DIGITAL MEDIA MINOR

DIGITAL MEDIA MINOR CURRICULUM (Total 21 hours):

Two digital media minors have been approved: Digital Media-Arts (DMART) and Digital Media-Technology (DMTEC). Both are effective with the beginning of the 2010 fall semester. The DMART will be housed in the College of Art and Design and the DMTEC will be housed in the College of Engineering.

The following will be printed on the student’s transcript:

Digital Media AVATAR Arts
Digital Media AVATAR Technology

Faculty with the University’s Arts, Visualization, Advanced Technologies and Research, or AVATAR, Initiative, are debuting a new academic program that will allow students to obtain an interdisciplinary minor in digital media, preparing them for careers in emerging fields such as animation, video games, electronic music and digital art.

The University approved the AVATAR Initiative in Spring 2008 as one of its multidisciplinary hiring initiatives, bringing together faculty, researchers and professionals to create a concentrated academic research program in digital media.

Faculty with the AVATAR Initiative have spent the past two years developing a program that would allow students to minor in digital media. The University approved this academic program in Fall 2009, and students will be able to declare the minor and take classes toward the degree in the Fall 2010 semester.

“Students regularly express to us an interest in working as a video game developer, animator, or other profession involving interactive digital media. We crafted the AVATAR minor to address the needs of these students as well as the needs of the digital media industry,” said Stephen David Beck, Derryl & Helen Haymon Professor in the LSU School of Music and AVATAR Initiative lead. “The faculty who are part of AVATAR Initiative have developed an interdisciplinary curricula that we feel prepares students to work in these fields and provides them with an enriching educational experience during their time at LSU.”

Students can enroll in the minor through one of two thematic tracks: an arts-oriented track through the College of Art & Design, or a technology-oriented track through the College of Engineering. Courses from computer science, electrical and computer engineering, music, art, English and mass communication are part of the curriculum, along with a new capstone course, where students from both tracks will work collaboratively on group projects.

Interested students can learn more about the program and see a list of required courses at http://avatar.lsu.edu. Students who are interested in obtaining the digital media minor should contact AVATAR Initiative Coordinator Lea Anne Couvillion at 225-578-5433 or leaanne@cct.lsu.edu.

To officially kick off the minor, AVATAR Initiative will host a series of lectures in the spring and fall semesters, bringing distinguished leaders from the field of digital media to campus, who will discuss the latest developments and help students understand the skills they need for careers in these disciplines.