Are you passionate about animation and looking to find a top-ranking college that can provide you with the training you need to land your dream career?
Well, it’s official – the 2D and 3D Animation programs at Centre for Arts and Technology (CAT) in Kelowna, BC are now considered among the top ten in the country!
That’s right – CAT is a top 10 ranking animation school in Canada.
According to a recent release of the annual international rankings for animation was announced by the site Animation Career Review, the 2D and 3D Animation programs at CAT were awarded Rank #9 in the category for ‘Top Ten for Animation in Canada.
As part of the ranking methodology, the website considered the status and offerings of nearly 200 schools with animation programs from across the globe.
They then considered differences in the programs offered, ranging from schools who grant formal degrees (such as 4-year university degrees or equivalents), and those that are more focused on professional training and typically shorter (such as 1-2 year certificates or diplomas).
Additional criteria for determining the rankings included:
- Academic reputation
- Admission selectivity
- Depth and breadth of the program
- Value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness
- Employment data
CAT was graded under the latter category, as we offer both 24-month and 15-month animation program diplomas.
Matt Redmond, Director of Education, Centre for Arts and Technology, had some encouraging words to share:
“Sean Ridgway, our head of department, along with his team have built an incredible program, and it is very rewarding to see this quality recognized. We fully expect to keep seeing the program pop up on lists of this nature, and to track higher in terms of our ratings.”
To have CAT considered this year, Animation Career Review reached out during the school year via email to every school under consideration and requested information about our specific programs, as well as our perspective regarding which other school programs we considered to be the most impressive, both nationally and regionally.
Here is the school and animation program description that accompanies our ranking:
“The Centre for Arts and Technology was established more than 30 years ago by leaders in both media training and educational excellence,” says the school. Today, the school is recognized as one of the few institutions that “continually graduate successful students in the areas of filmmaking, animation, audio engineering, interior design, photography, graphic design, and network security.
The school offers a 2D Animation & Digital Art Diploma that offers an accelerated format that covers all areas of animation in just five semesters (15 months). Students will move from an initial Character Animation course to Life Drawing, then Digital Character Animation and Traditional Mixed-Media. The program ends with a final project, professional demo reel, and portfolio. Graduates of the program can be found working on projects such as Rick and Morty, Rocket Monkeys, Camp Lakebottom, Teen Titans GO, and many others. Some have gone on to establish careers at studios such as Yeti Farm Creative, Bardel Entertainment, and Disney.
In addition, the school offers a 3D Animation diploma that focuses on both modeling and character animation over 24 months. Students are immersed in the fundamentals through the first year and then specialize in the second year, leading up to producing a professional demo reel and portfolio. Graduates of this program have worked on projects such as ‘Lego Movie 2’, the Emmy award winning ‘King Julien’, ‘Detective Pickachu’ and many more. Some grads are now established leads and supervisors at many major studios in BC, Canada.”
“I’m very proud to have achieved this ranking and recognition for 2020,” says Sean Ridgway, CAT Animation Department Head. “Onward and upward!”
Are you passionate about crafting characters and bringing worlds to life? Graduates from our 2D Animation program and 3D Animation program have gone on to find success in the industry. If you’re curious to know more, fill out our online inquiry form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!