Bachelor of Arts in Animation and Games 

The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology is home to artists, scientists, designers, scholars, and researchers who collaborate to create an exciting and dynamic academic program. Faculty, students, and researchers explore cutting-edge topics through the study of emerging media, artistic production and experimentation with recent technologies, and critical engagement with pressing social issues. 

Animation & Games at UT Dallas 

Students who complete a BA in Animation & Games receive a thorough grounding in the mutually productive interaction of technology with the arts.  Students will study aspects of the visual medium as well as being exposed to the technical side of animation and games while exploring the historical significance.  The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology provides multiple creative labs that feature leading-edge technologies and high-performance workstations. Students also have access to a games and media library that holds over 1,000 digital and analog games spanning multiple game platforms including both classics and new releases, and a 24-node, 288-core render farm used by game and animation students. All undergraduate students start their studies with a solid foundation in applied design and a broad overview of the animation and game pipelines. Students interested in pursuing advanced work in a particular area may focus their studies/coursework or choose a more generalized path. 

Career Opportunities 

Students earning an Animation & Games degree can enter a wide range of fields across many industries. Graduates gravitate toward careers in the fields of entertainment, game design, animation, education, and the medical and science industries. 

Marketable Skills 

• Multimedia content creation and storytelling 

• Thinking critically, creatively, and independently  

• Technical skills in industry standard software/hardware to succeed in animation or game production 

• Visual communication skills that reflect design principles 

• Collaborative project and production management  

• Understanding and engaging diverse audiences 

• The ability to practice ethical judgment 

Labs and Studios 

The VAST Lab is passionate about creating immersive experiences that push the boundaries of what’s possible. Their team of experts includes researchers, developers, and designers who work together to develop innovative solutions using the latest technology. They believe that Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Simulation Technology have the power to change the world and are committed to leading the way in this exciting field. 

The MoGraph Lab is a space for the study and exploration of motion design. Motion graphics, also known as motion design, is the combination of animation and graphic design principles, used to enhance the meaning and understanding of visual communication messaging. Motion designers use various animation tools and techniques, working with both 2D and 3D imagery, typography, photography, sound, video, etc., to create original creative and expressive projects. 

The Narrative Systems Research Lab researches the nature of storytelling, and the kinds of stories best told by the digital experience. The lab explores models of understanding, structural research, and the creation of new work in narrative and interactive media. Research includes making connections between narrative, new media, digital and analog games, the fine arts, engineering, literature, history, and the humanities through independent research, collaborative projects, and development of games and interactive narratives. 

The Escape Pod Studio is a creative research studio that endeavors to create meaningful and award-winning animation. Our industry-experienced team of creatives works side-by-side with students and alumni to achieve the highest quality in both educational and entertainment-based content. We leverage the communication power of animation to reach diverse audiences of all sizes, sharing information and experiences to positively impact people. 

The experimenta.l Lab is a collaborative space for creative research and critical practices in animation that welcomes the participation of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and external collaborators. We encourage experimentation via a variety of techniques, tools and interfaces. 

About the Bass School of Arts

 The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology  addresses the needs of a new generation of artists, performers and scholars. Bass students learn skills to craft exceptional work in an environment that encourages fluid movement between traditional disciplines and creative expression. Faculty integrate advanced technology with established artistic and research methods, equipping students to tackle pressing challenges. In exciting forms of collaborative and experimental learning at the intersections of arts, humanities, and emerging technologies, Bass students imagine, invent and create, while preparing to succeed and make a difference in a globally connected world.

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Arts: Animation and games, arts, technology, and emerging communication, history, Latin American studies, literature*, philosophy, visual and performing arts

Master of Arts: Art history, arts, technology, and emerging communication, history,  humanities,  Latin American studies,  literature, philosophy, visual and performing arts

Master of Fine Arts: Animation, arts, technology, and emerging communication, game development

Doctor of Philosophy: arts, technology, and emerging communication, history,   humanities, literature, visual and performing arts  

Minors Offered

If your academic focus leads you elsewhere at UT Dallas, but you would still like to pursue studies in the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, the following minors are available:

• African American and African Diaspora Studies
• Art History
• Arts Management and Leadership
• Asian Studies
• Audio Production
• Communication Studies
• Creative Writing
• Dance
• Ethnic Studies
• Film Studies
• History
• Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights
• Latin American Studies
• Literature
• Medicine, Arts, Science, and Humanities (MASH)
• Music
• Performing Arts
• Philosophy
• Religious Studies
• Spanish
• Theatre
• Visual Arts

Honors Thesis and Fast Track

The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology honors thesis offers the opportunity for advanced creative and scholarly work and recognition. To earn honors, students must graduate with:

• A minimum of 3.0 graded, upper-division semester credit hours at UT Dallas.
• A GPA of 3.67 in a student’s major.
• The completion of an honors thesis or project evaluated by two faculty members with a grade of at least B+.
• *Exceptionally well-qualified undergraduates who meet the requirements for admission to graduate school should consider the Fast Track program, which allows them to begin work on a master’s degree before graduation. Qualified seniors may take up to 12 credit hours of approved graduate courses during their senior year, which will apply to their undergraduate degree plans. For more information regarding Fast Track, contact an undergraduate academic advisor.

Additional Facts

• Several faculty members have been awarded prestigious fellowships, including those from the The National Humanities Center, Guggenheim, Fulbright, Alexander S. Onassis and Woodrow Wilson foundations. Others are recipients of the Füst Literary Award, as well as awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
• Every year, many of our Animation and Games faculty work on blockbuster projects and with AAA game studios, producing content that is seen or played by millions worldwide.
• The school’s centers further enhance students’ educational experience by bringing the concept of globalism to campus, by bringing world events into focus through research and by encouraging innovation and creativity.
• The National Science Foundation recently awarded a major grant to the school’s Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology to study the mentoring and education that occurs in science laboratories.