Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green State University houses its digital arts curriculum within the School of Art, combining fine art foundations with digital media production. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), the curriculum emphasizes technical proficiency grounded in visual storytelling, design theory, and conceptual development.

Degree Pathways

Undergraduate students choose between two primary tracks depending on their career goals:

• BFA in Digital Arts: A studio-intensive degree requiring students to pass a competitive portfolio review after their foundation year. Students concentrate in 2D or 3D Animation, Gaming and Virtual Environments, or Interdisciplinary Digital Arts. Upper-level studios average 16 to 20 students, allowing close faculty mentoring.
• BA in Digital Arts: A flexible liberal arts degree that does not require the BFA portfolio review. It mandates a minor or second major, making it suited for students combining digital media with disciplines like computer science or communications.

At the graduate level, BGSU offers an MFA in Art with a specialization in Digital Arts, a terminal two-year program focusing on computer animation, gaming, interactive media, AI, and physical computing.

Facilities and Hardware

Digital arts facilities are located across the Fine Arts Center and the Wolfe Center for the Arts, a collaborative space designed by Snøhetta that houses digital media alongside theatre, film, and music departments. Specialized production spaces include:

• Digital Arts Studio 202: Mac Studio M1 Ultra workstations equipped with 64GB RAM, 22" Wacom Cintiqs, 32" 4K displays, and Scarlett audio interfaces.
• Imaging & Illustration Lab 244: PC workstations with 18 cores, 32GB RAM, Nvidia Quadro K5000 GPUs, and 24" 4K Wacom Cintiq tablets.
• 3D Animation Lab 246: PC workstations with 20 cores, 32GB RAM, Nvidia Quadro P5000 GPUs, 49" curved displays, and Wacom One tablets.

Practical Production and Capstone

Coursework integrates real-world application, including collaborative client assignments such as animated public service announcements for environmental nonprofits. BFA candidates complete a year-long senior capstone dedicated to producing an extensive project—such as a 2D animation, 3D environment, or stop-motion film. Senior work is presented publicly at the annual Animation and Film Senior Showcase in the Wolfe Center's 400-seat Donnell Theatre.