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Harness cutting-edge technology to tell captivating stories and create experiences that entertain, empathize, and advocate for a wide range of audiences. With New York City on your doorstep, a world of opportunity is here to explore. 
An image edit of a man standing next to an Oscars award statue and an animation render of a word war soldier looking up to gloomy skies.
Type
Graduate, MFA
Start Term
Fall Only
Credits
60
Duration
2 Years
Courses
Plan of Study
School and Department
School of Art,
Digital Arts and Animation

3D Animation and Motion Arts at Pratt

The MFA in 3D Animation and Motion Arts provides the basis for you to fully invest in your talents as a storyteller and animator. Throughout the program, you will acquire and enhance skills across a spectrum of techniques, encompassing modeling, animation, texturing, lighting, and rendering. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to further explore audio, visual effects, and experimental methods like stop-motion,  allowing you to personally tailor your study pathway.  

Student Work

The Experience

animation screen capture of open field, with large dandelions in the foreground, and a farm house in the background
Jun Huang, MFA Animation 2019

The 3D Animation and Motion Arts MFA journey is grounded on the pursuit of mastering digital technologies, cultivating personal growth, and driving societal impact through fine art. A range of skills-focused courses interrogate the latest software, hardware, and other emerging technological systems, exploring their innovative applications through screen-based storytelling and experimental narrative. Through seminars, workshops, and a visiting artist series, students gain a comprehensive framework for sharing, debating, and evaluating the historical and contemporary advancements within the field.

screen capture of a medival city street, done in a nightmare before christmas style
Steven Balthay, MFA Animation 2017

New York City serves as the ideal catalyst for this experience. Through in-class and extracurricular excursions, students tap into our unique position at the vanguard of contemporary art practice.

Digital Arts Facilities

Students in the 3D Animation and Motion Arts MFA have excellent labs with access to several digital computing facilities that are outfitted with state of the art Apple and Windows computer stations. These computers are loaded with top of the line software including Maya, Houdini, TouchDesigner, MaxMSP, Nuke, ToonBoom, Adobe Suite, Ableton, ProTools, and much more. MFA students also have access to shared Digital Arts facilities that include a green screen room, audio editing suite, a variety of 3D printers, laser cutter, ink-jet printers and a world-class surround-sound VR production/presentation suite. Further access to Pratt Institute facilities is also possible, including fine art workshops and a large photogrammetry volume.

Internships

The Department of Digital Arts and Animation offers an internship program tailored to digital artists. Throughout the academic year, students partake in internship opportunities at a variety of studios and companies in the metropolitan New York area, gaining skills and experience in areas covering animation, visual effects, motion graphics, game design, interaction design, fine arts, and publishing. 

The internship program places students on their career paths, providing experiences that aid in determining their educational and professional goals. Internships may be taken for college credit by both undergraduate and graduate students. While the Department has our own Internship Coordinator, students may also want to visit Pratt’s extensive network and dedicated staff that supports and facilitates Internships and Industry Connections.

Study Abroad

Building exterior at the University of the Arts in Berlin, Germany.

Immersing yourself in another culture is an incredible experience that can extend the boundaries of creativity. Study abroad programs are an integral part of the college experience, and Pratt has deep connections with university partners around the world. See where you can go.

Learning Resources

We develop disciplinary fluency in our program of study and we celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of design critical to address the plurality and complexity of the environments in which we operate. Learning resources.

Our Faculty

Pratt’s distinguished faculty of outstanding creative professionals and scholars share a common desire to develop each student’s potential and creativity to the fullest. Bringing different views, methods, and perspectives they provide a rigorous educational model in which students make and learn. See all Digital Arts faculty and administrators.

Everett Kane

Associate Professor

Person

Claudia Tait

Professor

Person

Douglas Easterly

Chairperson of Digital Arts and Animation

Person

Our Alumni

A discussion panel is assembled in front of a projector screen. There are four panelists with the person on the right holding a mic.

Digital Arts graduates become leading contributors to the arts with a commitment to the cultural enrichment of society. After graduation, Pratt Alumni can be found featured in important publications, exhibiting in galleries and new media institutions and working in major creative industries.

Success Stories

Ready for More?

