The Arts and Design Track has different areas of specialization - Visual Arts, Applied Arts, Performing Arts, Literary Arts, etc. Animation will be highlighted in the entirety of the program since the University pioneered the offering of Digital Illustration and Animation in the Higher Education level in the country. On the other hand, the program will also carry out other art forms, especially their relation to animation, for holistic knowledge in the field of Arts and Design with the employment of Curriculum Guides specifically in the Arts and Design Track as mandated by the Department of Education.

The Arts and Design - 2D Animation and Visual Effects program aims to produce professionals in the field of animation and visual effects grounded in the principles of the arts. The entertainment industry is in need of animators and visual effects artists. Television series and movies, both in the Philippines and other countries, have been using animation and visual effects to attract more viewers. Corporate sectors also use this new media to sell, promote and inform customers. Potential students of this track will be trained using state of the art facilities provided by the Ateneo de Naga University.

Ateneo de Naga University is the first academic institution in the Philippines to offer a four-year animation baccalaureate degree: Bachelor of Science in Digital Illustration and Animation. Located in Naga City, Philippines, the University’s Department of Digital Arts and Computer Animation (DACA) was established in 2000 to proffer a world-class educational facility, driven by a steadfast commitment to provide an industry-based and pioneering curriculum in computer animation and digital arts. Its special mission is to promote the growth and development of the Philippine animation industry while contributing to the alleviation of poverty in the Bikol region.Since its inception, DACA has always aimed to nurture students and produce graduates who are equipped with superior knowledge and skills in CG and animation, thus ensuring them of employment in the country’s high profile animation companies and studios.

The department's highly selective admission process coupled with its intensive curriculum highlighted with multiple projects and deadlines essentially prepare the students with real life work experience and critical project management skills necessary for them to succeed in the industry. Future career paths will lead them to the areas of 3D animation, cartooning, digital illustration, graphic design, visual effects and motion graphics, digital media, game development, 3D imagery and visualization, and creative technologies. To enable the students to creatively explore their limitless imagination, DACA is very well resourced, offering some of the latest in hardware, software and technology that truly reflect industry standards. Aside from working at their individually assigned computers during lab hours, students may access these computers outside of scheduled classes upon reservation. Animation courses are production-based. Classes are small and compressed into an active timetable of labs, tutorials and production schedules, providing students the opportunity to achieve the highest levels of knowledge and experience.

To be successful, students must be totally committed to their studies as a student-centered instruction provides an excellent platform to prove individual capabilities under pressure and to demonstrate the ability to be self-motivated. Under expert tutelage, students study the entire 3D animation production pipeline. To prepare them in dealing with the rigor and intricacies of computer animation, various courses are taken early on. These include basic sketching, digital illustration, photography, digital image manipulation, typography, color theory, interface design, introduction to film, video tools and technology, scriptwriting, production process and stop-motion animation, multimedia and programming, sound and music design, web animation, modelling, texturing, lighting, with special focus on character modelling, learn various animation techniques, character animation, facial animation, lip synchronization, inverse kinematics, morph targets, particles, dynamics, and advanced rendering. Skills such as rigging, compositing, imaging and post-production effects are also taught.