Degrees Offered
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Media Design
- Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Design
Admission
Information Literacy and Writing in the Major Competency Requirements
Basic information literacy skills will be addressed in DMD 1001, 1002, 1101, 1102, and 2010. Students must successfully complete DMD 3010W.
Note: Each DMD student must own a personal portable computer that meets or exceeds posted departmental performance standards. Students are also responsible for purchasing and installing the latest version of Adobe Creative Cloud for Education on their personal computer.
Concentrations
Bachelor of Fine Arts
- Motion Design and Animation
- 3D Animation
- Digital Film/Video Production
- Game Design
- Web/Interactive Media Design
Bachelor of Arts
- Digital Culture
- Digital Media Business Strategies
- Digital Media Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Media Design
The Bachelor of Fine Arts is the professional degree in art and design. The B.F.A. emphasizes creative production and facilitates students’ abilities to produce and implement visual communication strategies necessary for careers in visual arts and design. Students gain advanced technical, creative problem solving, and critique skills through intensive studio courses, as well as a thorough understanding of relevant history and theory. Additional requirements that distinguish the B.F.A. from the B.A. include two Studio Art courses. In collaboration with the Art and Art History department, B.F.A. students enroll in ART 1030 Drawing 1 and choose one additional introductory studio art course from illustration, painting, photography, printmaking, life drawing, or sculpture. Twelve course credits in Art/Design/Film/Digital Media History/Theory are also a requirement of the B.F.A. degree.
By the third semester, all B.F.A. majors must declare one of five areas of concentration and register for the appropriate courses for their chosen specialization. As a senior capstone, all B.F.A. students must take six credits of Senior Project (fall/spring) and a Portfolio and Professional Development course. The students’ Senior Projects are publicly displayed in the DMD Senior Exhibition, the culmination of the B.F.A. degree.
Note: Game Design and 3D Animation concentrations are only available on the Storrs campus.
Bachelor of Fine Arts Requirements
Bachelor of Fine Arts Common Curriculum Requirements: All B.F.A. students share a common curriculum of 45 credits:
First Year / Foundation Courses: DMD 1001, 1002, 1101, 1102.
Senior Capstone: DMD 4025 and six credits of 4075.
Art Requirements: ART 1030; one Basic Studio* for three credits from ART 2010, 2210, 2310, 2410, 2510, 2610. *Note: The basic studio requirement should be completed no later than the fourth term.
Art/Design/Digital Media/Film History or Theory: DMD 2010 and nine additional credits from the approved list.
Areas of Concentration (33 credits)
All concentrations consist of 33 credits of 1000/2000/3000/4000-level courses including all necessary prerequisites within area of DMD concentration as specified below.
Motion Design and Animation Requirements
DMD 2200, 2210, 2230, 3200, and 21 credits of 2000-level or higher Motion Design and Animation electives, as approved by advisor. Twelve of these credits must be at 3000-level or higher.
3D Animation Requirements
DMD 2200, 2300, 2310, 2320, 3310, and 18 credits of 2000-level or higher 3D Animation electives, as approved by advisor. Nine of these credits must be at 3000-level or higher.
Digital Film/Video Production Requirements
DMD 2200, 2210, 2810, 3230, 3850, and 18 credits of 2000-level or higher Film/Video electives, as approved by advisor. Nine of these credits must be at 3000-level or higher.
Game Design Requirements
DMD 1060, 2500, 2542, 2580, 3500, 4500, and 15 credits of 2000-level or higher Game Design electives, as approved by advisor. Nine of these credits must be at 3000-level or higher.
Web/Interactive Media Design Requirements
DMD 1060, 1070, 2470, 3470, 3475, and 18 credits of 2000-level or higher Web/Interactive electives, as approved by advisor. Nine of these credits must be at 3000-level or higher.
Independent Study
(DMD 3099) Open to fifth semester students or higher with a minimum departmental grade point average of 3.0 and no outstanding incompletes for any other independent study courses. Limited to a maximum of 15 credits total.
