Advertising, television, film and video, entertainment, game design, architecture and education, are among the industries that make use of design, illustration, and modeling skills developed by Media Arts & Animation graduates.
Opportunities such as compositor, storyboard artist, character designer, special effects artist, broadcast graphics designer, animator, and video post-production artist are part of this field that is repackaging information in creative new ways.
The computer animator is a skilled and specialized visual communicator who combines individual artistic talent with technological expertise to create impressions in a moving-image format. Students learn to use the tools of the computer animation profession, ranging from computer operating systems to 3-D modeling and desktop video production.
In addition to software applications, equipment also includes scanners, printers, video, audio, and classroom presentation equipment. These tools enhance students’ flexibility and creativity, and enable them to produce an individualized digital portfolio that demonstrates their practical and technical abilities to potential employers.
The Bachelor of Science in Media Arts & Animation refines and synthesizes the students’ competencies in the field of computer animation. Students apply advanced techniques in drawing, characterization, animation in both 2-D and 3-D computerized environments, and interactive technologies. Graduates will develop a graduate project, which represents a unique style and demonstrates conceptual abilities.
The Media Arts & Animation bachelor’s degree program prepares graduates for entry-level positions as 2-D animators, 3-D animators, broadcast graphic artists or other animation and art specialists. The length of the program is twelve (12), eleven (11) week quarters.

Photographers are always in search of the “decisive moment.” It’s the split second when the click of a shutter can tell a story, crystallize an emotion, or transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Done well, it’s an art form expressed through a talent for visual imagery. Done amazingly, it’s basketball legend Michael Jordan vaulting off the foul line, the haunting face of a young Afghan woman on the cover of National Geographic, or a breathtaking Earthrise seen from the surface of the moon.
In our bachelor of fine arts program, you get focused with basic classes in photography, design and layout. As you gain proficiency, you increase your skill level with coursework in studio and product photography, the “zone” system, color and digital photographic imaging.
You sharpen your camera skills using lenses, filters and formats. You manipulate light to create drama then play with the color.
You start to shape your own style. As you work, a single unexpected frame may take your breath away or a dozen rolls of film may go through the camera before you get the look that you want. Either way, when you experience the excitement of knowing you got the shot, you’re hooked.
When you’re ready to graduate, it’s time to bring all the elements of your education into focus with your portfolio. It’s the culmination of all your effort and the most important factor in your job search. As a showcase of your best work, your “book” gauges your creative talent, technical skill and value in the marketplace for potential employers to see.
After graduation, you will be prepared to start your career in entry-level positions such as a photography assistant at a commercial studio, newspaper, magazine, television broadcasting station or advertising or government agency, working on everything from on-location industrial and scientific photography to news and portraiture shots. From there, with experience, you may move on to positions such as senior photographer, photo editor, freelance photographer, or owner of your own studio. The length of the program is twelve (12), eleven (11) week quarters.

As summer blockbusters and hit television shows prove, today’s audiences are growing increasingly more demanding and more sophisticated. It is the role of the visual effects and motion graphics artist to help storytellers deliver bigger and bigger thrills to the world’s growing entertainment audience.
The Visual Effects & Motion Graphics program at The Art Institutes International Minnesota offers students the opportunity to acquire skills in a new specialization that focuses on communication arts for film, television, and the Web. By combining graphic design, filmmaking, animation, and sound, graduates of this program will be qualified for entry-level positions creating attention-grabbing visuals that inform and entertain.
An education in Visual Effects & Motion Graphics will teach students how to use digital compositing to create layered and textural landscapes that engage both the mind and the emotions. Students will learn how to build a seamless presentation that is both visually arresting and commercially effective, through the integration of live action footage, programming clips, graphic elements and sound.
In addition, they will become knowledgeable about the stages of the production process and learn what it means to be part of a creative team working to meet a goal. There will be opportunities to problem-solve through start-to-finish projects that test students’ conceptualization and execution skills. In the final quarters of the program, students will be able to choose an area of specialization, which targets their specific career goals. Each graduate will have a reel of their best work ready to show prospective employers.
The Bachelor of Science in Visual Effects & Motion Graphics program will prepare graduates for entry-level positions in broadcast and cable television, working on movies and in television shows, and in corporate video post-production. The opportunities for graduates of this program are increased by the growing use of video and other animation on the Web. The length of the program is twelve (12), eleven (11) week quarters.

