Animation

This Animation program teaches entry-level animation skills for a variety of fields including entertainment, game design, the web, advertising, broadcasting, social media, and mobile apps. Using industry-standard 2D and 3D animation technologies, students develop professional skills for creative expression and visual storytelling. Students gain a fundamental understanding of industry-standard software applications. a solid foundation in animation history and visual storytelling, as well as hands-on exposure to digital animation pre-production and production processes. 

10+ 

This certificate program provides students with fundamental skills required to becomes an storytelling animator. After completing this program, students will be able to:

1. Present a portfolio containing original work
2. Manage efficient design and production workflows
3. Work in teams.
4. Effectively communicate the story through animation.
5. Be an effective problem-solver.

Students develop animation skills from each course in the program to build a professional portfolio that can be presented to potential employers, clients or university art & design programs. The goal of this specialization is to equip learners with a set of transferable formal and conceptual tools for a career in the field of animation, motion graphics and 3D animation. 

Programming decisions the College of the Desert’s Educational Master Plan 2019-2024 are derived from analysis of demographic data, labor market information and other relevant data as well as academic program planning and review. Additionally, Palm Springs master planning for the Environmental Impact Report established the “pillars” of that site in 2015-2016 as the District sought to move forward to meet the needs on the communities in the West Valley. 

The Animation Certificate of Achievement achieves the first goal of the Educational Master Plan. The coming campus site in Palm Springs will provide four programming “pillars,” one of those in Arts & Media. Within Arts & Media there are four signature programs, where Digital Design & Production is one. 

More than ever, stories are being told using animation. Not only for kids but also for adults. Animation is a growing industry. 

Earning Potential 

As part of the Media & Entertainment industry category, The US Bureau of Labor projects the number of jobs in graphic design and marketing has grown 5% since 2019 and the trend will continue through 2024. The future job and wage outlook are good. According to labor market information for Special Effects Artists and Animators (LMI) from www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/ in 2019 employment numbers for the Inland Empire region were 397 with the earning potential of $33,600. 

Program Credibility/Career Potential

Students earning a certificate in Animation may pursue entry-level positions fields including entertainment, game design, the web, advertising, broadcasting, social media, and mobile apps.

This career path also leads entrepreneurial work doing animation on a contract basis. Student may also choose to continue their study in the discipline toward an advanced degree. 

What students learn from the coursework classes prepares them to remain current in special effects and animation industry. The curriculum includes course offerings that provide a general overview of the discipline, as well as specific courses in the industry standard software Autodesk Maya, ToonBoom’s Storyboard Pro and Adobe’s Creative. Additionally, our campus provides Adobe Certification via Certiport which tests knowledge of the Adode Creative Suite software. Upon passing the exams students, as well as faculty and staff, receive certificates and badges that prove their proficiency in the software that is valued in the industry. Shifts in technology happen all the time and animation are also affected. DDP faculty keep current with trends through current events, professional development and using LinkedIn Learning on-line training service. 

Special effects artists and animators have a unique ability to work as a contractor or as an employee for companies anywhere in the world because of the internet. The Disney animated movie “Raya” was remotely created with the creative team collaborating fully online.