Bachelor of Applied Arts (Animation)

Break into the industry via the best animation program on earth

School:
Animation, Arts and Design
Program Code:
PBAAA
Duration:
4 Years
Designation:
Bachelor’s Degree
Campus:
Trafalgar Road Campus
Start Date:
September
Start in
September

Michael Hirsch, CEO of Cookie Jar, refers to Sheridan as the Harvard of animation colleges. We began offering animation courses in 1971 and have been leaders in the field ever since. Our Animation degree students come from all over the world, and after graduation they go to work for Pixar, Dreamworks, Cookie Jar, Cuppa Coffee, Studio B, Nelvana, Corus, Electronic Arts, and other giants of animation and gaming.

What makes Sheridan the best animation college in North America?

  • Rigorous instruction in both classical and computer animation. You’ll do cutting-edge 3-D computer animation at Sheridan, but a great animator has to understand 2-D principles of movement, performance, and expression. No animation degree program teaches the fundamentals better than Sheridan.
  • Professional, hands-on instruction. You’ll be taught by industry pros, using the same techniques and tools that you’ll eventually need in the workplace.
  • Creative freedom. You’ll create your own scripts, characters, and layouts, and produce your own films.
  • Career connections. After Year 3 you’ll gain professional experience during a three-month work placement. And at our annual Industry Day, employers fly in from across North America to meet you, see your work, and conduct interviews.

From Story Pitch to Finished Film

In your first two years of Sheridan’s Animation program you’ll study the principals of animation, learn the art of storyboarding, and hone your life-drawing, layout, and painting skills. In Years 3 and 4 you’ll be making films. You’ll learn the entire process from start to finish — working in 2-D, 3-D, or stop motion.

Sheridan animation courses are held in Oakville, Ontario.


During a recent visit, DreamWorks CEO and founder Jeffrey Katzenberg told our Animation degree students, “Sheridan is the best in animation training.” Employers regard our animators as the cream of the crop; Sheridan graduates routinely go straight to work for top-flight studios and firms in:

  • Feature films
  • Television animation
  • Gaming
  • Advertising

At our annual Industry Day, you’ll have the chance to meet and show your work to employers from around the world.


Program Eligibility

Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent, including these required courses:

  • English, Grade 12 (ENG4U)

plus

  • One senior-level Visual Arts credit at the M, or Open Level
  • Four other Grade 12 subjects at the U or M level
  • Minimum 65% overall average

Applicant Selection

Eligible applicants are selected on the basis of previous academic achievement (the average of their six highest senior-level credits, including required courses), and the results of their portfolio assessment. A portfolio review fee is required with the submission.

Applicants who do not meet the admission requirements for this program will be assessed and advised individually and may be considered for other, related programs.

PROGRESSION POLICY

Academic progress in the program is based on meeting the requirements of an internal academic policy that outlines course and program grade standards, as well as pre- and co-requisites. This policy is distributed to students at the commencement of the program.

Sheridan has been granted a consent by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to offer this applied degree for a further five-year term starting December 31, 2007. Sheridan will ensure that all students admitted to the Bachelor of Applied Arts (Animation) Program during the period of consent will have the opportunity to complete the program within a reasonable time frame.

CODE TITLE CREDITS
 
Term 1
ANIM 10102 Introduction to Life Drawing 3
ANIM 13921 Animation Principles 5
ANIM 17198 Visual Concepts 3
ANIM 18081 Introduction to Dimensional Drawing 4
ANIM 10009 Introduction to Digital Tools 3
ENGL 17889GD Composition and Rhetoric 3
 
Total: 21
 
TERM 2
ANIM 13672 Introduction to Dynamic Anatomy 3
ANIM 10082 Animation Principles 2 5
ANIM 10172 Story and Sequential Narrative 3
ANIM 19014 Drawing for Layout 4
ANIM 10036 Digitial Methodologies: 2-D Animation 3
ANIM 19599GD Animation History 3
 
Total: 21
 
TERM 3
ANIM 28263 Intermediate Figure Analysis 3
ANIM 27198 Action Analysis: Animation and Design 5
ANIM 20146
Storyboarding: Critical Structures
3
ANIM 26859 Visual Development: Layout and Painting 4
ANIM 20065 Digital Methodologies: Dialogue, Music and Sound Effects 3
HIST 18653GD Art in Social and Cultural Context 3
 
Total: 21
 
TERM 4
ANIM 22350 Exploration of Figure Analysis 3
ANIM 20036 Animation: Dialogue and Design 5
ANIM 20016 Sequential Narrative and Performance 5
ANIM 25586 Digital Painting and Layout 4
ANIM 28448 Digital Methodologies: 3-D Modelling 3
HIST 10101GD History of Film
 
Total: 23
 
TERM 5
ANIM 37370 Continuity, Design and Figurative Performance 3
ANIM 36529 Animation: Classical and Stop Motion 6
ANIM 30102 Storyboarding: Advanced Story Structure 3
ANIM 30408 Layout and Art Direction 3
ANIM 33431 Digital Methodologies: 3-D Animation 3
HUMN 27198GD Studies of Character and Culture 3
COWT 10023 Co-op Forum (Degree Programs) -
 
Total:
21
 
TERM 6
ANIM 37721 Exploring Character and Costume 3
ANIM 30123 Animation Production 3
ANIM 30261 Storyboarding: Project Development 3
ANIM 30146 Layout and Production 3
ANIM 34310 Digital Methodologies: Character Rigging and Setup 3
CULT 14717GD Music: Structure and Culture 3
 
Total: 18
 
MAY WORK TERM
COWT 18888 Co-op Work Term (Degree Programs) -
 
TERM 7
ANIM 44310 Advanced Figure Drawing and Art Direction 3
ANIM 45436 Senior Animation Project 6
plus 2 Breadth Electives 6
 
Total: 15
TERM 8
ANIM 47028     Capstone Animation Project 9
plus 2 Breadth Electives 6
Total: 15

Note: Courses subject to change.

Employers Love Sheridan Grads

College-wide Statistics:

Employer Satisfaction 94%
Graduate Satisfaction 82%
Graduate Employment Rate 88%