The quickly evolving field of interactive media requires talented people to combine sound, images, text, and animation in order to entertain and educate. But expect a challenge. These designers do much more than just code; they understand the need to design with both the client and the end user in mind. How can the main benefit of the product be highlighted in a way that keeps the user both interested and relaxed while interacting?
Web designers have specialized skills both as artists and technicians. They know how to attract people to certain Web sites and information kiosks, and dazzle them with CD-ROMs. They’re problem solvers, helping businesses reach their target and marketing goals. They design the underlying architecture and screen interfaces, incorporating intuitive, strategic layouts and high concept to communicate. Simply put, the user should be able to navigate through a Web site, info kiosk or CD-ROM presentation without having to put thought into how to browse it.
As you may imagine, a dynamic field such as this requires a lot of ongoing practice and high technical proficiency. This is true, but a strong foundation of core courses lays down the framework. Courses in drawing, design, color theory, and computer applications get you moving in the right direction. From there, you jump into digital imaging and illustration, sound design, information design, and writing for television and media.
Graduates from the Web Design & Interactive Media program will be prepared to start off in entry-level positions like interactive designer, Web designer, graphic artist, digital media producer, or project coordinator in corporate communications, law, medicine, science, engineering, education, and consumer information delivery. As their career evolves, they may advance to interactive designer, programmer, digital illustrator, or management positions in the field. The length of the program is twelve (12), eleven (11) week quarters.

Web designers can find inspiration anywhere. And it can come out of the blue — even in the time it takes a light to change. The round, stacked, colored lenses of a traffic light may become an information kiosk with inviting, purposeful design. Realizing that their designs must not only be attractive, but also smart and intuitive, these artists look to everyday objects for inspiration for Web sites, kiosks, CD-ROMs, and other interactive media presentations.
Web designers have specialized skills both as artists and technicians. They know how to attract people to certain Web sites and information kiosks, and dazzle them with CD-ROMs. They’re problem solvers, helping businesses reach their target and marketing goals. They design the underlying architecture and screen interfaces, incorporating intuitive, strategic layouts and high concept to communicate. Simply put, the user should be able to navigate through a Web site, info kiosk or CD-ROM presentation without having to put thought into how to browse it.
By working in classrooms and computer labs, students of this 21-month Associate in Applied Science degree program develop a strong foundation in drawing and design, digital image manipulation, interactive design, graphic design, and animation. In later quarters, students become involved in more complex coursework, combining animation tools such as personal computers and touch-screen monitors, in addition to software applications to integrate text, sound, images, animation, and video to complete a project.
As you may imagine, a dynamic field such as this requires a lot of ongoing practice and high technical proficiency. This is true, but a strong foundation of core courses lays down the
framework. Courses in drawing, design, color theory, and computer applications get you moving in the right direction. From there, you jump into digital imaging and illustration, sound design, information design, and writing for television and media.
By graduation, Web Design & Interactive Media students are prepared for entry-level positions in the rapidly expanding field of interactive design using the practical and technical skills they have acquired. The length of the programs is seven (7), eleven (11) week quarters.

The Bachelor of Science Program in Digital Film & Video Production at The Art Institutes International Minnesota will offer a balance in theory, history, and practical training to produce competent and literate graduates who are proficient in the technical, organizational, historical, and creative aspects of visual storytelling. This program will integrate industry and education with internship programs and its own student operated production company and television studios. The principles of this craft will be further explored and applied to the various contemporary forms. Students will have the opportunity to script and produce screenplays, teleplays, sitcoms, commercials and music videos, which, among other avenues, they can enter into the numerous writing and video-making competitions the industry sponsors. Equally important is the production of the thesis video project, which will be the centerpiece of the graduating student’s demo reel. This allows the graduate the opportunity to enter film/video festivals and contests and present a “visual calling card” to prospective employers in the industry. In addition, technical competencies will be further enhanced, as students will be offered advanced courses in these areas and provided the opportunity to concentrate in their chosen fields.