A Degree in Game Art and Animation

• At UAT's Tempe, AZ, campus
• In the comfort of your home through UAT-Online

• To earn a Bachelor of Arts degree: 120 weeks.*
• To earn an Associate of Arts degree: 60 weeks.

When can I start?

• Classes on UAT's campus start three times a year: September, January and May. Start Dates  Course List
• UAT-Online classes start every five weeks. Start Dates  Course List

2012-2013 Tuition Costs and Fees

A graduate of UAT's Game Art and Animation program will:

1. Establish and defend an artistic style within your work based on sound artistic theories, practices and knowledge.
2. Create and integrate into a video game environment 3D video game art assets and animation utilizing industry-standard software tools and techniques.
3. Develop original assets for multiple video game platforms such as web, console, PC and handheld gaming platforms emphasizing the differences and similarities of each.
4. Working within confines of an industry-standard production pipeline, develop and modify video game art assets and animation.
5. Build 3D video game animation utilizing techniques such as hand keying and motion capture to create blend poses, loops, retargeting animation and character rigging.
6. Design art assets in order to facilitate the completion of a game project and implement a given game design.

Students in game degrees at UAT work in interdisciplinary teams to create unique original games for a variety of platforms. They participate in every level of game development from concept to publishing and create projects using industry standard tools and development kits using industry production pipelines. Students in game art and animation participate in a studio-like experience and graduate as fully qualified technical artists who can operate as either generalists or specialists for gaming studios. Game Art and Animation graduates leave with experience integrating their art into different platforms and serving as part of a game production team, not just creating raw assets.

Game Art and Animation Recommened Courses:
UAT creates recommended course listings for every major to provide solid educational experiences to students so that they can master their learning outcomes and be prepared to graduate. Students work with an advisor to select courses and when they wish to customize their major.

Sample Course Listing:
GAM110 - Introduction to Game Art
Credits: 3.00
Prerequisites: ART111
This course introduces the student to industry-standard game art for video games. Students will recognize, differentiate and analyze game art for 2D and 3D video games art and design. Topics include video game art and design history. Video game art assets concepts are illustrated using 2D Art assets made in Adobe Photoshop. Students learn to create art assets that are used in a 2D and 3D final game project. Areas of emphasis include 2D and 3D video game art and design history, as well as 2D and 3D video game animation loops, and the techniques used for game art like box modeling, UV mapping, 0-to-1 texturing, color map, bump map, normal map, specular map, Alpha channels, decals, sprites, backgrounds and foregrounds, layer and palletize, fonts and color theory.

GAM410 - Game Texturing
Credits: 3.00
Prerequisites: DVA256, GAM110
This course gives students hands-on experience in creating materials and textures for the 3D video games, applying those materials to objects and characters. Students will focus on creating textures from scratch, using photo manipulation techniques as well as Photoshop procedural texturing methods, then applying them using proper UV video game setup. Individual and teamoriented projects will be applied.

ART233 - Concept Art
Credits: 3.00
Prerequisites: ART111, ART121
Students will learn to sketch, prototype and design functional creations before committing to their actual development. Concept art is a critical skill in increasing the quality and speed of production. Students will learn to craft, present and refine humanoid, animal, biological and environmental concept art that becomes the foundation for future assets.