graduate programs?

[shai]

Oi ^_^ first time posting here, though i've lurked around for quite a bit... :D I was wondering if any of you might be able to give me a little advice.

currently, i'm a graphic design senior at Boston University. a terrible choice on my part to go to BU for graphic design, but i'll spare y'all the ranting. ^ ^ i'm certain (now more than ever) that computer animation/concept art and the like is where i want to go with my life rather than graphic design... so, i'm now looking at graduate schools.

i'm really looking for a place that not only puts emphasis on the software, but offers a lot of drawing experience too (like figure drawing, anatomy, etc)... although i had a lot of drawing and painting my first two years at BU, i don't think one can ever have too much of that.

anyways... i was wondering if any of you might be able to suggest good schools that offer an MFA in computer art, animation, etc.

So far I've been looking at Pratt, SVA, and SCAD. Have any of you attended their graduate programs? what do you have to say about them?

Also... is it just completely stupid for me to even think of doing an undergraduate program again? I really love what I see at Ringling, but alas, no graduate programs. :cry: I'm not sure I could bare (or afford) to do undergrad all over again. O_O do people even do that? :confused:

anyhoo... thanks for anything you've got to say. ^_^

[Dynamic Peanut]

Hello,
I was actually kind of in the same boat as you when I was an undergrad. I got my BA in Design/Media Arts, but after a little while I realized it's not what I wanted to do. So, I applied to film school for animation.
I'm currently a 2nd year MFA Animation student at the UCLA Film School. The program is 3 years long. Throught those 3 years you complete 3 animated films, all of which you have to do on your own(script, directing, production, etc.). It's a very intense program basically smashing 8 years into a 3 year program. Now I should say that the first year is all traditional animation, the second is digital, and the third, which is your thesis year, can be whatever you want. There are some excellent professors there, most notably Mr. Glenn Villpu, who teaches figure drawing. He is a former Disney animator and is very well known in the animation world for his unique drawing methods.
Another school that I know of that offers an MFA is Cal Arts, but it's in Experimental Animation. Well I hope I helped a bit.

Brian

[Boudou]

Hi Shai: Ringling has only an undergraduate degree but there are people who do go there with a degree in other fields...there is a non traditional track that starts freshmen year for those folks with a lot of experience/or academic credit. Ringling also brings Mr. Glenn Vilppu out for particular intense drawing workshops. But the course structure is so tight that inevitably you'll have to make your own drawing time at FEWS, (the open studio).
A good reason to get an MFA is that it's a terminal degree if you want to teach, especially. There still seems to be lots of work in this field, but if you like safety nets.....Also, UCLA probably has more drawing within a structured environment than Ringling...and is near most of the big studios. Also you'll have the chance to spread out...look into directing, etc.
The experimental program in Valencia is probably the most unstructured of all, and if you're self directed and goal oriented you can probably make this what you want....