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Animation & Special Effects

Types of Degrees Animation & Special Effects Majors Are Earning

Those studying Animation & Special Effects can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	550
Associate’s Degree	1,180
Bachelor’s Degree	3,162
Master’s Degree	1,119

What Animation & Special Effects Majors Need to Know

Programs in Animation & Special Effects build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Animation & Special Effects graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Animation & Special Effects emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 5.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Animation & Special Effects program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Animation & Special Effects careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Visualization — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Animation & Special Effects graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.8 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.8 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.5 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Animation & Special Effects professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
SmithMicro Anime Studio	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Cascading style sheets CSS	Web platform development software	✓
Skencil	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
HASH Animation:Master	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Freeverse Lineform	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Autodesk 3ds Max	Video creation and editing software	✓
AJAX	Web platform development software	—
RealFlow	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Social media sites	Web page creation and editing software	—
Autodesk Combustion	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
NVDIA Gelato	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Animation & Special Effects graduates include:

• Anime Artist
• Graphic Design Specialist
• Visual Effects Artist (FX Artist)
• Virtual Reality Specialist
• Motion Designer
• 3D Animator (Three-Dimensional Animator)
• Video Game Animator
• Studio Designer
• Multimedia Graphic Designer
• Production Artist
• Media Specialist
• Storyboard Artist
• Multimedia Designer
• Multimedia Artist
• Motion Pictures Cartoonist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Animation & Special Effects graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	52.8%
Some college courses	39.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	5.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.7%
Master’s degree	0.3%
Less than a high school diploma	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Animation & Special Effects?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 51.4% women and 48.6% men among Animation & Special Effects graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,099	51.4%
Men	2,927	48.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Animation & Special Effects graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,436	40.4%
Asian	506	8.4%
Hispanic or Latino	1,295	21.5%
Black or African American	459	7.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	31	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	9	0.1%
Two or More Races	316	5.2%
Race Unknown	208	3.5%
International Students	766	12.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Animation & Special Effects Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Animation & Special Effects graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$28,061
4 years	$41,119
5 years	$47,590

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,590 — roughly 70% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Animation & Special Effects Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Animation & Special Effects. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	9	8
Bachelor’s	8	6
Master’s	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Animation & Special Effects Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Animation & Special Effects graduates earn a median of $41,119 four years after completion — roughly 8% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Graphic Communications	10.03
Computer Typography and Composition Equipment Operator	10.0308
Graphic and Printing Equipment Operator, General Production	10.0305
Graphic Communications, General	10.0301
Graphic Communications, Other	10.0399
Platemaker/Imager	10.0306
Prepress/Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design	10.0303
Printing Management	10.0302
Printing Press Operator	10.0307

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.