CGMA FAQS

To enroll for our classes, simply wait for our registration periods. Locate the course or courses you’re interested in taking, and click on the “Add to cart” button. Once you fill out the enrollment form and purchase your course, you will officially be a student of CGMA. Remember, you can only sign up during the registration periods and your account becomes active only after your completed purchase of a class.

Please note: Registration dates are stated on our Academic Calendar so be sure you are in a registration period before attempting to enroll. Otherwise you will have to wait for the next available term as stated on the calendar.

You can check out our current roster of courses  here: https://www.cgmasteracademy.com/courses  and tracks here: https://www.cgmasteracademy.com/programs

Application/Portolios are not mandatory unless listed on course page. However, if you are unsure of your skills please submit your portfolio by completing the Portfolio Review Request form on any course page of the CGMA website. Please allow 3-5 business days for a response to your portfolio review request (excludes weekends and holidays).

Course prices range from $599 to $998. Please refer to the course pages for specific pricing information. It is located at the bottom in the blue banner.

We offer promotional discounts for those who purchase 2 or more. 2 classes give you a savings of $50.00 USD and 3 or more give you a savings of $75.00 USD.

Be sure to have these classes present in your cart at time of checkout so the promotion properly applies itself!

(*Due to covid-19 this service is not applicable at this time*) We also offer to those of you who are a part of the Animation Guild Union grants that cover portions of the class fee. Please visit our Tuition Aid page for details of the Animation Guild Union discounts and class coverage!

Courses range in lengths from six to ten weeks. Please refer to individual course pages for accuate duration.

Technically no. However, the recommendation per term is based on your schedule. If you are working we advise to take 1 course per term. If you have an open schedule 2 -3 at the most. If you are seeking more than 3 please contact [email protected]

Our courses are designed and tailored to improve essential, technical skills to help better equip students to participate in moderate to advanced courses. We highly recommend students take the courses recommend prior to enrolling to ensure they have the technical skills for the advanced class. Nevertheless, in cases when students request the option to skip a course’s prerequisites and are still interested in participating in a track (or wish to take a particular advanced course due to his/her professional expertise), we suggest a portfolio review.

Please submit your portfolio by completing the Portfolio Review Request form on any course page of the CGMA website, or by emailing your work to [email protected]. Along with a link to your portfolio or demo reel, be sure to include the following information: Is there a certain field you’re trying to gear your portfolio to? Which course(s) are you interested in taking? Share any additional notes about what you would like to gain from your training. Please allow 2-4 business days for a response to your portfolio review request (excludes weekends and holidays).

Yes! So long as you have a stable internet connection you can take our courses. CGMA has many international students. There are no visa requirements for taking our courses since you can take it from anywhere in the world.

Students must be at least 18 years old to enroll independently. If you are under 18 please reach out to [email protected] for advisement.

Please write to [email protected] with any questions you may have. Make sure to include “Payment Plan Inquiry” in the subject.

First, please make sure you are using a Chrome browser to complete your registration. All others will have problems with checkout. If the problem persists please contact us by email at [email protected], along with any further detials, and we will help you enroll.

Payment is needed in order to complete the enrollment process. Once the “Register” link for a particular CGMA Master Class has been pressed and all the enrollment information fields completed – you will be prompted for payment as the final step of the enrollment process.

Yes! We are now an approved partner of the Animation Guild CSATTF Skills Training Grant Program. Here are some basic requirements of the program:

(*) You must complete a separate application for each class.

1. Before you complete and submit these forms, contact CGMA to determine if the class you’re interested in is really what you’re looking for, if it will be available on a day and time when you can take it, and if you meet the prerequisites. It is important to remember that seats in CGMA Masterclasses are not reserved until tuition is paid. Class descriptions are available on the CGMA website here: Class Descriptions
2. Once you have confirmed that the classes you want are available to you, fill out the attached forms. The entire application must be completed and submitted. Ignore all references on the forms to the “IATSE Basic Agreement” or the “online roster”.

(*) You will have to show proof of thirty days’ employment in the last two years at an employer signed either to a TAG collective bargaining agreement or an IATSE collective bargaining agreement under TAG’s jurisdiction.Non-union employment does not count. This typically takes the form of paycheck stubs that indicate the 30 days of union employment. If you are unsure about this step, contact Steve Kaplan ([email protected])  or Mike Sauer ([email protected]) and ask for clarification BEFORE sending your application to CSATTF. You can also contact the guild at 818-845-7500.

