A Comparative Study Of Undergraduate Animation Pedagogy In Chinese And American Universities

Animation education in China has prevailed after the 21st century, with the number of animation education programs increasing rapidly. Yet the increase in numbers cannot gloss over the deficits in qualities. The majority of educational institutions, especially the higher education institutions, lack a systematic and scientific planning on the animation education system. According to the 2010 statistics in China, although over half a million animation graduates enter the job markets (ranking the highest worldwide), the animation market in China is still in shortage of another 150,000 animation graduates, which calls for further development of animation industries in China.This article makes a comparison between the animation education in China and that in US. First, the analysis of education systems and characteristics in these two countries are conducted to inform the patterns of their development. Then the systematic and scientific analysis of enrolment requirement, course outlines and job prosperity is conducted in order to identify the potential problems in Chinese animation education, based on which the copping strategies will be discussed to offer more insights for the development and revolution of Chinese animation education.