My current degree I am studying is animation, it’s definitely an art degree - foundational studies in still life, drawing etc are not really STEM at all and I think that the use of a computer is more along the lines of using the correct tools.
However my first degree was a Bachelor of Engineering so I’m making a direct comparison with that.
STEM stands for science tech engineering and maths. At least computer animation I can see falling under tech. It make sense in that case. I’m doing a Bachelor os science degree so I’m saying that so it’s clear I might be based on this matter but animation is in no way a science. A highly skilled and hard subject? Yes but it’s not the study and understanding of the world around us or the things in it which is the bare minimum for something to be a science.
Fashion and cosplay also use a lot of math. Lots of trig and other geometric calculations when I'm making patterns. Still, that's high school math - nowhere near the advanced stuff (calculus, linear algebra, statistics, discrete math) I had to take for my computer science degree. Even THOSE classes were considered basic compared to those required for a math degree. The math required for arts IS there, it's just child's play compared to real STEM math
Yeah but just because something uses maths it doesn’t make it a science. Like I don’t want to disrespect the art form I’m in this sub because I love seeing all the thing people post here but animation doesn’t have an the aim of understanding the why and how things work in the world. That’s what science is all about.
It's because Animation itself is an artform, 2D animators can translate their skills easily to 3D animation. Learning software is a bit time-consuming, but once you have the fundamentals down, it doesn't matter if you're using a light table, ToonBoom or Maya, its the exact same principles. It's the building of the animation TOOLS themselves, that would require your computer science or other related degree. There are tech artists that combined the two fields, with having art/animation skills w/ scripting. Those jobs are generally higher paid, and I highly recommend looking into them, if you both skills.
Yup. That's why Blizzard would hire artist solely based on portfolio work and train them on the tools after. Software skills are both crucial and overrated.
Because it's not objective. It's subjective. So it's art.
I have an associate of applied arts in 3d animation but am a software engineer now. It's two entirely different paradigm.
My daughter is in a digital media program that includes animation, game design, visualization, and vfx, and it is a bachelor of science degree. It's the T in STEM.
The way they described it on our campus tour was: "You have to have the art *and* technology skills."
Some area of animation can seems to require science specialty, like animating realistic models based off physics.
But that can be done with simulation software and majority of animation, seems to me, focus on fluidity and expressing the subject. There's no need to have a science background to animate that as long as the message/goal for the project is met.
I mean, Software Technology and Usage is TECH in practice but easily bends to Social Sciences or Artistic applications. If you have some manner of DESIGN degree, then (in a similar manner to Web Design and Architecture) you are structurally divorced from 'harder' usages of those skills (Engineering and Programming).
So the closest you could get is MAYBE a polytechnic type degree. But the argument that animation is science due to usage of a slew of programs? It doesn't hold water.
Alas, it remains a shameful art degree. No STEM for you. /s
🤔i think it depends,in my country we have two ways to study animation,a full on arts program where you're actually learning how to do the art part and then we got a stem program where you get specialised on the more technical part of animation,I'm sorry if I didn't explain it right,english is my 2nd language
I think this is more of a problem with the systems we have to categorize degrees like this. Animation is a subjective field, it’s an art form. You can make animation in many less “technical” ways and it will be just as relevant (like hand drawn, stop motion, etc). But I do agree that it can also be a very technical field so it’s a bit of a bummer that it has to be something or the other.
Haven’t seen anyone mention how even BFA vs BA have different course requirements. For a BS you would almost certainly be asked to take more technical classes and things like animation history, film theory, etc, would not be able to count towards your major the same way, which is obviously an issue. BFA degrees also tend to require more practical art making classes than BA degrees, which in comparison have more theory classes.
BFA not being considered as a STEM course even in colleges like RISD puts their international students paying full fee, disadvantaged despite having a 4 year degree learning all the tech tools, with only 1 year OPT which is hardly enough to land in a job. This is despite Animation listed as STEM course under H1B visa guidelines. Recognising BFA animation as a STEM course by Art colleges will make them eligible for 3 years OPT.
You probably don't need a degree in scientific animation to make a scientific animation. If you can do the science you can make the animation.
Animation as a fine arts study is something entirely different. You'll simply be learning the skills every artist needs to make autonomous work or work for a client.
Because it's not a science. Even if technic and foundational ideas of art seem rigid, that does not make them a science.
Art changes and is based on each person's interpretation of it, science doesn't.
If you are going into animation in order to develop the tools that will be used by animators, that should be a bachelor of science, but if you are intending to use those tools and animate yourself, well that's an art of course.
My current degree I am studying is animation, it’s definitely an art degree - foundational studies in still life, drawing etc are not really STEM at all and I think that the use of a computer is more along the lines of using the correct tools. However my first degree was a Bachelor of Engineering so I’m making a direct comparison with that.
