Education

As the digital media sector has flourished in Metro Orlando, local institutions have responded with valuable educational and vocational training programs to add to the quality of the employee base. These programs provide students with a strong foundation in digital media, while focusing on future applications and emerging technology.

University of Central Florida (UCF)
The UCF Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) is a graduate-level video game design and development school within the Center for Emerging Media based in downtown Orlando’s emerging “Creative Village.” Designed to provide students with team-based, industry-led education that provides experience as they learn, students at FIEA also have use of Studio 500, a production complex that offers commercial and student clients professional stage and support facilities for film, video and MOCAP production. Co-located with FIEA in Orlando’s “Creative Village” is Vicon’s House of Moves east coast operation.

Students work on the latest game engines and software and are mentored by faculty with decades of game-making experience. Students can earn a Master’s degree in Interactive Entertainment with areas of specialization in 3-D modeling, animation and motion, technical artistry, software development, and production management.

The UCF Film Department focuses on developing a student’s creative voice and stresses entrepreneurial filmmaking and the use of new technology in the production and distribution of their work. The undergraduate degree is an integrated program featuring three main areas of study:

• Digital cinema
• Producing/directing
• Screenwriting

The phenomenal worldwide success of The Blair Witch Project, an independent film created by five former UCF film students, boosted the Film Department’s profile and led to a sharp increase in the school’s enrollment.

Full Sail University
Full Sail University is a private, for-profit university located in Winter Park, geared toward the entertainment industry and known for its around-the-clock schedule. It offers degree programs in Computer Animation, Digital Arts & Design, Education Media Design & Technology, Entertainment Business, Film, Game Art, Game Development, Music Business, Recording Arts, Show Production & Touring, and Web Design & Development. Full Sail awards Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees after 12 to 21 months of an accelerated education.

The digital media program focuses on:

Valencia College
Valencia offers an associate’s degree in Digital Media Technology with specialization in development, production and presentation. Combining classroom experience with real-world projects, the program prepares students to become:

Seminole State College of Florida (SSC)
SSC offers an associate’s degree in Multimedia Technology with a specialization in Graphic Design and Web Design. This program trains students to use computers in combination with text, graphics and various software programs to produce professional quality publications, illustrations and web-related technology for print, film and animation.

Daytona Beach Community College (DBCC)
DBCC, in cooperation with the simulation industry and with Seminole State College and Valencia College, has nearly completed development of a new AS Degree Program in Simulation Technology. Recognized as the national center for simulation, DBCC believed the need existed in the region for Associate Degree technicians grounded in the basics of modeling and simulation. In the development of this program, DBCC also partnered with UCF to include a “2+2” component that will allow graduates to pursue their education in this field. DBCC’s creation of a "2+2" program shared with the area community colleges and UCF helps expand the degreed workforce essential to growing this industry in Central Florida.

Digital Animation & Visual Effects School (DAVE)
Located on the lot of Universal Studios Florida, the DAVE School provides immersion in computer animated special effects, with extensive practice under qualified supervision. The DAVE School has designed a program that simulates actual production experience, with every lesson plan based on objectives faced daily by professional animators.

International Academy of Design & Technology – Orlando (IADT)
Accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, IADT offers Bachelor’s and Associate’s Degree programs in fields such as marketing, design and computer graphics. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program in Game Design and Development is designed to provide education in principles and techniques used to create interactive 2D and 3D computer and video games. The Bachelor of Fine Arts program in Multimedia Design exposes students to a broad range of multimedia — web design, print media, 3D modeling and animation, and digital audio and video production. And the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Computer Graphics provides students with the skills necessary to function as a graphic designer, package or product designer, marketing or advertising designer, illustrator or media designer.

Orlando Tech
Located in downtown Orlando, Orlando Tech offers certificate programs in Digital Audio Production, Digital Video/TV Production, and 3D Animation Technology, as well as MAC computer specialization. The facility includes access to motion capture equipment and a working broadcast studio available for corporate use as well.

Local High Schools
To provide intensive digital media training to younger students, Edgewater High School and University High School established the Creative Arts and Technologies Academy where students create a variety of digital-design products, video, animation, graphic layouts and web pages. They gain practical experience by designing products for local clientele, which helps students enter the job market.