The Digital Arts and Sciences (DA&S) undergraduate bachelor's degree program is designed to engage your creativity and encourage you to expand your boundaries, equipping you for success in a highly dynamic digital media industry.

This program, offered through the Department of Communication, Media and Design (CMD), focuses on combining the artistic, technical and scientific aspects of digital content creation with applications that include virtual reality, scientific visualization, animation, games and UI/UX design. The program often brings in industry professionals from various disciplines to demonstrate real-life applications.

As a digital arts and sciences major, you'll develop creative and research abilities through intensive technical training. The result of this curriculum culminates in a capstone project, which demonstrates your creative ability, technical prowess in a variety of media choices, and use of a wide range of digital tools for various applications.

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Digital Arts and Sciences Careers

After graduation, our digital arts and sciences majors are prepared to embark on a successful career in any of the following areas:

  • art and design
  • film
  • computer animation and video gaming
  • UI/UX creation
  • mobile/web design and development (app design)
  • computational science research (scientific visualization and simulation)
  • interactive display systems
  • virtual reality
  • data visualization
  • physical computing
  • social media/online marketing

Digital arts and sciences majors have gone on to work in a wide variety of industries, for companies such as: Computer Enterprises Inc., Interactive Media Consulting, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (Division Newport), Pfizer and T-Base Communications.

Digital Arts and Sciences Curriculum & Academic Options

Major in Digital Arts and Sciences

The digital arts and sciences major encompasses 78 of the 120 credit hours required for a bachelor's degree. This leaves ample opportunity to explore majors or other areas that interest you while you complete your digital arts and sciences degree. Our digital arts and sciences majors take courses such as:

Applied Mathematic and Statistics 100% Placement Rate Class of 2019
  • Intro to Digital Art: Time & Image
  • Elements of Design
  • 3D Digital Modeling & Imagery
  • Digital Painting and Illustration
  • Moving Images: Motion Graphics & Animation
  • Creative Apps
  • Media Landscapes
  • Drawing
  • Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality
  • Interactive and Algorithmic Art
  • Art in Context
Digital Arts & Sciences Major Curriculum

The DA&S program consists of 33 credit hours in digital arts, 10 credit hours in computer science, 12 credit hours in mathematics, and 9 more credit hours in either computer science or mathematics. 27 credit hours are in free electives, which is enough to complete a minor or second major if you so choose.

All courses are 3 credits unless noted.

 

Clarkson Common Experience

The following courses are required for all students, irrespective of their program of study. These courses are offered during the fall semester, with FY100 First-Year Seminar being required of only first-year students. Both FY100 and UNIV190 are typically taken during the fall semester of the first year at Clarkson.
FY100 First-Year Seminar (1 credit)
UNIV190 The Clarkson Seminar (3 credits)

 

Digital Arts and Sciences Core Requirements

Students are required to complete the following courses:

Digital Arts

  • DA100 Introduction to Digital Art: Time and Image
  • DA110 Drawing
  • DA120 Element of Design
  • DA140 Introduction to Digital Art: Form & Code
  • DA212 Art in Context

Professional Experience

Students are required to take the following courses in their final year to apply the knowledge learned in the program:

  • DA491 Professional Practice
  • DA492 Senior Studies

 

Digital Arts and Sciences Core Electives

200-level Digital Arts Course

Students must complete two of the following courses:

  • DA200 3D Digital Modeling & Imagery 
  • DA225 Digital Painting & Illustration 
  • DA250 Interactive & Algorithmic Art 

300-level Digital Arts Course

Students must complete two of the following courses:

  • DA300 3D Imagery & Animation
  • DA310 Digital Object Design 
  • DA320 Moving Images: Motion Graphics & Animation
  • DA350 Interactive Audio/Visual 
  • DA391 Special Topics: Game System Design 
  • DA392 Special Topics: Digital Arts & Science 
  • DA393 Special Topics: Creative Apps
  • DA394 Special Topics: Designing for Website Usability
  • DA395 Special Topics in Digital Arts & Science

 

Computer Science/Mathematics Courses for Digital Arts and Sciences

Students must complete the following courses:

Computer Science

  • CS141 Intro to Computer Science I (4 credits)
  • CS142 Intro to Computer Science II
  • CS242 Advanced Programming Concepts in Java

Mathematics

  • MA131 Calculus I
  • MA230 3D Space and Projective Geometry
  • MA239 Linear Algebra
  • MA277 Elementary Numerical Methods

 

Computer Science/Mathematics Electives

Students must complete 3 more computer science (CS) and/or mathematics (MA) courses worth a total of 9 credits.

