BA Digital Art & Animation

BA in Digital Art & Animation

Master the art of bringing characters, environments, and worlds to life. At USV, you’ll gain the creative and technical skills needed for animation, games, and digital media — graduating with a portfolio that proves your craft.

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On-Campus or 100% Online

A vibrant, colorful landscape features a serene river flowing through a valley dotted with pink, purple, and yellow trees, surrounded by snowy terrain and framed by distant, misty mountains.

A serene, colorful landscape features a winding turquoise stream flowing through a valley dotted with vibrant pink, orange, and purple trees, set against a backdrop of majestic, rocky mountains.

A picturesque fantasy landscape featuring a turquoise river winding through a valley, surrounded by vibrant, colorful trees in shades of pink, purple, and yellow, set against a backdrop of majestic waterfalls cascading down rocky cliffs, all under a clear sky.

A picturesque fantasy landscape features a vibrant array of colorful, blossoming trees lining a meandering turquoise river, set against a backdrop of cascading waterfalls and towering cliffs.

ALUMNI SUCCESS

Program Overview

The Digital Art & Animation program blends traditional art foundations with cutting-edge digital tools. You’ll explore modeling, animation, entertainment design, and technical art while collaborating with peers across disciplines. With opportunities to showcase your work publicly and contribute to real productions, you’ll graduate prepared for careers across animation and interactive industries.

What you'll learn:

3D animation, modeling, and rendering

Entertainment design and worldbuilding

Technical art for games and media pipelines

Traditional and digital arts foundations

Collaborative production workflows

A person with curly hair is focused on writing with a stylus on a digital tablet in a softly lit room, surrounded by books and plants, creating an atmosphere of productivity and technology.

A young woman with curly hair, wearing a light blue shirt, smiles while writing with a pen in a cozy room illuminated by blue lighting, where a shelf with books is visible in the background.

A person with curly hair is focused and smiling while using a stylus pen on a digital tablet in a dimly lit room with a blue ambiance, suggesting a creative or work-from-home setting.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the BA in Digital Art & Animation will be able to:

Apply design principles and color theory effectively.

Demonstrate proficiency with digital technologies and creative tools.

Create expressive characters, environments, and props.

Collaborate with diverse teams on complex projects.

Build a personal artistic style and professional portfolio.

Digital Art & Animation Course Highlights

The image displays a highly detailed, textured close-up of a dragon's head, showcasing its sharp horns, intricate scales, and piercing red eyes against a dark background.

A highly detailed, grayscale rendering of a dragon head with textured scales, prominent spines, and fierce red eyes set against a dark background, showcasing intricate fantasy creature design.

A highly detailed, realistic image of a mythical dragon featuring intricate scales, sharp horns, and piercing eyes, showcasing its majestic and formidable presence.

3D Modeling

Master industry workflows for sculpting and rendering detailed 3D assets. Create professional-quality models for film, games, and interactive media.

A person wearing a blue hoodie is seated at a desk, working on a computer with two monitors displaying detailed 3D character modeling software in a modern classroom setting.

A person in a blue sweater is sitting at a desk with dual monitors displaying a 3D modeling software, actively working on detailed character renderings, in a computer lab setting.

A person wearing a blue hoodie is working on a computer graphic design project using 3D modeling software on a dual-monitor setup in a busy classroom setting.

3D Animation

Learn the art of movement, rigging, and storytelling through animation. Build characters and creatures that engage audiences across platforms.

A group of colorful, fuzzy creatures explore a lush, waterfall-filled canyon with vibrant tropical plants and a serene river stream flowing through, creating a whimsical and magical atmosphere.

Colorful, fuzzy creatures resembling uniquely shaped plants stand beside a tranquil, illuminated pool in a lush, fantasy garden enclosed by towering stone walls adorned with rich greenery and glowing lanterns, creating a whimsical and vibrant atmosphere.

A group of colorful, fuzzy creatures with simple facial features stand beside a serene, blue swimming pool, surrounded by lush tropical plants, cacti, and hanging lights in a mystical canyon setting.

Entertainment Design

Design immersive worlds, environments, and props. Use traditional and digital tools to bring entire universes to life.

A close-up of a futuristic metallic hexagonal pattern with glowing orange accents, creating a high-tech, sci-fi aesthetic.

A futuristic close-up of interconnected hexagonal patterns with glowing orange accents, representing advanced technology and modern innovation.

A futuristic, dark hexagonal pattern is illuminated with glowing orange accents in a sci-fi inspired, digital landscape.

Technical Art

Bridge the gap between art and programming. Integrate creative assets seamlessly while working within technical production pipelines.

Hear from a USV Digital Art
& animation Graduate

Alumni Testimonial

Create Projects for the Pros

Create Projects
for the Pros

Meet Past Project X Students

CAREER PATHS

3D Generalist
Character Designer
Concept Artist
Lighting / Texture / VFX Artist
Technical Director
Storyboard Artist
Environment Artist

The USV Difference

USV students take 3 courses per term instead of the traditional 4. That means:

Deeper learning

You’ll dive deeper into each subject, with more time to absorb concepts, apply them in projects, and build lasting mastery that goes beyond memorization.

Better Balance

Fewer concurrent courses means less stress and more focus. You’ll have room to manage school, work, and life — without sacrificing academic performance.

Higher Success

With improved retention and a healthier pace, students are more likely to graduate on time and enter the job market prepared with real skills and strong portfolios.

Flexible Learning

Earn your degree on-campus in Silicon Valley or 100% online. No matter where you learn, you’ll join collaborative teams, ship real projects, and build a professional portfolio.

A person uses a stylus on a tablet to draw a digital illustration of a character with long, flowing red hair and wearing a purple top, highlighting the creative process of digital art.

A hand using a stylus draws a digital illustration of a person with long, flowing red hair and a purple outfit on a tablet screen, highlighting digital art creation.

A hand holding a stylus illustrates a vibrant portrait of a girl with flowing orange hair and a purple sweater on a digital tablet, conveying the art of digital illustration.

Faculty Spotlight

An individual in a black jacket with spider web designs peers up while surrounded by blue climbing ropes against a vibrant orange background, emphasizing adventure and outdoor activities.

A person with a playful expression stands on a colorful playground, with bright orange flooring and blue climbing ropes visible.

"University of Silicon Valley students build on a traditional art foundation to master the modern tools and technology used in animated film, video game, and motion graphic projects. "

Peter Overstreet
Professor of Digital Art & Animation

View Our Faculty

A lone samurai stands silhouetted on a rooftop, overlooking a vibrant, illuminated cityscape with contrasting hues of red, orange, and blue, creating a dramatic, futuristic atmosphere.

A lone samurai stands on a ledge overlooking a vibrant, futuristic cityscape illuminated by neon lights in shades of red, orange, and blue.

A lone samurai silhouette stands on a rooftop, overlooking a vibrant cyberpunk cityscape illuminated by neon red and blue lights, depicting a futuristic urban environment.

Real-World Learning

In USV Studios, Game Art students work on client-driven projects alongside peers in design, audio, and engineering. By graduation, you’ll have 3–5 shipped projects that demonstrate real industry impact.

BA in Digital Art & Animation

Program Overview

Learning Outcomes