College of Applied and Technical Studies
www.kent.edu/cats

About This Program

Ready to turn your passion for games and animation into a profession? Kent State University's Animation and Game Design bachelor's degree program is the perfect place to start. With a cutting-edge curriculum and access to state-of-the-art technology, you'll be equipped with the skills you need to make your mark in the industry. Read more...

Contact Information

• Chris Totten | ctotten@kent.edu |
  330-308-7567
• Speak with an Advisor
  • Kent Campus
  • Stark Campus
  • Tuscarawas Campus
• Chat with an Admissions Counselor: Kent Campus | Regional Campuses

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus
  • Stark Campus
  • Tuscarawas Campus

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries*

Accreditation

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)

^{* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.}

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning a minimum 525 TOEFL score (71 on the Internet-based version), minimum 75 MELAB score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score or minimum 48 PTE Academic score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive Program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the program's Coursework tab.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

²

Students should meet with an advisor when selecting electives.

Animation Concentration Requirements

Game Design Concentration Requirements

Graduation Requirements

Roadmaps

Animation Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Game Design Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

University Requirements

All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.

NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.

Kent Core Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate current skills in two- and three-dimension modeling, animation and game design.
2. Apply design thinking to technological problems, including demonstrating familiarity with design thinking applicable to their professional work.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the ethics (and legal issues) closely associated with fields of modeling, animation and game design.
4. Demonstrate effective communication skills — both verbally and in written form — with technical, business and design professionals, including effective communication as individuals and as part of a project team.
5. Participate in and lead multidisciplinary project teams, demonstrating theoretical and practical understanding of team dynamics.
6. Demonstrate appreciation for diverse cultures and individual differences and reflect that appreciation in their work.
7. Engage in continuous learning, as well as research and assess new ideas and information to provide the capabilities for lifelong learning.

Full Description

The Bachelor of Science degree in Animation Game Design provides the key concepts, creative tools and principles of diverse skills in fundamental and advanced technical knowledge of modeling, animation and game design.

The degree program prepares students for careers by developing technical competency, creative/independent problem solving and conceptual understanding necessary for the challenges of a career in the creative industries. Upon graduation, students have created a professional-quality portfolio to enter the field of content creators and are prepared for jobs in technical illustration, two- and three-dimension modeling, game design, animation, artistic production and exhibition. Students are guided in selecting courses that support a given concentration. They can take courses in various aspects of art, design and film/video.

The Animation Game Design major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Animation concentration involves bringing motion to still objects or displaying a sequence of still images to create the illusion of motion or life. Animation involves more than just character motion; it includes motion graphics, video editing, special effects, cameras and video output. Students learn how to animate characters, elements of environments and graphics. Two- and three-dimension models are animated as necessary, via a combination of manual animation, procedural tools and physical simulation.
• The Game Design concentration provides the environment and content creation in two- and three-dimension models. The focus is on the design part of game environments to be used on platforms such as personal computers, smart phones and game consoles. Students learn the importance of two- and three-dimension model creation for specific games used for simulation, training, entertainment and measuring educational outcomes.