Texas A&M Ranked No. 1 As Top School In Texas For Animation

Texas A&M University is the top animation school in the state, and No. 2 among public animation schools in the nation, according to new rankings by Animation Career Review.

It is the sixth consecutive year that Texas A&M has been No. 1 in Texas, since Animation Career Review’s state rankings began in 2018. The university has been in the top 10 public animation schools in the nation since those rankings began in 2016.

Animation is part of the Visualization program in the university’s School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts, which debuted Sept. 1. The growing school brought the Visualization program together with the Performance Studies and Dance Science programs.

“Opening the new School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts gives us the opportunity to extend the art-plus-science approach that’s been so successful with animation in Visualization to other visual and performing arts,” said Interim Dean Tim McLaughlin. “One reason our graduates have had such success is the emphasis we place on interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. Now we push even further to explore the intersection of these artistic disciplines with storytelling and performance. We are pleased to again be so highly ranked among the best animation schools in the country.”

The school offers an undergraduate degree, the Bachelor of Science in Visualization, and two graduate programs: Master of Fine Arts in Visualization and Master of Science in Visualization.

In addition to being No. 1 in Texas, the university ranks second in the Southwest among animation schools. Nationally, Texas A&M is No. 19 overall.

Among schools offering animation-related Bachelor of Science degrees, Texas A&M ranks fourth. It is No. 4 among schools offering animation-related master’s programs and 11th among those offering animation-related Master of Fine Arts degrees.

Animation Career Review’s rankings criteria include academic, admission, faculty and employment data, along with tuition value, graduation and retention rates.

Visualization at Texas A&M, which also features highly rated game design and virtual/augmented reality programs, has proven to be a pipeline to top animation and visual effects studios around the country, sending graduates to work for DreamWorks Animation, Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm Animation, Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios.