Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) once again advances creative education with the formation of four schools: the School of Creative Technology, School of Animation and Motion, School of Film and Acting, and School of Visual Communication. In addition to the recently announced De Sole School of Business Innovation at SCAD, this academic transformation demonstrates SCAD’s commitment to preparing students to lead companies, brands, and studios with a vigorous embrace of new technologies and STEM disciplines.
The creation of these four innovative schools affirms the university’s international reputation as the preeminent source of knowledge across creative professions. For the past five years, 99 per cent of SCAD graduates were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 10 months of graduation.
“SCAD continually evolves because change defines global business. Our brilliance never rests. SCAD offers degree programs today that didn’t even exist before SCAD invented them! Radically trailblazing courses of study like immersive reality and themed entertainment belong in a class all their own, which is why I’m proud to announce the creation of the SCAD School of Creative Technology, a Shangri-La for STEM students worldwide, along with the newly formed School of Animation and Motion, School of Film and Acting, and School of Visual Communication. The future lives at SCAD, right here, right now,” said SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace.
The new SCAD School of Creative Technology comprises top-ranked and emergent degree programs including immersive reality, interactive design and game development, and themed entertainment design. The school combines technical mastery with artistic sensibility where students become architects of the imagination at the intersection of technology, experience, and entertainment. From mobile games to theme parks, hospitality to healthcare, and branded ad campaigns to online and in-person shopping, SCAD School of Creative Technology will mold the future professionals who will use technology to redefine the human experience.
The SCAD School of Animation and Motion brings together the university’s top-ranked animation, motion media design, and visual effects programs to create a powerhouse of digital creative production, talent, and next-gen tech. Across blockbuster animations and fan-favourite movies that are marvels of visual effects to title sequences, promos, and multi-platform ad campaigns, the work of SCAD animators, visual effects artists, and motion media designers will continue to capture the imaginations of audiences around the globe.
Students of the SCAD School of Film and Acting benefit from the most comprehensive university film studio in the world, including the SCAD Casting Office, SCAD’s new movie back-lot in Savannah, and mixed-reality (XR) stages in Savannah and Atlanta. Featured degree programs in film and television, performing arts, production design, and sound design invite students to command roles on stage and behind the scenes. A comprehensive production schedule prepares students for careers in films, sitcoms, live performances, dramatic series, music videos, commercials, and more.
SCAD School of Visual Communication encompasses the university’s illustration, photography, and sequential art programs. This new structure will provide strategic focus on foundational studio disciplines that use visual tools and techniques for communication, storytelling, and artistic expression. Students will master skills to translate a range of emotions into tangible images and designs that impact the world.
This formation of new schools and the strategic alignment of these programs of study are the latest examples of SCAD’s student-focused, employer-informed, and research-based approach to curriculum development. SCAD has led the way in the creation of many programs, offering the world’s first degrees in design for sustainability, luxury and brand management, service design, and user experience (UX) design among others, that propel graduates to the top of these expansive professions.