HERE’S HOW TO APPLYOUR CAMPUS & BEYOND
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
@prattinstitute
Pratt Institute

@prattinstitute

  • Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
  • Excitement is in the air as our 3rd annual Pratt Giving Day kicks off today! We are thrilled to announce that a generous donor has pledged to unlock $5,000 if 100 donors make their gift by 1PM. Hit the link in our bio.

Will you accept the challenge and be one of the first 100 donors to contribute to Pratt Giving Day? Every donation, no matter the size, helps us reach our goal of supporting creative expression and education at Pratt Institute.
  • Congratulations to all our newly admitted students! Visit the link in our profile for next steps, Admitted Students' Day information, and more ways to get to know our community! You’re one of us now. Welcome to Pratt!

#PrattInstitute #Pratt #Brooklyn
  • Some architects know who they are from a very early age.

Video: Kerry Richardson, MArch '26 (@kerryrichardsonn)
  • A women's History Month Throwback! Rosabel Robbins was the only woman in this School of Architecture course in 1937. 

📸 Photo of a newspaper clipping from the September 10, 1937 issue of 
@BklynEagle

#WomensHistoryMonth
  • We are saddened to hear of New York design icon Iris Apfel's passing at 102. For over 50 years, Apfel and her distinctive look championed self-expression and exuberant style at any age. 

Apfel was presented with the Pratt Legend Award in 2014 in recognition of her status as a creative icon including her work as an interior designer, which included restoration projects at the White House under nine presidents and, at 93 years old, consulted and lectured about style and fashion in addition to designing her own accessory line for Home Shopping Network (HSN).

Thank you so much for being a rare bird in our city, Iris!

Image: 2014 Legend Honorees Iris Apfel, David Yurman, and Kim Hastreiter.
  • Six days until Research Open House! Join us at the @BklynNavyYard on Friday, March 8, from 12 to 4 PM to learn about research possibilities, innovative ideas, and the impact of Pratt’s community. Come meet the inventors, doers, and thinkers who work to make a difference in our local community and around the world.

#PrattInstitute
  • 75 days until Radio City Music Hall!!!
#PrattGrad24
  • Katherine Duclos, MFA Fine Art (Painting and Drawing) '11 sees LEGO bricks as the “start of something”, using them as tools to bring big ideas to life. Her relationship with color and unique use of bricks is a great inspiration to continue pushing the boundaries of creativity, play, and self-expression.

Repost from @lego via @PrattFineArt

#MFA #FineArt #Lego #PrattInstitute #Pratt
Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
Pratt has gone to the dogs!

Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows).

The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. 

Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals
Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216
Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
Pratt has gone to the dogs! Each year the Pratt Community Engagement Board (@PrattCBoard) organizes activities and service projects during spring break. This year we kicked things off with a night of pet therapy and dog toy making benefiting Pillows for Paws (@PillowsForPaws), a trip to Tompkins Square Park to work with @LESEcologyCenter on re-mulching the garden beds, and a morning with Edible Schoolyard (@ESYNYC) prepping the garden beds at PS 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn (@PS216Grows). The chicken had no comment on the Pratt Cats' feelings about dogs on campus. Images 1-4: Pet therapy animals Images 5-7: Students work at PS 216 Images 8-10: Thompkins Square Park
6 days ago
View on Instagram |
1/9
Excitement is in the air as our 3rd annual Pratt Giving Day kicks off today! We are thrilled to announce that a generous donor has pledged to unlock $5,000 if 100 donors make their gift by 1PM. Hit the link in our bio.

Will you accept the challenge and be one of the first 100 donors to contribute to Pratt Giving Day? Every donation, no matter the size, helps us reach our goal of supporting creative expression and education at Pratt Institute.
Excitement is in the air as our 3rd annual Pratt Giving Day kicks off today! We are thrilled to announce that a generous donor has pledged to unlock $5,000 if 100 donors make their gift by 1PM. Hit the link in our bio. Will you accept the challenge and be one of the first 100 donors to contribute to Pratt Giving Day? Every donation, no matter the size, helps us reach our goal of supporting creative expression and education at Pratt Institute.
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
2/9
Congratulations to all our newly admitted students! Visit the link in our profile for next steps, Admitted Students' Day information, and more ways to get to know our community! You’re one of us now. Welcome to Pratt! #PrattInstitute #Pratt #Brooklyn
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
Some architects know who they are from a very early age. Video: Kerry Richardson, MArch '26 (@kerryrichardsonn)
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
A women's History Month Throwback! Rosabel Robbins was the only woman in this School of Architecture course in 1937. 

