Program Structure

Undergraduate Structure

Our Bachelor of Science program centers around the IDM core, a suite of courses that focus on the four areas of Image, Sound, Narrative, and Interactivity. These courses are combined with upper-level electives ranging from user experience design to augmented reality to motion capture, as well as courses from the Tandon Engineering core, media studies courses taken in the department of Media, Culture, and Communication (MCC), and additional courses in math, science, humanities, and social sciences.

The curriculum combines project-based learning with the study of historical, legal and philosophical aspects of digital media. We emphasize the development of skills applicable to a broad spectrum of media through individual and collaborative work. Guest lectures and conferences supplement our curriculum and maximize students’ personal contact with leaders in various sectors of the following fields: business, advocacy, service, entertainment, and education. The program culminates in a thesis that combines theory and practice to showcase students’ creative and technical abilities.

That blend of theory and practice defines our program. It’s what we mean by “integrated” – the powerful combination of emerging media and technology, creative mastery, and critical thinking.

To graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Design & Media,  you need to complete 120 credits distributed among the required and elective courses listed below.

Digital Media (DM) courses are offered as studios in which you will be expected to produce finished projects of professional quality under the guidance of active digital media practitioners who are informed by a powerful understanding of the creative and critical context of their work.

Questions? Email idmadvise@nyu.edu

Required Courses

  • Audio Foundation Studio – First year course
  • Visual Foundation Studio – First year course
  • Creative Coding – First year course
  • Ideation & Prototyping – First year course
  • Intro to Web Development – First year course
  • Still and Moving Images – First year course
  • Interactive Narrative
  • Professional Practices for Creatives – Junior/Senior year course
  • Senior Project – Senior year course
  • Engineering and Technology Forum
  • Writing the Essay
  • Advanced College Essay
  • Introduction to Media Studies or History of Media
  • Media Theory elective offered through MCC
  • Motion and Sound
  • Electricity and Light
  • Introduction to Programming & Problem Solving
  • Statistics or Calculus

Graduate Structure

The IDM curriculum combines project-based learning with the study of historical, legal and philosophical aspects of digital media. We emphasize the development of skills applicable to a broad spectrum of media through individual and collaborative work. Guest lectures and conferences supplement our curriculum and maximize students’ personal contact with leaders in various sectors of the following fields: business, advocacy, service, entertainment, and education. The program culminates in a thesis that combines theory and practice to showcase students’ creative and technical abilities.

That blend of theory and practice defines our program. It’s what we mean by “integrated” — the powerful combination of emerging media and technology, creative mastery, and critical thinking.

You must complete 30 credits to obtain a Master of Science in Integrated Design & Media.

Questions? Email idmadvise@nyu.edu

Required Courses

  • Creative Coding – first semester
  • Ideation & Prototyping – first semester
  • Theories and Cultural Impact of Media & Technology – second semester
  • Media Law – Third semester
  • Pre-Thesis – two semesters before graduating (this if full-time)
  • Thesis – final semester