(New Philadelphia, Ohio) – The Bachelor of Science degree in Animation Game Design (BS AGD) is now being offered in full at Kent State University at Tuscarawas and at the Stark and Kent campuses.

While this degree is new for Kent State University, the animation and game design program has been training students in industry-relevant skills since 2001. Previously existing as a concentration within the Bachelor of Science in Technology and then Engineering Technology, enrollment has seen an astounding growth to nearly 300 students.

The BS AGD is a professional degree that has received accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Accreditation by NSAD is prestigious and indicates the BS AGD program meets satisfactory industry standards and provides assurance of the quality and integrity of the program.

The program offers students a major area of study in foundational core classes of 2D and 3D art, modeling, animation and interactivity design, leading to a choice of concentrations in either animation or game design. Students are also given guidance to choose from other specific areas of interest to complement the completed professional degree.

Graduates of this program will be prepared for jobs in technical illustration and modeling, as well as in artistic production, exhibition, broadcast, or in the numerous emerging Internet applications.

“I’m excited about the direction our program has taken over the last few years, integrating animation and games’ relevance to the landscape of art, design, and digital media,” said Chris Totten, assistant professor and lead faculty for the BS AGD program. “I think that our accreditation by NASAD affirms this element of our program and will allow us to continue developing an exciting curriculum for our students that addresses a rapidly-evolving industry landscape.”

The BS AGD foundational curriculum is based to meet the needs of the industry – both local and beyond.

“Our foundational curriculum sets us apart from other traditional schools in art and design and can give our graduates a competitive edge,” said Lori Bears, lead faculty and coordinator of the AAS Technical Modeling Design (TMD) program and coordinator of the BS AGD program. “Coming out of the engineering technology program, we have based our foundational curriculum to meet the needs of industry by training our students in areas of computer-aided design (CAD), 2D and 3D modeling, and technical programming and writing.”

Bears said that BS AGD students are actively sought for jobs locally and beyond in these areas early in their academic careers.

To learn more about the Bachelor of Science degree in Animation Game Design at Kent State Tuscarawas, visit www.kent.edu/tusc/animation-game-design.