If you’re gifted with the inborn talent to draw, paint and visualize, it is essential that you follow it up with proper academic training as without the requisite technical knowledge and practice, you’ll only end up wasting your talent. It is not only a source of knowledge but also a kind of recognition/certification that makes it easier for employers to recruit as they can expect a basic level of competence from you once you have a degree. This is important as today the industry is very formalized and unless you have a good understanding of the corporate way of doing things along with a recognized qualification, it would be hard to get the opportunities to showcase your talent. Instances of people earning their living without any formal training are rare.

There are courses offered by both government institutes and also by private institutes which are accepted in the industry.  Most of them offer a Diploma or a bachelor degree and for that one needs to have passed 12th standard from any recognized board with minimum of 45% marks. The entry criteria can be different for the local animation academies.  For postgraduate program one should have a bachelor's degree in any discipline preferably arts. One should have a basic knowledge of handling computers.
The actual process of admission will differ based on the course and institute for example NID conducts its own exam which looks for creativity and analytical skills via a standardized test. One should be weary of institutes which dish out admissions without any stringent admission criteria but rather purely based on money. Some of the institutes like Industrial Design Center (IDC), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Design (NID) have a strict eligibility criterion like the criteria that only graduates of architecture, technology and engineering, fine arts can apply for these courses.

Most good courses start in animation start with an exposure to and appreciation of music, art, dance, drama, music, sound, storytelling and literature via different modules. This is important for proper understanding and growth of the individual in the area. Most professional and employment oriented courses might not offer this part which is important for a successful career in the long run and should be compensated by self study of the student themselves.

There is a lot of practical knowledge that is passed on in the courses for example by viewing of animation films along with discussion and analysis of the same to understand the evolution and techniques used. As it is a profession that involves a lot of team work communication skills are also honed along with personality development and leadership training. Being a career very much requiring creativity on a day to day basis, creative techniques are also usually taught.

Under traditional 2D animation topics like drawing from life – anatomical study of humans, animals, birds, fish, flora, backgrounds, etc and  2D drawing techniques & rules for cell animation etc are taught at the basic level.

Scripting and Screenplays for film / content creation along with topics like story-lines, story themes, character definition,relationships in stories, dialogue writing etc which are important for both 2D and 3D animators are also taught. Another important area of study relates to techniques of storyboarding which deals with translating the written word into a visual presentation is taught covering sub topics like different formats, timing, story break up, character placement & angles, camera angles dialogues,music scores & sound effects (SFX) etc

In 3D, claymation, stop motion (cutouts & found objects), etc. along with overview of 3D animation via current software (3D Max, Maya, etc) are covered. Since 3D is a vast and diverse area, topics like character modeling, motion, mapping, lighting, environments & cameras Rendering techniques are touched upon , which the student can later study in detail if he/she chooses to focus on 3D. Advanced screenplay techniques for 3D like character design – Techniques for creation of characters through puppet-making, materials exploration, dramatics etc are also covered along with live action & animation compositing – (chroma keying, tracking, color correction, masking, rotoscopy).

The further content of the courses depend on the specialization that one chooses to pursue. Since it is hard to understand what one would be good at without getting you hands dirty, most courses give you a basic education and then let you specialize later. One can specialize as a 3D or 2D modeler, special FX Creator, Animator, Character Designer, Games Designer, Interaction Designer etc. Alternatively some there are courses that are specialized form the start but they are not recommended unless the student is dead sure what he/she wants.

In addition to this most institutes offer multiple practical elements to the course like live client projects , live internships and full complete film making projects etc to give that practical edge to the course. In fact while deciding on courses, the availability of client side “live projects” and internships as part of the course is an important criteria. This will not only give required practical experience but also chances to impress the clients during the course itself and secure a job before getting out of campus.

There are also specific courses that are offered by institutes like NIIT which focus on niche domains and skills like

1. Digital Printing and Publishing - A module focused on designing products for the publishing segment

2. Digital Web Authoring - A complete course on website creation

3. Digital Film Animation - A program for creating professional animators

4. Digital Interactive Multimedia - A course to acquaint students with the new media

5. Diploma in Digital Visual Communication - Exposes to platforms such as print, the Web and interactive multimedia

6. Advanced Diploma in Digital Visual Communication and Animation - Prepares for careers in animation, multimedia, special effects, games, CBT (computer-based tutorials) and WBT (Web-based tutorials)
The nomenclature will differ depending on the institute and the contents must be studied to get a better understanding of the course.
A lot of the work in Animation today is dependent on the tool that is used and hence the private institutes also offer courses that are directly linked to 2D and 3D tools that are used like Photoshop,  Maya , and they can be thought of as throughly professional courses as most of the institutes will have link ups with companies that are using the same software and who require man power for the same. Consequently while choosing a tool specific course, one should consider the companies that have link ups with the institute more than the content as content would probably have been designed keeping the companies needs in mind. Also while doing such courses, one should make sure that he/she gets a bigger picture of the animation industry by his/her own self study and inquisitive nature. The work will not differ much between tools and once one masters one tool from a fundamental point of view , as opposed to just a “click and point” point of view, one can easily switch to other tools used for the same work.
Even though both diploma and degree courses are available across colleges in India, post graduate degree courses in animation and cartoon is very rare. The Industrial Design Centers in Mumbai and Guwahati offer post-graduate degree courses.

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