EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Animation and Visual Effects program is ranked among the top 200 programs in the nation, according to the university on Friday, May 23.
Animation Career Review ranked over 200 programs across the U.S. and in the 2025 rankings list, NMSU’s Animation and Visual Effects program rose to 17th.
According to the university, this is the 14th year in a row that NMSU’s program has ranked in the Animation Career Review list.
“We’ve really been trying to ramp up our visual effects component in what we teach,” said Derek Chase, professor in NMSU’s Creative Media Institute, who specializes in 3D animation.“Although our ranking has specifically outlined animation in recent years, we actually just hit Animation Career Review’s top five for Southwest visual effects ranking too.”
According to NMSU, the Animation Career Review considers animation programs in degree-granting institutions, except two-year community colleges. The criteria the list uses include the following:
- academic reputation
- admission selectivity
- depth and breadth of program faculty
- values as they relate to tuition and indebtedness
- graduation rate
- geographic location
- employment data
“We are drawing in talent from the student and the faculty side,” Chase said. “We have had students from all over the place. We just had a graduate who was from Alaska originally. More and more people are applying to our program, especially in the surrounding Four Corners states and Texas. We have always been a big draw for students from nearby El Paso and Juarez, Mexico.”
The Animation and Visual Effects program at NMSU has grown since 2018. The number of majors has grown by 40 percent and the number of degrees granted by 50 percent, according to NMSU.
“I think our success comes down to a combination of factors,” Eddie Bakshi, who specializes in teaching 2D animation production at CMI, said. “We offer a really great product. We offer great teachers and a very competitive program among all animation schools for a very modest price. As prices keep going up at many larger schools, our students get a quality education that is more affordable.”
Nathan Billman, who recently graduated with a degree in animation at NMSU, said prior to pursuing animation, he was a psychology major and then changed his mind.
“I was two and a half years in and found that I didn’t really want to be a counselor, so I made my switch,” Billman said. “It’s been really hard because I don’t have an art background, but I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve been embraced, and I’ve gotten better and better. It’s really been nice to have the faculty who are there for you.”
Abril Delgado Quintana, who will graduate next semester at NMSU and grew up in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, said the animation program was a huge step for her.
“It was a huge step for me, especially coming from where I was born and where I grew up,” Delgado Quintana said. “It was like, wow, it’s impressive. The accessibility, the collaboration, it makes you want to work closely with fellow students and professors.”
For more information about the program, you can visit NMSU’s website.
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