Animation has come to the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies at FAU.

The change was made to place the computer arts in animation program alongside other digital media programs such as film, video, television and interactive media, said Professor Eric Freedman, director of multimedia studies.

Animation and multimedia applications utilize similar skill sets and depend on interrelated hardware and software, he said.

The move from the Department of Visual Arts became effective in the spring semester, when five computer animation courses were offered by the School of Communication. The departmental course schedule lists seven computer animation course offerings for the fall.

The number of students majoring in computer animation in the 2008/2009 academic year, according to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Analysis, was 58 in two classifications.

“Given the intersections between animation and film, television and gaming, this arrangement allows our students more freedom to move across media platforms and reflects the increasing role of animation in a number of distinct traditional and new media enterprises from cinema and broadcasting to Web-based and mobile communications platforms,” Freedman said.

While the course work, faculty and facilities in computer animation have moved into the School of Communication as part of the degree program in Multimedia Studies, students currently enrolled have a number of options to complete their degrees, Freedman said.

The School of Communication and the Department of Visual Arts and Art History are working together to ensure that computer animation students can successfully complete their programs.

Students now have the choice of continuing in the bachelor of fine arts track, or they can transfer into the bachelor of arts track in multimedia studies to take advantage of the additional classes, Freedman said.

Students who did not participate in the last portfolio review for Computer Arts can move into the bachelor's in studio art program to complete their course work in animation; or they, too, can transfer into multimedia studies, Freedman said.

Newly enrolled students looking to pursue animation now will simply enter into Multimedia Studies as they begin their studies, he noted, while current multimedia studies majors can now explore course work in computer animation to add to their study of film, video and interactive media.

“This provides an excellent opportunity for students interested in studying within an integrated media production context,” Freedman said.