Newswise — Clarkson University has received New York State Education Department approval for a new bachelor of science degree program in Digital Arts and Sciences (DA&S).
Housed within Clarkson's School of Arts and Sciences, and administered through the Departments of Mathematics & Computer Science and Communication & Media, the new interdisciplinary program will provide students an education in both the artistic and scientific aspects of digital graphic arts. It is designed to appeal to students with interests and talents in both these areas and, according to Peter Turner, chair of the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science at Clarkson, to address growing career opportunities in fields as diverse as entertainment, education, and computational science.
"Over the past several years there has been an increasing demand for qualified people to work at the intersection of arts and science," said Turner. "The success of movie companies like Pixar and Industrial Light and Magic has created demand in the entertainment arena. The computer gaming industry is another area of rapid growth that requires a strong combined arts/science background. Web-based education opportunities continue to grow and scientific visualization and high-dimensional, data intensive areas have become important in computational scientific endeavors. Graduates of our DA&S program will be well positioned to work in any of these fields."
Turner and Bill Karis, chair of the Department of Communication and Media, have served as the architects of the new program. Students entering the program will study and work alongside faculty with significant research expertise in a broad range of areas. Coursework will be centered primarily in mathematics, computer science, communication and new media. New digital studio arts courses will offer opportunities for team teaching and multidisciplinary projects to help tie the various background components together.
"This is the first degree program of its kind in New York State and throughout the northeast," added Turner. "There are a few other related programs out there, but these tend to be more oriented toward communications and require very little computer science or mathematics. With our interdisciplinary approach and state-of-the-art technology, our graduates will enter these emerging fields with a solid set of skills grounded in science and art."
Clarkson University, located in Potsdam, New York, is an independent university with a reputation for developing innovative leaders in engineering, science, business, and technology-related fields. Its academically rigorous, collaborative culture involves 2,700 undergraduates and 350 graduate students in hands-on team projects, multidisciplinary research, and real-world challenges. Many faculty members achieve international recognition for their scholarship and research, and teaching is a priority at every level. For more information, visit http://www.clarkson.edu.
Details on the new undergraduate program are available at http://www.clarkson.edu/mcs/digital.html. For information, contact [email protected] or 800-527-6577 or 315-268-6479.
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