|
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)
In 1996, UCF founded the Consortium for Research and Education in the Arts
and Technology (CREAT), which offers a bachelor’s
degree and certificate programs in digital media. Plans are
underway to develop a master’s level program in the field.
CREAT is a partnership of the Art, English, Film and Music
departments in the College of Arts and Sciences with support from
the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as well
as the Institute for Simulation and Training. A key function of
CREAT is to recruit industry leaders to partner with university
students and faculty.
Prominent alumni from the College of Arts and Sciences include
John Bersia, UCF faculty member and Pulitzer Prize winner and
George Kalogridis, Disneyland president.
In 2003, UCF created the School of Film and Digital Media
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 in 1999 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.
UCF defines digital media as an emerging discipline that studies
how people creatively use technology to communicate across space
and time. At UCF, digital media study focuses on interactive media
such as:
- Computer games
- Internet
- Virtual reality
|
- Personal digital assistants
- Cellular telephones
- Global positioning systems
|
|
The Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy
(FIEA) opened in downtown Orlando in August of 2005.
Part of UCF’s School of Film & Digital Media, it was formed to
give talented people a team-based, industry-led education that best
prepares them to succeed in interactive entertainment industries
like video gaming.
Students will work on the latest game engines and software and
be 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.
Full
Sail Univerisity
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, and Show Production
& Touring, Web Design & Development. Full Sail awards
Associate's, Bachelor's degrees, and Master's degrees after 12 to
21 months of an accelerated education.
The digital media program focuses on:
|
| |
- Computer graphics
- Web design
- 3D modeling
- Multimedia authoring
|
- Broadcast design
- 3D animation
- Computer networking
|
|
Valencia Community College (VCC)
VCC 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:
|
| |
- Project managers
- Multimedia authors
- Webmasters
|
- Digital videographers
- Video technicians
- Audiovisual technicians
|
|
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.
Located within Seminole State College of Florida's Center for
Economic Development in Heathrow, just northwest of Orlando, is the
Employ Florida Digital Media Banner
Center. This is an industry-driven, statewide resource
for digital media workforce education and training. The Digital
Media Banner Center (DMBC) forges and strengthens relationships
among education, industry, economic development and public
workforce resources, to grow the competiveness of Florida's Digital
Media Industry.
|
Daytona Beach Community College (DBCC)
DBCC, in cooperation with the simulation industry and with Seminole
and Valencia community colleges, 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 has 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 will help 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 and Associate 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.
|