 

Digital Arts and Sciences Electives

Physics/Science Courses

Students must complete one of the following courses plus an additional natural science course:

  • PH131 Physics I (4 credits)
  • PH141 Physics for Life Sciences I (4 credits)

Statistics

Students must complete one of the following courses:

  • STAT282 General Statistics
  • STAT381 Probability
  • STAT383 Probability & Statistics

Knowledge Area/University Course Electives

Students will have at least 15 credit hours available to use toward Knowledge Area and/or University Course electives to satisfy the Clarkson Common Experience requirements.

Free Electives

Students will have approximately 27 credit hours available to use toward courses of their choice.

Relevant Minors

Our digital arts and sciences majors can also choose from 40+ minors from across the University. View our recommendations below or learn more about all of Clarkson's minors, concentrations and professional advising tracks.

All Clarkson Minors, Concentrations and Tracks

Communication Minor

Clarkson University offers a minor in Communication that is available to all undergraduate students with the exception of Communication majors. Courses used to fulfill the requirements of the minor include writing, speaking, graphic design, and theory. To achieve a minor in Communication, students must achieve a 2.0 grade average in six three-credit courses, distributed in the following fashion:

All courses are 3 credits unless noted.

 

Communication Minor Core I

Students are required to complete one course from each of the following groups:

Writing

  • COMM210 Theory of Rhetoric for Business, Science and Engineering
  • COMM219 Introduction to Social Media
  • COMM226 Short Film Screenwriting
  • COMM245 Writing for Media
  • COMM312 Public Relations*
  • COMM313 Professional Communication*
  • COMM314 Communicating, Promoting, and Marketing “Place”*
  • COMM315 STEAM Journalism*
  • COMM326 Feature Film Screenwriting
  • COMM330 Science Journalism
  • COMM428 Environmental Communication*

Speaking

  • COMM217 Introduction to Public Speaking
  • COMM312 Public Relations*
  • COMM313 Professional Communication*

 

Communication Minor Core II

Students are required to complete one course from each of the following groups:

Design

  • COMM100 2D Digital Design 
  • COMM229 Principles of User-Experience Design
  • COMM322 Typography and Design
  • COMM327 Digital Video Production I
  • COMM329 Front-End Development for the Web
  • COMM345 Information Design
  • COMM360 Sound Design
  • COMM427 Digital Video Production II

Theory

  • COMM310 Mass Media and Society
  • COMM315 STEAM Journalism*
  • COMM314 Communicating, Promoting, and Marketing "Place"*
  • COMM410 Theory and Philosophy of Communication
  • COMM412 Organizational Communications and Public Relations Theory
  • COMM428 Environmental Communication*

 

Communication Minor Core Electives

Other Communication Courses

Students must take two other communication courses.

*Course may be used for one of two groups but not both.

Business Minor

The minor in business is designed for students with a major outside of the Reh School of Business who wish to pursue a collateral area in business.

Completion of the minor provides broad exposure to the foundations of major business functions, complementing technical majors very well. These areas include accounting, economics, finance, law, organizational behavior, operations management and marketing.

All courses are 3 credits unless noted.

 

Business Core Requirements

All students choosing to minor in business must complete 18 credit hours, or six courses, from among the following:

  • EC150 Principles of Microeconomics or EC350 Economic Principles and Engineering Economics*
  • EC151 Principles of Macroeconomics or EC350 Economic Principles and Engineering Economics*
  • AC205 Introduction to Accounting for Decision Analysis
  • LW270 Law and Society I
  • OS286 Organizational Behavior
  • FN361 Financial Management I
  • OM331** Operations & Supply Chain Management
  • MK320** Principles of Marketing

*Students who complete EC350 Economics are exempt from taking EC150 and EC151. EC350 covers material from both EC150 and EC151. EC350 will satisfy one course toward the minor. Students must then choose their remaining five classes from AC205, LW270, OS286, FN361, OM331 or MK320.

**Students choosing to take either OM331 or MK320 must also complete IS200 Computer Application Fundamentals (1 credit) or IS211 Intro to ERP Tools and Applications (3 credits) either as a prerequisite or a co-requisite.

