Bachelor of Animation
Program details
Credential: 3-Year Bachelor of Animation
This three-year applied degree program develops artists who can contribute across the animation production pipeline. The curriculum combines strong visual storytelling and traditional art foundations with hands-on 3D production, character performance, modelling, digital sculpting, rigging, lighting, rendering, compositing and production-management skills.
Students learn through applied projects that mirror the collaborative, iterative workflows used in animation and digital-content production and emphasize visual storytelling, iterative feedback, problem solving, professional communication and teamwork.
Students are prepared to support creative teams for animation, film, VFX, games, marketing, e-learning, training, visualization and other organizations that create animated or 3D content by contributing to character and object animation, 3D asset creation, scene and camera layout, lighting/rendering, compositing, visual development, storyboards, production tracking and short-form digital content.
Work with an employer relations consultant
We're here to support with recruitment planning, job postings, wage information or connecting with talented co-op students.
Teresa Lee
tlee@conestogac.on.ca
519-748-5220, ext. 3678
Student availability & wage data
Conestoga College facilitates recruitment on an ongoing basis - there are no hard deadlines. Typical time frames for work terms are listed below.
Postings are accepted beginning four months before the start of a term until all students have secured employment provided the minimum 12 consecutive weeks of full-time work is met.
Work/Study sequence
| Year | Fall (Sept - Dec) | Winter (Jan - Apr) | Spring (May - Aug) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Classes | Classes | |
| Year 2 | Classes | Classes | Work Term 1: $N/A |
| Year 3 | Classes | Classes |
|
Conestoga College collects data on hourly wages of co-operative education students and offers suggested ranges as a service to employers for the purpose of establishing fair and competitive compensation.
Our experience has been that employers increase wages as skills increase, particularly when employing students for more advanced work terms. The Co-operative Education Office can provide assistance to employers in establishing appropriate wage rates.
Work term capabilities
- Animate believable character movement and performance using action analysis, body mechanics and core animation principles
- Create and refine 3D props, environments and character assets using production-aware modelling, topology and digital-sculpting techniques
- Stage scenes in 3D using cameras, composition, perspective, framing and cinematic storytelling principles
- Build and test foundational character rigs with attention to controls, usability and deformation
- Light and render shots using modern renderlayer/ pass workflows and prepare imagery for compositing
- Composite and finish animated content using colour, sound and post-production techniques to strengthen visual communication
- Develop storyboards, concept art, visual research and design material for animation and digital-content projects
- Organize production work around schedules, milestones, review cycles, asset/shot tracking and team communication
- Collaborate professionally, respond to feedback and communicate project requirements to creative, technical and non-technical audiences
Software tools
| Tool / software | How students use it |
|---|---|
| Autodesk Maya | Primary 3D animation and production environment: character animation, body mechanics, layout, cameras, modelling, introductory rigging, scene assembly, lighting/rendering and pipeline-oriented 3D work. |
| Adobe After Effects | Compositing and post-production; assembling rendered elements, colour and image adjustments, motion-graphics support, effects, titles and delivery-oriented finishing. |
| Adobe Photoshop | Visual development, digital painting, concept support, image editing, reference preparation, paintovers and texture/image preparation where required. |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | Editorial and sequence assembly, animatics, video review outputs, basic sound integration and presentation/delivery of moving-image work. |
| Digital sculpting software (ZBrush) | Organic character and creature sculpting, anatomical form development, high-resolution detail and preparation for optimized production topology. |
| Drawing tablets and digital painting tools | Storyboard, visual-development and concept-art workflows that combine drawing fundamentals with digital production. |
Sample job titles
| Discipline | Sample co-op positions |
|---|---|
| Animation | 3D Animation Co-op, Junior 3D Animator, Character Animation Co-op, Animation Assistant, Junior Character Animator |
| Modelling / assets | 3D Modelling Co-op, Junior 3D Artist, Asset Artist Co-op, Prop Artist Co-op, Environment Artist Co-op, Character Modelling Assistant |
| Rigging / technical animation | Rigging Co-op, Junior Rigging Artist, Rigging Assistant, Technical Animation Assistant |
| Layout / previsualization | 3D Layout Artist Co-op, Layout Assistant, Previsualization Assistant, Cinematic Layout Co-op |
| Lighting / rendering | Lighting Artist Co-op, Junior Lighting Artist, Lighting & Rendering Assistant, Render Support Artist |
| Compositing / post | Compositing Co-op, Junior Compositor, Post-Production Assistant, Animation Post-Production Co-op |
| Story / design | Storyboard Artist Co-op, Storyboard Assistant, Visual Development Co-op, Concept Art Assistant, 3D Visualization Artist Co-op |
| Marketing / digital media | Motion Graphics Co-op, Multimedia Animator, Digital Content Animator, Creative Media Co-op, 3D Content Creator |
| E-learning / training media | Training Media Animator, E-learning Media Artist, Learning Content Animator, Multimedia Content Developer (animation-focused), Educational Media Co-op |
| Production support | Animation Production Assistant, Creative Production Co-op, Production Tracking Assistant, Studio Production Assistant |