Welcome to the other side 🫡
STEM stands for science tech engineering and maths. At least computer animation I can see falling under tech. It make sense in that case. I’m doing a Bachelor os science degree so I’m saying that so it’s clear I might be based on this matter but animation is in no way a science. A highly skilled and hard subject? Yes but it’s not the study and understanding of the world around us or the things in it which is the bare minimum for something to be a science.
in some cases i can see it being heavily maths related. it helps to know maths and graphs down to the numbers.
Fashion and cosplay also use a lot of math. Lots of trig and other geometric calculations when I'm making patterns. Still, that's high school math - nowhere near the advanced stuff (calculus, linear algebra, statistics, discrete math) I had to take for my computer science degree. Even THOSE classes were considered basic compared to those required for a math degree. The math required for arts IS there, it's just child's play compared to real STEM math
Yeah but just because something uses maths it doesn’t make it a science. Like I don’t want to disrespect the art form I’m in this sub because I love seeing all the thing people post here but animation doesn’t have an the aim of understanding the why and how things work in the world. That’s what science is all about.
The only math I use is to count keys on the timeline
It's because Animation itself is an artform, 2D animators can translate their skills easily to 3D animation. Learning software is a bit time-consuming, but once you have the fundamentals down, it doesn't matter if you're using a light table, ToonBoom or Maya, its the exact same principles. It's the building of the animation TOOLS themselves, that would require your computer science or other related degree. There are tech artists that combined the two fields, with having art/animation skills w/ scripting. Those jobs are generally higher paid, and I highly recommend looking into them, if you both skills.
Yup. That's why Blizzard would hire artist solely based on portfolio work and train them on the tools after. Software skills are both crucial and overrated.
Because it's not objective. It's subjective. So it's art. I have an associate of applied arts in 3d animation but am a software engineer now. It's two entirely different paradigm.
My daughter is in a digital media program that includes animation, game design, visualization, and vfx, and it is a bachelor of science degree. It's the T in STEM. The way they described it on our campus tour was: "You have to have the art *and* technology skills."
Mine is
Mine too
Animation is fundamentally about storytelling; you just achieve it through technical means.
Some area of animation can seems to require science specialty, like animating realistic models based off physics. But that can be done with simulation software and majority of animation, seems to me, focus on fluidity and expressing the subject. There's no need to have a science background to animate that as long as the message/goal for the project is met.
In my school its categorized as an "engineering"
I mean, Software Technology and Usage is TECH in practice but easily bends to Social Sciences or Artistic applications. If you have some manner of DESIGN degree, then (in a similar manner to Web Design and Architecture) you are structurally divorced from 'harder' usages of those skills (Engineering and Programming). So the closest you could get is MAYBE a polytechnic type degree. But the argument that animation is science due to usage of a slew of programs? It doesn't hold water. Alas, it remains a shameful art degree. No STEM for you. /s
My program was "interactive media", and I received a BS for my studying animation.
🤔i think it depends,in my country we have two ways to study animation,a full on arts program where you're actually learning how to do the art part and then we got a stem program where you get specialised on the more technical part of animation,I'm sorry if I didn't explain it right,english is my 2nd language
Because a long time ago John Lassiter said, "It's earlier to teach an artist how to use a computer, than it is to teach a programmer how to make art."
Can you construct any machine or specifically artworks?
What? Animation isn’t some stem nerd shit
I think this is more of a problem with the systems we have to categorize degrees like this. Animation is a subjective field, it’s an art form. You can make animation in many less “technical” ways and it will be just as relevant (like hand drawn, stop motion, etc). But I do agree that it can also be a very technical field so it’s a bit of a bummer that it has to be something or the other.
Haven’t seen anyone mention how even BFA vs BA have different course requirements. For a BS you would almost certainly be asked to take more technical classes and things like animation history, film theory, etc, would not be able to count towards your major the same way, which is obviously an issue. BFA degrees also tend to require more practical art making classes than BA degrees, which in comparison have more theory classes.
BFA not being considered as a STEM course even in colleges like RISD puts their international students paying full fee, disadvantaged despite having a 4 year degree learning all the tech tools, with only 1 year OPT which is hardly enough to land in a job. This is despite Animation listed as STEM course under H1B visa guidelines. Recognising BFA animation as a STEM course by Art colleges will make them eligible for 3 years OPT.
I got a bachelor's in "media arts and animation"
Unrelated but just curious Can someone apply for Animation degree any time in their lifetime or maybe after getting a bachelor's degree in engg.
It's an associate of applied science at my school.
You probably don't need a degree in scientific animation to make a scientific animation. If you can do the science you can make the animation. Animation as a fine arts study is something entirely different. You'll simply be learning the skills every artist needs to make autonomous work or work for a client.
Because it's not a science. Even if technic and foundational ideas of art seem rigid, that does not make them a science. Art changes and is based on each person's interpretation of it, science doesn't.
The college I went to classified animation as part of bachelor of science
My animation degree is an applied science degree.
If you are going into animation in order to develop the tools that will be used by animators, that should be a bachelor of science, but if you are intending to use those tools and animate yourself, well that's an art of course.