Creative Technologies (BFA)

Statement of Purpose

The BFA in Creative Technologies prepares students to create digital products, media, and art using current and emerging technologies as their expressive language for connecting with diverse audiences. The curriculum combines art and design foundations with industry standard innovation methodologies and project-based learning, where students combine software, art, and design in innovative ways to create and launch compelling digital products. Students develop robust, adaptable processes for researching, experimenting, designing, prototyping, and iterating creative and innovative digital media projects while cultivating critical judgment about technology’s evolving role in art and design fields.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Develop Technological and Artistic Fluency
   Demonstrate foundational art and design skills while effectively utilizing appropriate technologies to enhance creative work. Show proficiency in visual communication principles, elements of design, and artistic techniques including visual, spatial, sound, motion, and interactive elements, while adapting to new digital tools, hardware, software, and platforms as they emerge.
2. Apply Innovation Methodologies
   Implement a systematic approach to innovation by conducting needs-based research, generating multiple creative solutions, developing effective prototypes using processes such as storyboarding, concept mapping, personas, gathering feedback, and iteratively refining ideas. Apply design thinking principles and artistic problem-solving techniques to translate concepts into implementable solutions.
3. Exercise Critical Discernment and Curation
   Articulate and apply criteria for evaluating quality, effectiveness, and distinctiveness in creative work. Demonstrate the capacity to make aesthetic judgments informed by art history, digital media theory, technological criticism, design principles, and contemporary practice in both human and technology-assisted creation.
4. Develop Creative Voice
   Develop a distinctive creative voice that demonstrates both technical skill and conceptual depth. Apply understanding of narrative and information structures for time-based and interactive media to translate personal creative expression into work that resonates with intended audiences. Produce original works and design solutions that meaningfully integrate artistic principles, design thinking, and technology to address complex challenges or opportunities.
5. Implement Fully-Realized Projects
   Plan and execute creative professional-quality projects from conception to completion. Effectively manage resources, timelines, and collaborative and team relationships through an iterative development process while maintaining artistic integrity and meeting defined objectives.