Computer Science Minor

The minor in computer science is designed to provide you with a solid and coherent introduction to computer science. The requirements are in two areas. The first area gives you a strong foundation in programming, basic software engineering principles and the design, analysis and implementation of data structures and algorithms. The second area consists of electives that allow you to explore various areas of computer science or specialize in one of these areas. The majority of the electives must be upper-level courses. A total of seven courses are required for the minor.

The minor in computer science is not open to students majoring in computer science or software engineering. Students must also achieve a GPA of 2.0 in the courses below.

All courses are 3 credits unless noted.

 

Computer Science Minor Core Requirements

Students are required to complete the following courses:*

  • CS141 Introduction to Computer Science I (4 credits)
  • CS142 Introduction to Computer Science II
  • MA211 Discrete Mathematics and Proof
  • CS344 Algorithms and Data Structures

 

Computer Science Minor Electives

Students must complete the following courses:**

  • Computer Science (CS) 200-level or above 3-credit course
  • Computer Science (CS) 300-level or above 3-credit course
  • Computer Science (CS) 400-level or above 3-credit course

 

Course Substitutions

*Some course substitutions are possible. A list of acceptable substitutions is maintained by the department and updated annually. Currently, the allowed substitutions are EE261 for CS141, EE363 for CS142, EE360 for CS241 and MA346 for MA21l.

**Certain courses cannot be used to satisfy the electives. A list of all exclusions is available from the department and updated annually. The current list includes all courses titled Directed Study, Computer Science Clinic, or Undergraduate Research.

Product Development & Marketing Minor

The minor in product development and marketing is for students interested in exploring concepts and tools associated with the design and marketing of new products.

Through coursework, you will learn about marketing new products, including clear message development, appropriate distribution channel identification, customer acquisition and engagement, customer co-innovation and social media and analytics use to manage messaging.

All courses are 3 credits unless noted.

 

Product Development and Marketing Core I

Students are required to complete the following courses:

Marketing

  • MK320 Principles of Marketing
  • MK/PY321 Consumer Behavior 
  • MK332 Marketing Research 
  • MK436 Creativity, Innovation, New Product Development

Marketing Portfolio

Students must complete a 0-credit new product development and marketing portfolio to maintain a repository of work from the minor classes related to work during their time at Clarkson.

  • MK419 New Product Development and Marketing Portfolio (0 credit)

 

Product Development and Marketing Core II

Students must complete one of the following courses:

  • SB236 Introduction to Customer-Focused Design 
  • COMM229 Principles of User Experience Design
  • SB322 Designing and Leading Innovative Ventures

Students must complete two of the following courses:

  • COMM100/DA100 2-D Digital Design
  • COMM210 Theory of Rhetoric for Business, Science and Engineering
  • COMM219 Introduction to Social Media
  • COMM314 Placemaking, Marketing and Promotion
  • COMM345 Information Design
  • COMM347 Design Thinking 
  • COMM375 Product Design
  • COMM448 Portraying Innovation Through the Lens
  • COMM449 Narrating Innovation
  • COMM450 Leading Innovation
  • SB356/EM356 Invention Development & Protection
"It’s important to help students develop their own visual language, which can be a tall order for a 22-year-old who has only been consuming mainstream digital content,” says Lee. “I show them the tools to get them started. It’s their job to research their way and to find their own voice, utilizing the methods I show."

Alex Lee, Associate Professor, Communication & Media

Alex Lee - Quote

Experiential Learning

Internship and Co-op Opportunities

As a digital arts and sciences major, you will have the ability to apply for internships/co-ops at companies like Pixar, Industrial Light & Magic, Dreamworks, Warner Brothers, Time Warner, Nelvana Studios, Rokko Studios, Ice Blade Studios, Framestore, HBO, Xerox, Pipeline Studios, Guru Studio, Bardel Entertainment, Atomic Entertainment, Mercury Filmworks, 9 Story Media Group and many more.

Research Opportunities

The digital arts and sciences bachelor's degree has significant research opportunities involving the Montreal International Games Summit, Game Developers Conference and Siggraph, among others.

It’s exciting to know that my studies in communications in combination with Digital Arts and Sciences has prepared me to go into such a variety of fields. I could do anything from advertising for a large engineering corporation, to event planning for a prestigious museum. The possibilities are endless and that is what makes this major extremely rewarding.

Emily Fountain '17, BS Communication

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