The Animation and Illustration program focuses on drawing skills, concept development, and narrative storytelling through a combination of traditional and digital media. Students considering this specialization should possess an excellent aptitude for drawing and anticipate the rigorous demands of hand rendering and digital image making.

Introductory courses provide a background in traditional editorial illustration and 2D animation with an emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature, critical theory, and artistic practices of design, painting, photography, filmmaking and computer graphics. Critique of individual artwork and research on the history of animation and illustration will provide a basis from which students will produce a portfolio of creative work. In hands-on studio courses, students will be presented with concepts and techniques relevant to current developments in illustration and animation.