Curriculm

I. Program Description: A Graduate Studies Program in Media Arts and Computer Science

A. Academic Purpose and Objectives

With this convergence of the arts, science, and engineering comes a new spectrum of jobs and research interests. This Masters program will allow students to choose their own starting point on that spectrum and explore in all directions from that point. The emphasis will be on studying how best to integrate the communication arts with the ideas emerging out of computer science and on encouraging students to explore beyond their areas of comfort whether that be in the arts or the sciences.

Specific Objectives of this program include:

• creating a collaborative atmosphere for exploration of advances in both the arts and the sciences
• training students to see beyond their own immediate academic interests to the implications of the new technologies, approaches and ideas of other disciplines
• providing the types of skills required of the new jobs being created in information technology sectors of the economy. Click here for more information on job opportunities
• preparing students for further graduate work

B. The Curriculum (Note: Revisions are presently being made to the curriculum to update the program and make it easier for students to meet their own goals.)

Under this program a student can receive either a Master of Science or a Master of Arts degree. The general entrance requirement for the program is that a student have a bachelor's degree in an area related to one of the three disciplines involved in this program or a bachelors degree in some unrelated area AND work experience in an area related to one of the three discipline areas. To be accepted into the Master of Science track a student must have a Bachelor's of Science degree or have a strong mathematics background including Calculus and either Discrete Mathematics or Linear Algebra.

1. To promote the integration of disciplines stressed above, all students will take a core set of team taught courses. This nine unit core is the foundation of the interdisciplinary nature of this program. The first two courses create the interdisciplinary, collective atmosphere that sets the tone for the rest of the program. Working together, students and faculty from various backgrounds will strive to create a common language and educate each other in the core ideas of the different disciplines. In the third course students use industrial techniques and tools in the development of a sophisticated multimedia-based project. In all three courses there is time set aside to support the process of developing a thesis or project. All students also take 6 units of thesis or project work so the complete code looks as follows:

Choose at least six credits in courses in courses at the 300-and/or 400-level in computer science, mathematics, business, or an appropriate discipline, selected with the approval of the major advisor:

Additional required courses: 12

• CS 600 Principles of Media Arts and Computer Science (3)
• CS 610 Synthesis of Media Arts and Computer Science (3)
• CS 620 Multimedia Project Development (3)
• CS 697 Field Project or MACS 699 Thesis (1 - 6)

With the completion of these courses, students begin the process of integrating their own special interests with the commitment to maintain an interdisciplinary, collaborative attitude. Students are expected to develop a focused program of study in conjunction with an advisor. They are encouraged to be innovative in the development of their focus. Possibilities, for example could grow out of networking, multimedia systems, human-computer interface issues, video production, animation and visualization. Specifically students choose 12 units in conjunction with an advisor that represent a specific concentration. They also choose to take one course from the discipline that is NOT their specialization - Computer Science students will take a course in Media Arts while Media Arts students will take a Computer Science course.

The degree requires a total of 36 hours. The remaining hours are broken up differently depending on a student's emphasis. Students should check with an advisor shortly after arriving on campus. If you saw the old version of this web page you may have noticed a number of specific concentrations on the Computer Science side such as networking, multimedia, artificial intelligence, and graphics. They are no longer listed because the requirements of each were forcing students to fit within specific parameters. The idea of concentrations still exists but students are encouraged to create their own.

The Program Total is 36 units