The B.S. degree in Electronic Arts (EART) provides a foundation for students who aspire to careers as practicing artists in the digital age. Combining traditional studio and theory courses in the Fine Arts with Electronic Arts disciplines, the program familiarizes students with the full range of creative digital media and allows them to select areas of concentration in such fields as video, animation and visualization, computer music and sound design, game design, multimedia, installation, interactivity, and performance art.
Situated within the context of a technological university, Rensselaer’s art program offers a unique creative environment in which to explore the relationship between the creative arts and emerging technologies.
Rensselaer’s location within a thriving community of technological innovation and proximity to art and cultural centers such as Williams College, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), Dia: Beacon, Bard College, and Bennington College further strengthens its arts programs.
Applicants must submit a portfolio and written statement of interest. In this statement, an applicant should address his or her specific interests in the program, desire to work with electronic media, and a description of work submitted in the portfolio. The successful portfolio should include 10 to 20 examples of work that shows excellence as an artist and a desire to work with electronic arts tools. The portfolio should represent what the applicants consider to be their best work in any medium.
All majors in the Electronic Arts take a total of 60 credits in the field, including a 24-credit sequence of arts foundation courses, as well as eight credits of Creative Seminar. The remaining 28 credits for the major are configured to allow the student to concentrate in one of three tracks:
- Computer Music and Sound Art
- Media, Ecology, Entrepreneurship, and Experimentation
- Visual Arts and Animation
Outcomes of the Undergraduate Curriculum
Students who successfully complete this program will be able to demonstrate:
- an ability to evaluate works of art in relation to style, period, and social context.
- an ability to effectively discuss and critique own work and the work of others.
- proficiency integrating technologies appropriate to creative practice.
Typical schedules for each of the concentrations are shown below:
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