ITP / IMA

IMA Undergraduate Courses

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Combining intensive hands-on learning in the creative fields, engagement with real-world practices and practitioners, and a world-class education in the liberal arts, students graduating with an IMA BFA are not only prepared to work in their field but to work in the 21st century as global citizens.  

The BFA program has three components:

  1. Two introductory courses that teach essential skills in computation and media literacy
  2. At least ten elective courses, two each from 5 areas: Art & Design, Computation & Data, Experimental Interfaces & Physical Computing, Media & Entertainment and Seminar
  3. Completion of a final Capstone project, a semester-long effort in the research, design and testing of a single project

The program is organized around several themes. All of these will be covered in one or more of the core classes, after which students will use their electives and capstone to explore the themes of most interest to them. The core themes of the IMA BFA are:

  • Computation (the ability to code, learn new software, manipulate data, create physical+digital interactions)
  • Rapid Prototyping (the ability to build in software and fabrication in physical space)
  • Design (Graphic, 3D,User Experience, Interactive, Web)
  • Media Manipulation (web, video, sound, animation, 3D, VR/AR and whatever’s next)
  • Communication (the ability to express your ideas effectively in writing and presentations, and to understand key workforce and entrepreneurial skills)

The final required class is Capstone. For the capstone project, students will research, propose, design, build and test a large-scale interactive project. The capstone class is a project studio where students will present their ideas and get feedback from their professors and other capstone students, as well as offering them feedback and testing their projects. Once a Capstone is completed, each student will have a full project portfolio that will include their project proposal and description, documentation of its process from concept, creation and execution.

Students will also take classes in NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences, where they will acquire a strong foundation in science and the humanities at one of the nation’s great liberal arts universities, with courses in the humanities, sciences, mathematics, foreign language, and writing. IMA students may also take classes at the Tisch School of the Arts and the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, at the Integrated Digital Media (IDM) program.

After the first semester of sophomore year, students can also take courses at NYU’s many global sites. Courses that count toward the major are offered every semester at the Interactive Media Arts program in NYU Shanghai and the Interactive Media program at NYU Abu Dhabi. Courses at our other 11 global sites, such as Prague, Accra, Berlin, London and Buenos Aires can count towards the major with permission of the department chair.

For more information please go to https://itp.nyu.edu/ima/