Digital Media Art, BA

The Digital Media Art Major, within the Department of Art + Art History, bridges creative practice with new and emerging technologies. Students will explore artmaking with digital tools in areas such as digital photography, experimental video, 2D and 3D animation, game development, digital fabrication, and AI. Based on a foundation of critical analysis and historical perspective, the program equips graduates with the skills necessary to pursue careers in digital artmaking, design, and content creation.

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Curriculum

Digital Media Art Requirements

The Digital Art Major, within the Department of Art + Art History, bridges creative practice with new and emerging technologies. Students will explore artmaking with digital tools in areas such as digital photography, experimental video, 2D and 3D animation, game development, digital fabrication, and AI. Based on a foundation of critical analysis and historical perspective, the program equips graduates with the skills necessary to pursue careers in digital artmaking, design, and content creation.

Learning Outcomes

PLO 1: Demonstrate technical proficiency and conceptual rigor in the creation of artworks using digital tools.
PLO 2: Apply critical thinking in the location of one’s own work within larger historical and/or artistic contexts.
PLO 3: Recognize key movements, artists, and ideas within contemporary art with an emphasis on digital media.
PLO 4: Conduct critical research of artworks using appropriate terminology as evidenced through written assignments and verbal communication.
PLO 5: Utilize professional practices to create a portfolio of exhibition-ready artwork.

Requirements

Digital Foundations

Take two of the following courses (must total at least 8 units)

Introduction to Studio Art (4 units)
Basic Design (4 units)
Digital Photography (4 units)
Designing for the Web (4 units)
Digital Foundations (4 units)
Art Theory (3 units)

Lower Division Elective

Take 4 units from this list

Sequential Art (1 units)
Drawing: Life & Figure Drawing (1 units)
2D Animation (4 units)
3D Digital Design and Fabricat (1 units)
Intro to Media & Cultural Stud (4 units)
The Video Essay (1 units)
Computation and Data Science (3 units)
Coding Is Fun (3 units)
Programming I (4 units)
Creative Writing: Multi-Genre (4 units)
Data Visualization (3 units)
Creative Practice in Lit Arts (1 units)
Media Prod. Tools & Techniques (3 units)
Media Ethics and Ecologies (3 units)
Multimedia Writing (3 units)

Digital Art Upper Division

Take at least 3 of the following courses

3D Animation (4 units)
Experimental Photography (4 units)
Advanced Design (4 units)
Experimental Film/Video (4 units)
Media Archaeology (4 units)
The Art of Game Design (4 units)

Upper Division Elective

Take 8 units from this list

History of Media Art (4 units)
Art Criticism, 1900-Present (4 units)
Art Since 1930 (4 units)
Issues in American Contemp Art (4 units)
Issues in Modern Art (4 units)
Seminar Theory & Pract of Art (4 units)
Special Topics in Art (4 units)
Dramatic & Cinematic Arts Work (4 units)
Fiction Workshop (4 units)
Understanding Digital Culture (3 units)
Media, Technologies, & Culture (4 units)
Tech Ethics (3 units)
Film (4 units)
Film Theory (4 units)
Video Production (4 units)
Audio Production (4 units)
Fiction Filmmaking (4 units)
Politics and the Media (3 units)

Capstone Project

Digital Art majors complete a two-semester capstone sequence:

Art Capstone:Form Meaning & C (1 units)
Art Capstone: Professional Pra (1 units)

All Art Courses

Art Courses

Introduction to Studio Art (4 units)
Basic Design (4 units)
Digital Photography (4 units)
Sequential Art (1 units)
Printmaking: Screenprinting (1 units)
Painting: Acrylic & Watercolor (1 units)
Drawing: Life & Figure Drawing (1 units)
Special Topics in Art Practice (1 units)
2D Animation (4 units)
Digital Foundations (4 units)
Designing for the Web (4 units)
Introduction to Printmaking (4 units)
3D Digital Design and Fabricat (1 units)
Art + Practice Elective (4 units)
Screenprinting for the Communi (3 units)
Screenprinting for Communi EL (1 units)
ART Elective (1-5 units)
3D Animation (4 units)
Advanced Painting (4 units)
Experimental Photography (4 units)
Advanced Design (4 units)
Experimental Film/Video (4 units)
Advanced Screenprinting (4 units)
Interdisciplinary Arts (4 units)
Media Archaeology (4 units)
Artist's Bookmaking (4 units)
The Art of Game Design (4 units)
Special Topics in Art (4 units)
Introduction to Curating (4 units)
ART UD Elective (1-5 units)
Art Capstone:Form Meaning & C (1 units)
Art Capstone: Professional Pra (1 units)
Introduction to Curating (4 units)
Independent Study - Art Prac (1-4 units)

Learn More About Our Program

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Art on Campus

At Saint Mary’s, opportunities to engage with art abound. Visit the College Museum of Art, which features rotating exhibitions from contemporary artists alongside a comprehensive collection of work from renowned California landscape painter William Keith. Or stop by Studio 160, our springboard for the large and diverse community of young artists at Saint Mary’s. You could be next!

Museum of Art

Gallery 160