THE COLLEGE/ DEPARTMENT:
The College of Imaging Arts and Sciences offers programs in Art, Design, Crafts, Film and Animation, Photography and Media Sciences. The internationally recognized School of Film and Animation (SOFA) offers both BFA and MFA degrees in film production with emphasis in either animation or live action. In 2006 the school, in partnership with RIT’s Center for Imaging Science, initiated a BS degree in Motion Picture Science. SOFA provides a creative community where students have the opportunity to discover their unique talents and expressive potential while at the same time developing the skills needed to fulfill any creative or technical role in the film and animation industry. SOFA enrollment is typically at 250 undergraduates and 50 graduate students.
THE UNIVERSITY AND ROCHESTER COMMUNITY:
RIT is a national leader in professional and career-oriented education. Talented, ambitious, and creative students of all cultures and backgrounds from all 50 states and more than 100 countries have chosen to attend RIT. Founded in 1829, Rochester Institute of Technology is a privately endowed, coeducational university with nine colleges emphasizing career education and experiential learning. With approximately 15,000 undergraduates and 2,900 graduate students, RIT is one of the largest private universities in the nation. RIT offers a rich array of degree programs in engineering, science, business, and the arts, and is home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. RIT has been honored by The Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the “Great Colleges to Work For” for four years. RIT is responsive to the needs of dual-career couples by our membership in the Upstate NY HERC.
Rochester, situated between Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes region, is the 79th largest city in the United States and the third largest metropolitan area in New York State. The Greater Rochester region, which is home to over one million people, is rich in cultural and ethnic diversity, with a population comprised of approximately 16% African and Latin Americans and another 7% of international origin. It is also home to the largest deaf community per capita in the U.S. Rochester ranks 3rd among the best metropolitan regions for “raising a family" by Forbes Magazine; 6th among 379 metropolitan areas as “Best Places to Live in America” by Places Rated Almanac; 1st in Expansion Management Magazine’s ranking of metropolitan areas having the best “quality of life in the nation”; and is among Essence Magazine’s “Top 10 Cities for Black Families.”