Design/animation instructor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a design/animation instructor. Design/animation instructors usually study animation, graphic design, or fine arts. 77% of design/animation instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 491 real design/animation instructor resumes to see exactly what design/animation instructor education sections show.

The most common colleges for design/animation instructors are the Savannah College of Art and Design and the Savannah College of Art and Design.

There are also many online design/animation instructor courses to help get the education required to be a design/animation instructor.

What education do you need to become a design/animation instructor?

What degree do you need to be a design/animation instructor?

The most common degree for design/animation instructors is bachelor's degree, with 77% of design/animation instructors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 12% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 77%

Master's, 12%

Associate, 8%

Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a design/animation instructor?

You should major in animation to become a design/animation instructor. 24% of design/animation instructors major in animation. Other common majors for a design/animation instructor include graphic design and fine arts.

Animation, 24%

Graphic Design, 24%

Fine Arts, 16%

Photography, 7%

Other Majors, 29%

Most common colleges for design/animation instructors

Design/animation instructors often get their degrees at Savannah College of Art and Design, School of Visual Arts, and Academy of Art University. Here are the most common colleges for design/animation instructors in the US based on their resumes.

Design/animation instructor common college	Percentages
Savannah College of Art and Design	21.62%
School of Visual Arts	14.41%
Academy of Art University	6.31%
California Institute of the Arts	5.41%
Virginia Commonwealth University	4.50%

Show more common design/animation instructor colleges

Best majors for design/animation instructors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Animation	24.3%
2	Graphic Design	23.7%
3	Fine Arts	16.4%
4	Photography	6.9%
5	Computer Science	6.3%

Show more common design/animation instructor majors

Best colleges for design/animation instructors

The best colleges for design/animation instructors are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A design/animation instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for design/animation instructors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become design/animation instructors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$9,101

Enrollment

23,708

5. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

10. University of California, Irvine

Irvine, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,700

Enrollment

29,722

20 best online courses for design/animation instructors

Advertising disclosure

1. Designing Cartoon Characters in Adobe Animate

4.5

(356)

Learn how to design cartoon characters using Animate's diverse vector tools...

2. Character Design For Animation in Illustrator

4.9

(647)

Design Memorable Character With a Strong Personality and Learn How to Prepare them for Animation...

3. Animating in Adobe Character Animator (2018 Edition)

4.6

(377)

Learn how to animate characters using your video camera and microphone! No prior animation experience required!...

4. 2D Character Animation: Walk Cycles

4.8

(349)

Design Characters for animation in Adobe Animate : animate a character step by step : animate a full scene...

5. The Ultimate 2D Game Character Design & Animation Course

4.5

(1,825)

Learn how to design and animate a character in Photoshop that can stand up as professional work...

6. Learn Adobe Character Animator CC

4.1

(323)

Motion Capture Animation Basics...

7. Storyboarding for Film & Animation Part 2

4.9

(425)

Become a Storyboard Artist, learn professional skills for story boarding for Film, Animation & Gaming...

8. Maya for Beginners: Complete Guide to 3D Animation in Maya

4.5

(7,167)

Learn everything you need for 3D animation in Autodesk Maya: Modeling, Texturing, Lighting, Rigging, Animation, Dynamics...

9. Fast animation and rigging techniques using Maya 2017

(377)

Learn to rig a biped character and animate a walk cycle for film, TV and video games for beginner Maya users...

10. Dynamic 2D video game character animation with free tools

4.7

(276)

Design and animate characters for your game with Inkscape and Dragon Bones today!...

11. Maya for Beginners: Complete 3D Animation Fundamentals

4.4

(505)

Complete training with practical exercises and comprehensive expert advice to mastering animation fundamentals...

12. Create logo animation with Adobe After Effects

4.5

(268)

Learn to create minimal and elegant logo reveals with Adobe After Effects , a beginner's guide to logo animation...

13. Adobe Flash/Animate

4.2

(339)

Learn How to Use the Animation and Interactive Media Industry Standard Software...

14. Learn SVG Animation - With HTML, CSS & Javascript

4.2

(1,999)

Learn how these powerful animation are created using HTML,CSS & Javascript...

15. Learn to Animate: Classical 2D Animation for Beginners

4.5

(1,233)

A Complete Guide to Animation Principles in Adobe Animate...

16. Blender 3.x Complete Architectural Design & Animation Course

4.5

(963)

Learn Blender Animation, 3D Modelling, 3D lighting: Full 3D House Construction Animation Project in Blender 3x...

17. Motion Design with Figma: Animations, Motion Graphics, UX/UI

4.6

(3,140)

Figma like a Pro! Learn Motion Design on Mobile and Web using modern practices that top designers use + build projects!...

18. SVG & CSS Animation - Using HTML & CSS

4.2

(1,082)

Learn the fundamentals of creating SVG animations in the browser using HTML & CSS...

19. Create hand drawn character animations using Photoshop

4.5

(503)

Turn hand drawn sketches, characters, typography, and videos into looping animations...

20. Adobe After Effects: Flat Animation Buildup

4.5

(254)

Jump right into animating motion graphics in Adobe After Effects with this quick-start guide to creating 2D animations...

Top 10 most affordable universities for design/animation instructors

The most affordable schools for design/animation instructors are University of Florida, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for design/animation instructors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for design/animation instructors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

8. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for design/animation instructors

The hardest universities for design/animation instructors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for design/animation instructors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for design/animation instructors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for design/animation instructors

The easiest schools for design/animation instructors to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and cardinal stritch university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a design/animation instructor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for design/animation instructors.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

4. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

5. Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Weatherford, OK • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,085

6. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

7. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

8. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

9. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

10. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

Average design/animation instructor salary by education level

According to our data, design/animation instructors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $70,737 annually. Design/animation instructors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $61,345.

Design/animation instructor education level	Design/animation instructor salary
Master's Degree	$61,345
Doctorate Degree	$70,737

Design/animation instructor education FAQs

What is the best college for Design/Animation Instructors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.

Search for design/animation instructor jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Zippia Careers
Education, Training, and Library Industry
Design/Animation Instructor
Design/Animation Instructor Education

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse education, training, and library jobs