Program Overview
Contribute your vision to the world. Learn the foundations and practice of animation, from character design to top-end computer graphics and 3D graphics. At Lipscomb, you'll grow your creative skills under some of the most prominent animators in the U.S., including Tom Bancroft and John Pomeroy. You’ll connect with and learn from experts in Maya software, the industry-standard in computer graphics and CGI effects. Every semester we bring in top Animation industry talent to speak to students. We also plan trips to LA, and even Florence Italy, for animation conventions and internship experiences.
Gain valuable experience in a faith-based community that will set you up for a meaningful career in animation — one filled with creativity, integrity and innovation, and driven by the desire to make a difference.
“It is a personal mandate that our instructors are busy working within the animation industry so that we are teaching from industry learned truths and using the same up-to-date programs and tech we use at home while working with the biggest studios and characters in the world. To prove this, Lipscomb can claim it is the only school in the world to have two former Disney supervising animators as instructors.” —Tom Bancroft, Artist in Residence
The Lipscomb animation program experience is unlike any other. Learn from industry professionals who are still creating, while engaging with students and taking the time to mentor individuals at each level of learning. Our program emphasizes a close relationship with film and music — a collaboration that results in strong content. Our curriculum ensures you will have a solid foundation of storytelling — with courses like Writing for Animation taught by co-creator of VeggieTales Mike Nawrocki. Students will understand what makes a story worth sharing and the many aspects of successfully executing that story. This, along with strong artistic and technical skills, is what will set you up for success.
Express your individual voice while using ethical guidelines to find your own expression. Learn to use your animation and storytelling skills to celebrate culture and influence society through visual communication. Collaborate on creations with other like-minded, driven individuals and professors at Lipscomb
For anyone applying for the BFA in Animation, you must submit via email the following portfolio requirements. The first deadline is January 15, the second is March 1 of the year you plan to attend. Late submissions will still be considered.
If you are not accepted into the BFA program by fall of the year you are starting, you will have another opportunity to apply after your first year in the program. Any student not admitted into the BFA program can still earn a B.A. in Animation. Speak with your advisor for more information.
Requirements for animation majors:
- Please submit only digital work in the form of digital file images in either .jpg or .png file formats for images and .mov files for movies. Providing links to a personal YouTube or Vimeo channel for movie files is also acceptable.
- Minimum 10 works/ maximum 15 works.*
- Digital slides accepted on Google Drive or Dropbox. Please provide a link.
- Digital slides must have a corresponding slide list with the following information: the title of the piece, medium, size of the artwork and the date of completion.
- Letter of intent addressed to the Selection Committee explaining what concentration you wish to study (2D animation or CG animation, who you are, contact information, etc.)
There can be multiple images on a single page, but nothing too small, please. Sketches and exploratory work, along with the final piece is encouraged. Rendered drawings are not as important. Here is a list of what we would like to see in order of importance, specifically, for the B.A. and BFA in Animation programs:
- Animation reel or animation tests
- Figure drawings/ gesture drawings (or sketches of people doing things around you)
- Animal drawings or sketches
- Sketchbook pages that you like
- CG models (figures or objects)
- Paintings and architectural renderings
- Character designs
- Caricatures or illustrations
Upload these items to your Bison Portal in the portfolio section. You must submit a minimum of 10 pieces.
In Lipscomb’s animation program, you will take two capstone courses. Capstone I is designed to allow you time to continue developing and processing your senior thesis short film; this course is primarily for the animation phase. Capstone II is the final phase of the senior project and career preparation where you will focus on the post-production aspects of your senior thesis short film, including final editing and rendering, reel updates, self-promotional support opportunities such as competitions, and film/animation festivals.