(*) CSATTF reimbursement forms can be found here: Grant Reimbursement Application.

(*) Reimbursement Guidelines:

• The specific training course must have been pre-approved in advance, by CSATTF. Non-approved courses will not be reimbursed.
• The entire course must be successfully completed in order to receive reimbursement; incomplete or unsuccessfully completed courses will not be reimbursed.
• Complete one “Request for Reimbursement Form” per course.
• The “Request for Reimbursement Form” must be completed and submitted with supporting documentation within 45 days after course completion date.
• Request for reimbursements are subject to the “Reimbursement Policy,” set forth below.

You can review the full CSATTF grant application process here: The Animation Guild – Grant Reimbursement Program .

No. At this time we recommend that those in need of financial assistance seek personal/educational loans or participate in any available employee training reimbursement programs through their employers.

However, keep in mind that students pay only for the classes they take in the current term. Those students who take any of our full tracks such as Foundation & Design or Environment Arts benefit from studying under some of the best artists from the animation, film, and game industries without paying for the full track in advance.

Please contact us for supporting documents to any financial aid applications as needed.

Our payment method is through our merchant service provide, PayPal. You do not need a PayPal account to purchase classes, but you will need a valid debit/credit card and email address to complete payments. We do not offer financial aid, scholarships or grants. Payments are accepted up front to confirm and complete class registration.

For information about our payment plans visit out Tuition Aid page.

The short answer is maybe. Current IRS publication 970 states that “If your education is not required by your employer or the law, it can be qualifying work-related education only if it maintains or improves skills needed in your present work. This could include refresher courses, courses on current developments, and academic or vocational courses.” (pg 65) So in short, if you are a concept artist, visual development artist, or something of the like, then you may qualify for an education deduction. It is important to note that this paragraph is for informational purposes only and you should ALWAYS consult a tax professional before making tax related decisions. For more information about this particular section of IRS pub. 970 please visit the IRS website here: IRS pub 970.

We currently only accept payments through PayPal using any major credit card or personal bank account at this time. In order to pay with your Credit Card, there is no need to have a PayPal account.

It’s really quite simple. Students who wish to split a single or multiple class purchase into two smaller installments can now do so using this feature. At the time of final purchase, students will be presented with the option to pay by “PayPal,” “Credit Card,” or through our new “Installments” option.

The 4-payment split option is only available for the first week of registration, with payments scheduled to post monthly. After the first week students can split payments in up to 3 installments. Payments will automatically be deducted from your payment source. Please check with our Finance Department ([email protected]) to find out exactly when your payments will be due, and please make sure that sufficient funds are available around those times to prevent a disruption in your enrollment process.

*Please note that any Payment Plan transactions that qualify for a refund are subject to our standard 5% processing fee.

Yes! All eligible Payment Plan transactions are refundable. Please see our Refund Policy tab above for more information about how refunds work at CGMA.

eChecks are one type of bank payment and usually take 3-5* business days to process. (This time may vary based upon buyer’s country) eChecks are used when buyers have not linked a backup payment source (like a debit or credit card) to their PayPal accounts, or when a transaction is too risky to allow an instant payment.

The money is withdrawn from the buyer’s bank within a day or two. As soon as PayPal receives confirmation of sufficient funds from the bank, they will deposit the money in our PayPal account.

*NOTE: Bank processing times vary by the buyer’s country.

Examples:

• Australia: 3-5 business days
• Brazil: 1-3 business days
• Canada: 6-8 business days
• France: 8-10 business days
• UK: 5-7 business days

p>Yes! All eligible Payment Plan transactions are refundable. Please see our Refund Policy tab above for more information about how refunds work at CGMA.

Please immediately write to [email protected] as soon as you become aware of this. Make sure to include…

“URGENT | Payment Plan Issue”

…in the subject. We will try our best to work with you on what options you can take in such situations.

