The U is growing–along with the new buildings sprouting up across campus, new programs are being introduced. Cross-disciplinary is the name of the game for two new programs: the multidisciplinary design major and entertainment arts and engineering graduate program, both of which will be introduced in the fall.
The College of Architecture + Planning is introducing the multidisciplinary design program for undergraduates, which has a cross-disciplinary structure. Students will take classes from varying fields, including business, engineering, marketing, psychology and communication.
Thirty-three students applied for the program, and 17 will begin the program this fall.
There was a demand from students as well as faculty to get the program moving to the next level, having begun as a minor.
“The students that have been doing the minor or have been hoping for this program have kind of felt on the fringe, kind of like they are not a part of anything official yet, so it’s really nice to have an official program,” said Elpitha Tsoutsounakis, an architecture professor.
Students who graduate with a degree in multidisciplinary design can expect to work for design firms, apply design thinking to business or marketing or go on to graduate school and continue studying design; more specifically, product design.
“After completing this program, I want to study industrial design and perhaps get a master’s degree in that. I think I have more talent for fabrication and 3D design, so industrial design may be a better venue for me,” said Evan Howard, a student entering the program.
The College of Fine Arts is teaming up with the College of Engineering to launch a new cross-disciplinary graduate degree program in entertainment arts and engineering that will allow students to dive deeper into video game design and development.
This is the first degree for this specific discipline in Utah. The program requires four semesters of work in arts and in engineeering, and students must also do an internship. There are three different tracks: arts, engineering and productions, each with a different emphasis.
The program began three years ago as an experiment called Master Games Studio and was offered to artists, engineers and video game producers. The program became official when the Utah Board of Regents approved it in March.
One unique aspect of the program is that students work together to create a game that is centered around a thesis, such as how to experience different sensations while playing, or interacting with people in a virtual world.
“Students gain essential technical skills, but in the bargain, experience how to merge their talents with those of others—to the benefit of both,” said Robert Kessler, executive director of Entertainment Arts and Engineering in a press release. “These are the kinds of skills we know employers are looking for.”
The Princeton Review recently ranked the undergraduate EAE program first of its kind in the nation.