Description:

The New Media B.A. Program at Purchase College offers an interdisciplinary curriculum that lies at the intersection of art, society, and technology. Students study the effects of digital media from multiple perspectives, giving them the tools to be well-rounded citizens in an increasingly complex society and allowing them to develop their own voice through guided research and hands-on production.

In this program students learn about current technology and acquire the knowledge and skills needed to understand forthcoming technologies, not least in relation to key social and historical contexts. The program’s strong liberal arts component provides students with critical and conceptual frameworks which, when combined with the acquisition of practical skills, help to prepare them for the workforce and/or graduate study.  

Courses are drawn from the visual and performing arts, computer science, the social sciences, and other liberal arts disciplines. Students majoring in New Media are offered a structured, well-rounded foundation covering a range of methodologies and content areas, with analysis and production often present within the same course. Collaboration is particularly encouraged, as are experimental and creative approaches to media production and distribution. Each semester the New Media program and the Neuberger Museum of Art co-host a series of lectures and workshops by accomplished artists, technologists, and theorists in the field of new media.

Advanced Standing and the Senior Project

After applying for and receiving advanced standing, new media majors pursue a program of upper-level study designed by the student. This provides students with the opportunity to pursue individual interests while at the same time developing a focus in new media. As part of this program of study, all students are expected to complete an 8-credit senior project, which is supervised by a faculty member of the New Media Department. Various types of senior projects are acceptable, and collaboration among students is encouraged.

Requirements:

In addition to meeting  General Education requirements and other degree requirements, all new media majors must complete the following requirements (64–70 credits):

Freshman and Sophomore Years (Foundation): 30–31 credits

Students must earn a grade of C+ or higher in each of these courses. Those who earn a grade lower than a C+ must petition the New Media Department to retake the course. To pass NME 2100, students must attain at least a 2.67 (B-) GPA in the foundation courses. In any given semester, students should not enroll in more than three foundation courses and we recommend against taking more than two studio or lab courses.

  • PHO 1100/Introduction to Digital Photography: 4 credits
  • MSA 1050/Introduction to Media Studies: 3 credits
  • NME 1060/Introduction to Sound: 3 credits
  • NME 1160/Design Principles: 4 credits
  • NME 1450/Programming for Visual Artists: 4 credits or MAT 1520/Computer Science I
  • One 2000-level technoculture course (3 credits), chosen from the following or approved by the student’s faculty advisor; it should be taken after MSA 1050 has been successfully completed: – MSA 2235/Computers and Culture – NME 2250/Art and Technology
  • NME 2420/Video Art I: 4 credits
  • NME 2750/Introduction to the Web: 4 credits
  • NME 2100/New Media Advanced Standing: 1 credit

After Passing Advanced Standing

After being accepted for advanced study, requirements are as outlined below. Students must earn a grade of C+ or higher in each of these courses, excluding the senior project.

  • one upper-level history/theory course: 3–4 credits
  • one anthropology/sociology course: 3–4 credits
  • four elective courses chosen for their relevance and applicability to the student’s course of study in new media: 12–16 credits
  • and the synthesis courses, taken in the junior and senior years (16 credits, plus an optional internship):
    • NME 3880/Junior Seminar in New Media: 4 credits
    • NME 3995/Internship in New Media (optional): variable credits
    • NME 4880/Senior Seminar I in New Media: 2 credits
    • NME 4890/Senior Seminar II in New Media: 2 credits
    • SPJ 4990/Senior Project I: 4 credits
    • SPJ 4991/Senior Project II: 4 credits


Faculty

  • Associate Professor of New Media
    • BA, Brown University
    • MFA, Bard College
  • Assistant Professor of New Media
    • BA, Goddard College
    • MFA, Transart Institute, University of Plymouth (UK)
  • Associate Professor of New Media
    • BFA, San Francisco Art Institute
    • MFA, University of California, Davis
  • Associate Professor of New Media
    • BFA, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design
    • MFA, University of California, Berkeley
  • Lecturer of New Media
    New Media Technician
    • BFA, Icelandic College of Art and Crafts (Reykjavik)
    • MFA, Concordia University (Montreal)
  • Associate Professor of New Media and Graphic Design
    Doris and Carl Kempner Distinguished Professor 2023-2025
    • BS, MS, Middle East Technical University (Turkey)
    • MA, PhD, New School for Social Research
  • Lecturer of New Media
    • BA, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
    • MFA, Yale University
  • Lecturer, New Media and Mathematics and Computer Science

    MS, Pace University

  • Assistant Professor of New Media
    Digital Photography Instructional Support Specialist
    • BFA, MFA, Parsons the New School for Design
  • Assistant Professor of New Media
    • BA, Tufts University
    • BFA, School of the Museum of Fine Arts
    • MFA, Bard College
  • Professor of New Media
    Doris and Carl Kempner Distinguished Professor 2024-2025
    • BA, Wesleyan University
    • MFA, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Lecturer of New Media
    • BA, Purchase College, SUNY
    • MFA, Columbia University
  • Assistant Professor of New Media and Computer Science
    • BA, Brandeis University
    • MFA,  University of California, Los Angeles

Contributing Faculty

  • Professor of Sculpture
    • BA, Bates College
    • MFA, School of Visual Arts
  • Professor of Media Studies
    Juanita and Joseph Leff Distinguished Professor 2023-2024
    • BA, Grinnell College
    • PhD, University of Texas, Austin
  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Media Studies
    • BA, Stony Brook University, SUNY
    • MA, PhD, Graduate Center, City University of New York
  • Lecturer of Sculpture
    • BFA, Pratt Institute
    • MPS, New York University
  • Professor of Art History
    • BA, University of California, Santa Barbara
    • MA, PhD, Stanford University
  • Professor Emerita of Mathematics/Computer Science
    • SB, University of Chicago
    • MA, Columbia University
    • PhD, New York University
  • Associate Professor of Art History
    • BA, Oberlin College
    • MA, University of Iowa
    • PhD, University of Southern California

Courses