Ferris State University's Digital Animation and Game Design program once again has
been ranked prominently among peers across the state, region and nation.
Students and faculty in Ferris State University’s Digital Animation and Game Design program, as they prepare for a new future in the soon-to-be-completed Center for Virtual Learning on the Big Rapids campus, again see their program ranked among the nation’s best in animation.
Animation Career Review, an online resource for those aspiring to careers in animation, game design, graphic design, digital art and other fields, released its 2023 animation school rankings. Ferris ranked second in Michigan, 16th regionally and 36th among all U.S. public schools and colleges.
Mel Danes, the DAGD coordinator and a School of Digital Media instructor, said the program is approaching its 20th anniversary. He cited that as a strategic advantage, as many institutions are adding this discipline to support an increased business focus on visual technology.
“As some of our founding faculty completed their academic journey, we brought in new and capable talent to continue our tradition of first-class instruction,” Danes said. “Our record of student placements with top companies across the country is a point of pride that allows us to build on the stature of this curriculum.”
Danes is excited about the program beginning a new chapter in the $32.5 million Center for Virtual Learning in Big Rapids.
“This is the first purpose-built space for DAGD, along with the other School of Digital Media programs,” Danes said. “The technology we will have available in Extended Reality, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality will greatly benefit student productions and faculty research.”
Danes said collaboration with other CVL-based programs will be exciting for students and further distinguish DAGD as a destination for future students seeking to build a broad-based portfolio.
“The Esports space will be incredible for all video-related learning aspects of the university,” Danes said. “Having a dedicated green screen for our students and motion capture studio is also an important advance for creating quality compositions and three-dimensional imagery.”
Center for Virtual Learning construction is expected to wrap up in Spring 2023 in time for learning to begin at the start of the 2023-24 academic year during the fall semester. Also among the programs moving into the new building are Information Security and Intelligence instruction, Artificial Intelligence and Project Management, Esports and eLearning and the School of Education.