The Expanded Animation Research + Practice (XA) offers an MFA curriculum that focuses on animation created from an artist's and director's point of view. Conceived to support and encourage experimentation, emphasize research in the field of animation, and facilitate a diversity of ideas from a broad range of thought, courses in the program explore innovation with the goal of inspiring students beyond their current artistic boundaries.

Students in this program can work in any form of animation--from analog artisanal techniques to sophisticated CG programs--and may also work from and find inspiration in a variety of fields, from filmmaking and other cinematic entertainment, to academia, the sciences, artificial intelligence, robotics, and other disciplines that can benefit from an imaginative animation practice.

Research concentrations include experimental animation, narrativity, documentary animation, performance gesture, animation for robotics, virtual humans and AI, character animation, cinematic installations, fine art animation practice, gesture movement, sound design, dreams and consciousness and science visualization. Our courses are supported by research collaborations, exhibitions and overnight field trips to remote locations.

This is the program for advanced, visionary artists who are passionate about the field of animation and compelled to pursue work that confronts its future.

The Expanded Animation Research + Practice MFA program is stem coded and falls under the STEM CIP code: 10.0304: Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects.

Stories

Featured Student Work

I'm Good by Xindi Zhang

Summon by Zeping Sun

Cat Chaser by SiJia Zheng

Fantastical Revelations - Sophia Wolfe

Degree Programs