New Media | Academic Requirements | Courses | Faculty

The New Media Program:
B.A. Academic Requirements

In addition to meeting general degree requirements, all new media majors must complete the following requirements (67–68 credits, plus a recommended internship):

Freshman and Sophomore
Advanced Standing | Applying for Advanced Standing
Synthesis (Junior and Senior)

1. NME 1010/Photography I or
   SOA 1140/Design I: 4 credits
2. NME 1150/Basic Visual Literacy: 3 credits
3. NME 1170/Digital Media Studio: 4 credits
4. NME 1195/Shooting and Editing Digital Video: 4 credits
5. MCO 1310/Studio Composition I: 2 credits
6. NME 1420/Programming Games or
   NME 1520/Computer Science I: 4 credits
7. NME 2100/New Media Advanced Standing: 0 credits
8. NME 2235/Computers and Culture: 3 credits
9. NME 2730/Creating Web Documents: 4 credits

2. Advanced Standing in New Media
As part of their presentation package for advanced study, students prepare an academic program consisting of an upper-level history/theory course in new media (4 credits), an anthropology/sociology course related to new media (3–4 credits), and 16 credits chosen for their relevance and applicability to the student’s course of study in new media. New courses may be added each year. Students should consult with their advisor for the most current list. Students must earn a grade of C+ or higher in each of these courses (23–24 credits total).
Note: Refer to Applying for Advanced Standing for additional information.

History/Theory Courses:

ARH 3405/Design History and Theory: 1750–Today: 4 credits

ARH 4530/New Media and Contemporary Art: 4 credits

NME/VIS 3040/Internet as Public Art: 4 credits

SOA 4600/MTH 4120/History of Recorded Music I: 2 credits

SOA 4610/MTH 4130/History of Recorded Music II: 2 credits

VDE 3300/History of Graphic Design Survey: 4 credits

Anthropology/Sociology Courses:

ANT 2710/Black Popular Culture: 3 credits

ANT/NME 3160/Queer Media Convergence: 4 credits

ANT 3185/Global Media, Local Cultures: 4 credits

ANT 3345/Theatre and Performance in Africa: 4 credits

ANT 3410/Anthropology of Art and Aesthetics: 4 credits

MSA 3400/Critical Perspectives on Media, Society,
    and the Arts: 4 credits

MSA 4700/Special Topics in Media, Society, and
    the Arts: 4 credits

SOC/NME 3465/Human-Centered Design: 4 credits

SOC 3830/Mass Media and Society: 4 credits

Examples of Elective Courses
Courses in the following lists are subject to change, and new courses may be added. Students should consult with their faculty advisor when choosing electives. When a course number has two prefixes (e.g., MAT and NME 3440), new media majors should register under the NME prefix.

School of Natural and Social Sciences (New Media and Mathematics/Computer Science):

NME 3010/Cross-Cultural Video Production

NME 3050/Information Aesthetics

NME 3430/Video Graphics

MAT/NME 3440/Creating User Interfaces

NME 3470/Intermediate Video

MAT/NME 3525/Creating Dynamic Web Documents

MAT/NME 3530/Creating Databases for Web Applications

MAT/NME 3540/Social Software

MAT/NME 3650/Networking and Security

MAT/NME 3670/Robotics

MAT/NME 3760/The Emerging Web:
    Collaborations in Web Design Using XML

NME/VIS 3770/Experimental Web Practice

School of Humanities (Cinema Studies):

CIN 2760/Cinematic Expression I

CIN 2770/Cinematic Expression II

School of the Arts:

Conservatory of Music (Studio Composition):

MCO 1320/Studio Composition II

MCO 2310/MIDI Composition I

MCO 2320/MIDI Composition II

MCO 3330/Studio Production I

MCO 3340/Studio Production II

MCO 4350/Digital Audio I

MCO 4360/Digital Audio II

Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film (Film):

TFI 3610/NME 3611/Experimental Workshop (Part One)

TFI 3620/NME 3621/Experimental Workshop (Part Two)

School of Art+Design:

SOA 2200/Interactive Media/Sound

VDE 3090/Interactive Design

VDE/NME 4170/Advanced Web Design: Special Projects

VIS 4440/Performance Art I

VPR 3000/The Animated Print

VSC 3310/NME 3300/Digital Dimensions

VSC/NME 3410/Video Art I

VSC/NME 3420/Video Art II

VSC/NME 3630/Sound/Interactive Media I

VSC/NME 3640/Sound/Interactive Media II

3. Synthesis
Students must earn a grade of C+ or higher in the following courses (16 credits, plus optional internship):

1. NME 3880/Junior Seminar in New Media: 4 credits
2. NME 3980/Internship in New Media (optional): variable credits
3. NME 4880/Senior Seminar I in New Media: 2 credits
4. NME 4890/Senior Seminar II in New Media: 2 credits
5. NME 4990/Senior Project in New Media: 8 credits

Please note: Because new media is a constantly developing field, these academic requirements are subject to change.

Applying for Advanced Standing in New Media
New media majors apply for advanced standing in the spring semester of their second year, while concurrently completing the courses required in the first two years of study. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the New Media Program, it is important that students be strongly focused and self-directed. Therefore, the transition to advanced standing is taken very seriously by the New Media Board of Study.

In order to have a clear picture of each student’s preparedness, the board of study requests that each student submit materials for its review. This advanced-standing presentation package must be submitted two weeks before the beginning of registration for the following semester. To formalize this process, students must register for “NME 2100/New Media Advanced Standing” in the semester in which they are going to submit their presentation package.

To apply for advanced standing, each student must:

1. Earn grades averaging B- (2.7 GPA) in the courses required during the first two years of study, with no grade lower than a C+.
2. Assemble a presentation package consisting of:
    
   
   1. a portfolio of work, which shall be presented on the student’s Web page, with additional high-bandwidth material submitted on CD-ROM or VHS videotape
       
      
   2. a written discussion of the student’s development to date (this 2–4-page document shall include a discussion of courses completed or in progress, projects undertaken, and recent life experiences that have led to the current proposal)
       
      
   3. a proposed academic program that the student intends to follow until graduation (this 3–4-page proposal shall include a list of all courses that the student plans to take in his or her remaining semesters, the general area of the intended senior project, and an indication of what projects and internships the student will develop to prepare for a successful senior year)

Please note: The New Media Board of Study reviews the presentation package and determines whether the student receives advanced standing. Advanced standing is a prerequisite for many of the upper-level courses that constitute the major. Students who are not approved for advanced standing will need to complete their B.A. in a different major.

Updated July 28, 2008