Internships
(DMD 4081) Fourth semester or higher students meeting departmental academic standards may earn credit for an external or internal internship.
Additional Graduation Requirements
- Senior Project (“C” or better required for graduation).
- Exhibited work in annual B.F.A Exhibition.
Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Design
The Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Design is designed to develop students’ proficiencies in design and digital media technologies while exploring the context and relevance of digital media practices inside and outside the major that strengthens the content of students’ DMD studies. The B.A. curriculum offers flexibility for a student to combine a degree in Digital Media Design with courses offered in other departments across campus and is ideal for students who wish to complete a double major, dual degree, or various minors. Due to UConn’s NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design) accreditation requirements, the B.A. in Digital Media Design, as a liberal arts degree, limits the maximum total number of credits in art and design to 45% (or 54 credits) of the total curriculum.
Bachelor of Arts Requirements
Bachelor of Arts Common Curriculum Requirements: All B.A. students share a common curriculum of 24 credits: DMD 1001, 1002, 1101, 1102.
First Year / Foundation Courses: DMD 1001, 1002, 1101, 1102.
Art/Design/Digital Media/Film History or Theory: DMD 2010 and three additional credits from the approved list.
Areas of Concentration (18-21 credits)
All concentrations consist of 18 to 21 credits of 1000/2000/3000/4000-level courses including all necessary prerequisites within an area of DMD concentration. Students must choose one of the concentrations listed below.
Digital Culture Requirements
Digital Culture Core (15 credits): DMD 2610 or 2620, DMD 3620, a course in Collaborating with Cultural Organizations, Methods, and DMD 4086 (to be taken twice in two consecutive semesters for a total of six credits). Six credits of 2000-level or higher Digital Culture electives, as approved by advisor. Three of these credits must be at 3000-level or higher.
Technical Specialization: choose two 2000-level or higher courses for a total of 6 credits in one of the following DMD concentrations: Motion Design and Animation, 3D Animation, Digital Film/Video Production, Game Design, or Web/Interactive Media Design.
Additionally, students will develop a core competency in a humanities or social science discipline consistent with their interests and career goals and chosen in consultation with their advisor. This chosen area of competency also provides the foundation for the Senior Thesis. Competency areas might include Anthropology, Latino Studies, Human Rights, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, Urban and Community Studies, History, English, Sociology, Social Justice Organizing, etc.
Digital Media Business Strategies Requirements
Digital Media Business Strategies Core (12 credits): DMD 2700, 2710, 3720, 3730. Nine credits of 2000-level or higher Digital Media Business Strategies electives, as approved by advisor. Three of these credits must be at 3000-level or higher.
DMD Studio course: choose one course from DMD 1070, 2200, 2210, 2300, or 2500.
Digital Media Design Requirements
Intro to Areas of Concentration: choose two courses from DMD 1070, 2200, 2210, 2300, 2500, or 2700.
DMD Electives: 15 credits of DMD courses as approved by advisor. Six of these credits must be at 3000-level or higher.
Independent Study
(DMD 3099) Open to fifth semester or higher students with a minimum departmental grade point average of 3.0 and no outstanding incompletes for any other independent study courses. Limited to a maximum of 15 credits total.
Internships
(DMD 4081) Fourth semester or higher students meeting departmental academic standards may earn credit for an external or internal internship.
Note: The Digital Media & Design Department reserves the right to retain student work for exhibition purposes, online program promotion, and classroom demonstration.
Supplemental Academic Standards
Digital Media Design majors must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.7 for all graded coursework at the University of Connecticut. Digital Media Design majors must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 based on all courses required within the Digital Media Design majors.
At the end of each semester, students with a grade point deficiency will be placed on departmental scholastic probation. During the subsequent semester, the student will have the opportunity to improve their standing. In the event that the student’s standing does not rise to the minimum level, they will be subject to dismissal from the Digital Media Design major.