THE DIGITAL ANIMATION & VISUAL EFFECTS (DAVE) SCHOOL, located on the backlot of Universal Studios Florida™, offers a comprehensive facility with interactive labs, including motion capture, and a newly designed 6000 sq ft production studio, all with 24-7 guarded access to secure facilities. Founded in 2000 by industry executives with a vision to provide practical animation skills and create career-ready artists, it provided specialized training in Visual Effects Production and later introduced the Game Production program in 2014. Under its new Executive Director, DAVE became the first accredited US college to offer a diploma in Virtual Production in 2021, the Trifecta of its core production curricula.
DAVE School was acquired by NUC University in 2017. As an academic unit of the larger institution, it received formal accreditation through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
The DAVE School has a track record of producing skilled graduates who have worked on multiple award-winning projects, including OSCARS, Emmys, Webby’s, Pixie’s, and many other Fan Favorites. Our students come to Orlando from all over the world. Upon completion, they find themselves ready to work globally in various studios, from gaming, post-production, visual effects, military simulation, and marketing. We continue to adapt our educational programs to meet the evolving needs of the digital entertainment and immersive technologies industries.
NUC University (NUC) is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE or the Commission) msche.org. NUC’s NUC University – IBC Technical Division (NUC-IBC), NUC University – Florida Technical College (NUC-FTC), The Digital Animation & Visual Effects School (The DAVE School), and Hillsboro Aero Academy (HAA) are included in this accreditation. NUC’s accreditation status is Accreditation Reaffirmed. The Commission’s most recent action on the institution’s accreditation status on 2019 was to reaffirm accreditation. MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation (candidate status) activities for institutions of higher education including distance, correspondence education, and direct assessment programs offered at those institutions. The Commission’s geographic area of accrediting activities is throughout the United States.
NUC has four additional academic units: NUC University – IBC Technical Division (NUC-IBC), NUC University – Florida Technical College (NUC-FTC), The Digital Animation & Visual Effects School (The DAVE School); and Hillsboro Aero Academy (HAA). Information about NUC, NUC-IBC, NUC-FTC, The DAVE School, and HAA is available at nuc.edu, tecnicos.nuc.edu, ftccollege.edu, dave.nuc.edu, and flyhaa.com.
