Animation and Game Design

Both Digital Animation and Game Design programs terminate in AAS degrees. The AAS degree is a terminal degree -- this means that you will be taking mostly courses in your chosen field, with very few general education courses. These courses may or may not transfer depending on the school you are looking to go to, and the strength of your portfolio. Brookdale routinely sees students transfer into some of the top schools in the country. Some of these students transferred with all of their credits and received junior year placement at their four-year school. Others did not. We will do our best to help you put together a strong portfolio for transfer, but cannot promise positive results in every case.

Neither Digital Animation nor Game Design offers a fully online degree path. However, we attempt to offer our courses in both In Person and Remote Live formats as often as possible. Some instructors offer hybrid courses to accommodate student needs. For more information about this, please contact us.

You can take a course in Digital Animation or Game Design at any point, with or without the intention of obtaining a degree. We have many students who take a course to see if they like the content, or to improve an existing skill. Our entry-level courses have no prerequisites. The higher level courses have prerequisites -- however, if you are looking to improve a skill, you can register for a class with instructor approval. For more information about this, contact Professor Claire Smuga.

Both Game Design and Digital Animation offer AAS (associate of applied science) degrees. The AAS degree consists of 60 credits. Forty of these credits are specific to the career path (either Game Design or Digital Animation). The other 20 credits are General Education. Both Game Design and Digital Animation are designed to allow students to complete their degrees in 4 semesters (2 years) if taking classes full time. If you are interested in obtaining an AAS degree, but want to take classes part-time, that is also fine. It may take longer than 2 years, but we are happy to work with you.

Our class costs are set by Brookdale Community College. This page will show you our tuition and fees: https://www.brookdalecc.edu/admissions/tuition-fees/ Because Brookdale is an accredited institution, you may be eligible for financial to offset the cost of these courses. This page will give you information about financial aid: https://www.brookdalecc.edu/financial-aid/

We are currently in the process of setting up an internship program for both Game Design and Digital Animation. This experience should help with the job searching. We do currently offer students help with portfolio building and resume writing.

To enroll in a class, you must first become a Brookdale student. Brookdale Community College is an open enrollment institution, however there is an application process. You can get started with that process here: https://www.brookdalecc.edu/admissions/getting-started/

Yes. Game Design and Digital Animation are great fields to go into. Both are exploding in unexpected ways. Game Design is an umbrella term that gives students fundamentals in interactive media design and basic programming for interactivity. Digital Animation will give students fundamental training in 3D modeling, video and special effects editing, and design for digital media. This can lead to careers in areas from broadcast design to scientific visualization to advertising to interactive multimedia -- in addition to game design and digital animation. At Brookdale, students can explore their chosen industry before finding the aspect that is best for them. Both Game Design and Digital Animation feature a Capstone course in which students work independently to create a project in their chosen field. This should provide the basis for a portfolio students can use to get started in their job search.

Our entry level courses have no prerequisites, meaning that you can take them at any time and with any background. We will provide you training from the ground up. However, if you do have a background in art or in programming, you'll find that our courses will still provide you with a positive learning experience. If you come to us without any experience, we will provide you with the tools you need to get started. If you come to us with some experience, we will provide you with the tools you need to grow. Some level of computer literacy would be helpful to learn before starting the course. How to use a mouse, save files, and download software are examples of the kind of things that a student should understand before enrolling in this course. If you have any questions or would like to know about computer literacy classes that are availible at Brookdale, fill out the contact sheet, contact Professor Smuga, or contact your advisor.

Absolutely. Brookdale is an accredited college with a Disability Services office. Contact them to find out what sort of accommodations Brookdale can offer you.

All of the software we use is available for either Mac or PC, so continue with the OS you are more comfortable using. Digital imaging software can be quite intense for your computer to run. I recommend checking the Autodesk system requirements before purchasing a new computer. If you intend to use your old computer, you can -- you may experience some slowness or visual glitching, depending on the age of the computer and your graphics card. Make sure you have at least 8GB free for the install of software.

We currently use Autodesk Maya, Maxon ZBrush, the Adobe Suite, the Unreal Engine and Unity 3D. That may change as the industry shifts. We strive to provide industry-standard training for our students. Much of our software, including Maya, Unreal, and Unity, is free for students. Adobe and ZBrush provide student pricing.