Drawn to animation? Augusta University expands program to fulfill booming industry workforce needs

Look closely and you'll see the world runs on animation. Just about everywhere you turn, you find animation in some form, whether in a commercial, at a sporting event or in movies and television.

“The interesting thing is, it’s hard to understand how pervasive animation is -- it’s everywhere," said Augusta University's Scott Thorp. "Anything that moves, any media that you interact with, likely has animation inside of it. When you think of commercials, you have Monday Night Football, all that stuff moving on the screen is what our students will do.” 

Thorp is chair of the Department of Art and Design at Augusta University and an artist himself. He said in Georgia right now, there are more jobs than animators in just about every aspect of the industry.

“When you think about videos, instructional videos, flight simulators, surgical simulations, metaverse, animation -- it's there," said Thorp.

This boom is also why Augusta University recently announced plans for a major expansion of its animation program housed on the historic Summerville Campus.

“There’s not a lot of programs in the southeast at all. But there is industry here,” said A.B. Osborne, an assistant professor who was hired to launch the animation program at Augusta University a few years ago.

Thorp agrees Georgia is booming when it comes to the entertainment sector and Augusta is leading the way.

“This is very contemporary and very future oriented. With the film industry and all entertainment in Georgia, this is appropriate for it.”

Looking to know more about what's in store for the animation industry and what it takes to train the next generation of the workforce? Then let us help.

A.B. Osborne is an expert in the field of animation, working in everything from classic cartoons to technical and medical animation.

Scott Thorp is associate vice president for interdisciplinary research and professor and chair of the Department of Art and  Design at Augusta University. He has worked for more than a decade as an exhibiting artist and his research interests include user-centered design, design thinking and the psychology of creativity.

Both Osborne and Thorp are available to speak about Augusta University's expanding animation program. Simply click on either icon to arrange an interview today.