📸 Photo of a newspaper clipping from the September 10, 1937 issue of 
@BklynEagle

#WomensHistoryMonth
A women's History Month Throwback! Rosabel Robbins was the only woman in this School of Architecture course in 1937. 📸 Photo of a newspaper clipping from the September 10, 1937 issue of @BklynEagle #WomensHistoryMonth
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
5/9
We are saddened to hear of New York design icon Iris Apfel's passing at 102. For over 50 years, Apfel and her distinctive look championed self-expression and exuberant style at any age. 

Apfel was presented with the Pratt Legend Award in 2014 in recognition of her status as a creative icon including her work as an interior designer, which included restoration projects at the White House under nine presidents and, at 93 years old, consulted and lectured about style and fashion in addition to designing her own accessory line for Home Shopping Network (HSN).

Thank you so much for being a rare bird in our city, Iris!

Image: 2014 Legend Honorees Iris Apfel, David Yurman, and Kim Hastreiter.
We are saddened to hear of New York design icon Iris Apfel's passing at 102. For over 50 years, Apfel and her distinctive look championed self-expression and exuberant style at any age. Apfel was presented with the Pratt Legend Award in 2014 in recognition of her status as a creative icon including her work as an interior designer, which included restoration projects at the White House under nine presidents and, at 93 years old, consulted and lectured about style and fashion in addition to designing her own accessory line for Home Shopping Network (HSN). Thank you so much for being a rare bird in our city, Iris! Image: 2014 Legend Honorees Iris Apfel, David Yurman, and Kim Hastreiter.
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
6/9
Six days until Research Open House! Join us at the @BklynNavyYard on Friday, March 8, from 12 to 4 PM to learn about research possibilities, innovative ideas, and the impact of Pratt’s community. Come meet the inventors, doers, and thinkers who work to make a difference in our local community and around the world. #PrattInstitute
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
75 days until Radio City Music Hall!!! #PrattGrad24
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
Katherine Duclos, MFA Fine Art (Painting and Drawing) '11 sees LEGO bricks as the “start of something”, using them as tools to bring big ideas to life. Her relationship with color and unique use of bricks is a great inspiration to continue pushing the boundaries of creativity, play, and self-expression. Repost from @lego via @PrattFineArt #MFA #FineArt #Lego #PrattInstitute #Pratt
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
9/9

From the Catalog

Students create evocative narrative and non-narrative films and installations using 2-D and 3-D digital animation techniques, live action, and motion graphics. Recommended electives include history of animation, film criticism, traditional animation, character design and rigging, lighting and rendering, audio and video, compositing and special effects, and advanced digital animation techniques.

Digital Arts Graduates become leading professionals in the creative industries with a commitment to innovative and significant artistic practice.

AFTER GRADUATION PRATT ALUMNI CAN BE FOUND WORKING AND FREELANCING IN DIVERSE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES:

  • Augenblick
  • Blue Sky
  • Bunko Studios
  • BuzzFeed
  • Cartoon Network
  • Curious Pictures
  • Digital Domain
  • Dilussion Inc
  • Disney Animation Studios
  • Dragon Egg Entertainment
  • Dream Factory
  • Dreamworks Studios
  • Framestore
  • Frost Productions
  • Gameloft
  • Giant Fox Studio
  • Industrial Light & Magic
  • iNK Stories
  • ITHAKA
  • Launch
  • Lutron
  • Malka Media
  • Media Monks
  • The Mill
  • Nathan Love
  • NBCUniversal, Inc
  • Psyop
  • Rhythm and Hues Studios
  • Shadow Machine Films
  • Sony Imageworks
  • Steror D
  • Thorlabs
  • Threshold
  • Thrillist
  • Titmouse
  • Walt Disney Animation Studios
  • White

ALUMNI HAVE ALSO GONE TO CAREERS IN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS INCLUDING:

  • LaGuardia CUNY
  • Rochester Institute of Technology
  • University of Florida, Digital Worlds Institute
  • Hoseo Technical College
  • New York University
  • New York Institute of Technology
  • Howard University
  • American Academy in Rome
  • Stony Brook University
  • National Taiwai Normal University