In general, there are no refunds for CGMA Master Classes. To obtain a full refund you must contact CGMA at least 5 days prior to the starting of the course. Regardless of the situation, a 5% processing fee is included in all transactions and will not be refundable. Remember that when you register for a class you hold a seat that cannot be purchased by somebody else once class starts – particularly in a class that is filled to capacity.

Nevertheless, here are some options we provide for CGMA students who may have special circumstances:

• Please be advised that the following Refund/transfer policy does not apply to group purchases (5 or more courses per term). For such cases please contact our Admissions Departments at [email protected]
• Request for class cancellation during the first week of a class could qualify for a refund, minus a 15% cancellation fee.
• Request for class cancellation during the second week of a class prior its fifth day could qualify for a refund, minus a 20% cancellation fee. No refunds will be granted thereafter.
• Request for a class transfer for the next term: transfers from one term to another may be allowed. However, an administrative fee equivalent to 10% of the course cost (before the discounted price, if applicable) will be implemented in order for the student to be confirmed in the next term enrollment. Transfers must be requested within the first week of the course. All transfer requests must be submitted within the same fiscal year the class(es) were purchased; otherwise, increased transfer fees will apply.

Should you be unable to fulfill your course obligations due ONLY to illness, personal tragedy, jury duty, or military deployment, please write to us at [email protected] with your name, title of enrolled course, and the nature of your problem, and we will determine your refund eligibility on an individual basis. Note that some documentation supporting your situation will be requested.

Ultimately, the decision to refund any amount will be made entirely at CGMA’s discretion.

*Please note that any Payment Plan transactions that qualify for a refund are subject to our standard 5% processing fee.

In order for us to process your refund request, we will need the following.

• The name of your course
• The name of your instructor
• The email address used at the time of enrollment to purchase the course

Alternatively, you can provide us with the Transaction ID# issued to you from PayPal (after you completed your purchase), and we can process your refund with this information. If you purchased more than one course under the same transaction, then make sure you still give us the name of your course and its instructor to ensure we refund the correct one to you. Again, all of the above assumes you qualify for a refund.

Any missing information will delay the processing of your refund request.

Excluding the course start date, assignment due dates, and weekly Live Q&A’s, there will be no set class times. Once accessible, you can both review and complete your current week’s lecture and assignments at your own pace. At the end of each week, access to the next week’s lessons will be granted. Please note that the final course schedule is not confirmed until the week before its planned start date. However, even after a course begins, CGMA reserves the right to change course schedules due to instructor unavailability, technical emergencies, acts of God, or by acts of third parties (such as strikes, terrorist acts, or government orders).

We estimate 10-20 hours each week, depending on the type of class you are taking, your skill level, etc. However, we suggest students spend as much time as needed to properly complete and comprehend the week’s assignment. Ultimately, this number will be different for each individual. Just make sure to allow enough time for assignment review and completion.

All course lectures are released as high quality video presentations- by a qualified instructor -that can be streamed through your browser. All other course content (i.e. individual critiques, Live Q&A’s, forum post, etc.) is presented with a mixture of video and written formats.

In general, each student will get weekly feedback from the instructor- about their work and progress -on a central class forum. The will also be live, weekly, Q&A sessions where students can ask additional questions not restricted to feedback and or lectures. It is here that individual students and the instructor can engage in open dialog similar to that found in traditional classrooms. All sessions will be recorded.

Yes, but instructors are not required to critique your personal projects. Only course related assignments can be submitted for critique by an instructor during a course track. All other work can be uploaded and critique by fellow classmates.

Absolutely! Our virtual classroom allows for this artistic exchange and we encourage this type of dynamic participation. It will give each student a sense of community beyond just instructor feedback, and will serve as a means of direct inspiration from your peers.

Since most all weekly assignment are interdependent (usually from the week before), it is essential that they are completed as assigned. Should any student not complete 80% of assigned work, he/she will not be eligible for a Certificate of Completion.

Yes. All legal/major US holidays are observed.

All our course instruction is given in English and English only. We do not have subtitles.

The max course enrollment can fluctuate but on average each course is allowed a maximum of 20 students. This ensures that every enrollee receives the proper amount of time attention per course session. For specific course information contact admissions.

