Study Away: LA gives film and animation majors the opportunity to spend a semester in Los Angeles learning from industry professionals. Students and alumni alike have produced award-winning films and made major contributions to the art, technology, and advancement of animation. Graduates of the film degree are qualified to begin careers in the industry (feature films, television, and games) and create their own independent films and content for the global festival circuit or distribution. Labs and classrooms are filled with the latest software, technology, sound, and screening options, including TVPaint (2D), Maya (3D), Toon Boom Harmony, Dragonframe (stop-motion), and the entire Adobe Creative Suite. They will draw, paint, rig, model, texture, light, build, and animate past the edges of their creativity while learning the art and craft of visual storytelling. They learn and create through the entire process, from story, design, and animation to post-production and distribution. Regardless of the medium, students make films from day one, culminating in a thesis film their final year. The program builds up from foundation drawing and design to full-fledged filmmaking. While students focus on a particular technique, they are encouraged to explore all methods and approaches.

Stop motion focuses on digital technology in support of puppet fundamentals and non-puppet frame-by-frame techniques.Additionally, students can work in experimental forms, animated documentary, and mixed-media storytelling. 3D animation courses focus on advanced 3D modeling, lighting, texturing, and animating in a 3D space. The 2D animation concentrates on traditional forms drawn by hand, a mixture of both traditional and digital, or all digital origination.