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What education is needed to become an animator?

Arts and Media March 2020
In this article we answer the following questions: 1ºWhat education is needed to become an animator? 2ºHow to Become an Animator

What education is needed to become an animator?

In this article we answer the following questions: 1ºWhat education is needed to become an animator? 2ºHow to Become an Animator

Required Education For a Career in Animation

Once regulated to family movies and children’s “Saturday morning” TV shows, the field of animation has expanded to encompass all areas of entertainment and has even found its place in areas like law and medicine.  But what education do you need for animation?  And specifically, what education is needed to become an animator?

Can you become an animator without a degree?

Let’s begin with what education is required to become an animator because this tackles the larger question of what qualifications do you need to become an animator.

Rasmussen College’s website features an article entitled “How to Become an Animator and Bring Your Creative Career to Life” by Brianna Flavin, a content writer for Collegis Education. According to the article, “Employers typically require animators to possess a Bachelor’s degree, according to the BLS [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics].”

How long does it take to become an animator?

While there is no exact answer, Flavin does emphasize the importance of an internship and a portfolio to land your first animator job.  “While some students might find job opportunities without experience outside of school, Tom Geiser, president of Pickett Productions says internships are an important way for aspiring animators to transition from academia to the career world,” she writes. In other words, if a bachelor’s degree on average takes 4 to 5 years to earn, an aspiring animator needs to add the duration of their internship to their formal education (or explore doing both at once).

How to Become an Animator

Flavin writes that the process to becoming an animator can be broken down into five steps.

Animators Education Requirements

The first step, according to Flavin, is to “Assess your aptitude” or more specifically access your soft skills such as communication skills and creativity, as well as your technical abilities for areas like video editing and for programs like Photoshop® and Illustrator® (as well as other Adobe® products).

Animator Degree Options

The next step Flavin recommends is to “Get educated.”  She specifically recommends pursuing Rasmussen College’s Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design with an Animation & Motion Graphics specialization, answer the question what degree is needed to be an animator. This education helps students with the next step: “Seek experience” where they can apply for internships and freelance, as well as the “Build your portfolio” step, which recommends an aspiring animator build a website or websites to showcase their animation skills and range of work.

Job Opportunities

Finally, Flavin’s last step (“Find a job”) references another article on Rasmussen’s website entitled “Where Do Animators Work? 5 Options You Never Knew Existed,” which was written by Will Erstad, a Sr. Content Specialist at Collegis Education. Among the possible fields listed in Erstad’s piece are scientific and technical services, educational services and insurance carriers. 

Conclusion: What do I need to be an animator?

Beyond the technical requirements, becoming an animator requires a love and appreciation of the craft of animation.  Even with the help of computers, animation is still a painstaking process that requires dedication and discipline. 

To read the full article “How to Become an Animator and Bring Your Creative Career to Life” visit https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/how-to-become-an-animator/

To read the full article “Where Do Animators Work? 5 Options You Never Knew Existed” visit https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/where-do-animators-work/

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