Yes and yes. Assignments will be assigned each week so that you can practice the skills and techniques covered in that lesson. Each assignment will take anywhere from six-to-eighteen hours to complete (depending on: the type of course, your skill level, the complexity of the work, etc). Upon completion and submission, your instructor will review your work and provide you with a personal in-depth critique, as well as a live Q&A session.

No, lecture videos are not available for download. Beginning Summer 2018, students will have one full year of streaming access after the end of your course.

Yes the lectures are 24 hour available for that week and will remain available for the length of the course as weeks go by, meaning for example: on week 4, you will have access to the lectures from week 1 through 4.

No – unfortunately we are unable to accommodate retroactive downloads at this time. CGMA content is licensed from the artist who created it.

Both! All lectures are hosted video streams that work on all major OS platforms, and in all modern/up-to-date web browsers. As a rule, it is always helpful to have the latest version of the browser you are using to minimize any difficulties.

Beyond this, some courses do require students to have a particular software package. In these cases, please review the course description and requirements for specific details.

CGMA will provide technical support insofar as it relates to the operation of the CGMA website, the course forum software, and the transfer of course materials. We cannot assist with internet connection problems on the student’s end, faulty hardware, or problems with a student’s individual software package.

Inside the classroom you can submit a Tech Help ticket for course related issues.

CGMA presumes that all students use legally licensed software packages and are able to receive any technical support that is supplied with the software.

Yes. Our courses are administered via streaming video, text, and supplimentary materials (i.e. brushes, material list, rigs). Each course has requirements that will be published before registration opens.

For smooth, interruption-free playback, we recommend a minimum download speed of 3 Mbps (6+ Mbps strongly recommended).

Microphone and webcams are not required to interact with an instructor however you are welcome use them when applicable. The default manner in which class interactions will take place is via text postings in the class forums and through our chat feature during our Live Q&A session.For all other requirements, please see above.

• Processor:
  • AMD® / Intel® 2.4Ghz (dual core) or 3.5Ghz (single Core) processor
  • Atom processors 2.6 GHz (dual core)
  • ARM processors not supported
• RAM: 2 gigabytes (GB) for 32-bit or 3 GB for 64-bit
• Graphics: Must support DirectX 10 or higher
• Nvidia® / ATi® cards having bare minimum 512MB Video RAM and core clock 700Mhz
  • Recommended 1GB RAM and core clock 786Mhz or higher
  • Intel® HD Graphics 5000 or higher (Older models not supported)
• Display resolution: 1024×768 minimum, Recommended 1440×1080 or higher.

Operating System Requirements:

• Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or later
• Mac OS 10.10 Yosemite (2014) or later
• Linux distro based on 3.0 kernel (2011) or later
• Android 5.0 “Lollipop” or later
• IOS 10.3.3 (iPad 4 2017) or newer

If you are on a shared connection managed by a network administrator (Dorm, workplace, common room in an apartment/condo) you will need to ensure that CGMA is permitted in their whitelist for you to load media content.

The CGMA website and services are optimized for the Chrome browser. While other browsers may work for accessing the site, Chrome is the only one that is officially supported.

Certificates of completion are granted to students who successfully complete 80% of the class assignments (i.e., for an 8-week course, students must complete at least six assignments to receive a certificate of completion). There are no exceptions! Students must follow all assignment description requirements.

NOTE: Instructors monitor assignment submissions and can approve or deny any submission based on if it met or did not follow the instructions of the assignment description.

For Course Certificate of Completion:

Typically, a Course Certificate of Completion is automatically granted to students who submitted the required number of assignments based on the assignment description. However, course instructors have the final say on whether or not a student following all outlined instructions. In the event that you do not automatically receive a Certificate of Completion upon course conclusion, please reach out to our Admissions Department via [email protected] with the email subject: “Request for Course Certificate of Completion” along with the student’s full name and the name of the course completed.

For a course Certificate of Completion:

Course certificates are automatically made available to qualified student 2 weeks after the course has ended. In order to receive a course Certificate of Completion, a student must first submit a request to our Admissions Department via [email protected]. 

Please make sure to include “Request for course Certificate of Completion” as your email request subject, and all of the following in your email body text.

• Students full Name
• Name of course (s) Requested
• Date of Completion

Please allow 1-2 weeks for processing. Please note that once your request has been processed, you will have the option to receive either a free digital certificate or physical diploma for and extra fee.