition, 45 Community Service hours are part of all bachelor's degree programs. See Community Service.
| UIW Core Curriculum |
| Composition and Rhetoric |
6 credit hours |
| Literature and Art |
6 credit hours |
| Science and Mathematics |
7 credit hours |
| History and Behavioral Science |
6 credit hours |
| Philosophy and Religion |
9 credit hours |
| Second Language |
6 credit hours |
| Wellness and Physical Education |
3 credit hours |
| |
43 total core credit hours |
| |
|
| Community Service |
45 clock hours (non-credit) |
ANGD Core Courses
The Animation Industry Seminar, ANGD 4100, is taken six times, the fall and spring of years 2, 3, and 4 in the program.
Production Management Concentration Courses
Programming Concentration
An interdisciplinary concentration, Programming integrates mathematics courses, programming languages and deep study into the technical mechanics of advanced game systems, including augmented reality, virtual reality, animation, and emerging technologies, and ultimately prepares students to develop game professionally.
UIW Undergraduate Core Curriculum
UIW core coursework is required. Review the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Here and review the degree plans for each concentration for scheduling of the core curriculum classwork. In addition, 45 Community Service hours are part of all bachelor's degree programs. See Community Service.
| UIW Core Curriculum |
| Composition and Rhetoric |
6 credit hours |
| Literature and Art |
6 credit hours |
| Science and Mathematics |
7 credit hours |
| History and Behavioral Science |
6 credit hours |
| Philosophy and Religion |
9 credit hours |
| Second Language |
6 credit hours |
| Wellness and Physical Education |
3 credit hours |
| |
43 total core credit hours |
| |
|
| Community Service |
45 clock hours (non-credit) |
ANGD Core Courses
The Animation Industry Seminar, ANGD 4100, is taken six times, the fall and spring of years 2, 3, and 4 in the program.
Programming Concentration Courses
Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's
Degrees: Bachelor of Science and Master of Science
Apply to UIW: Application for the Accelerated Bachelor to Master's in 3D Animation and Game Design
The Accelerated Bachelors to Masters (ABM) program in the department of 3D Animation & Game Design provides students with a cost- and time-effective means of completing both an undergraduate Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Game Develop (MGD) degree. The ABM does this by allowing students to begin taking some of the graduate-level courses while still an undergraduate student. Further, some of the upper-level undergraduate courses are counted using the MGD's Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) mechanism. Graduates of the ABM will graduate with both the BFA and MGD and be prepared for work in the video game industry or a career in 3D education pathways.