¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

Interactive Arts and Technology Bachelor of Arts Honours Program

School of Interactive Arts and Technology | Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology
¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calendar 2012 Spring

The School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) offers a bachelor of arts (BA) degree with an honours in interactive arts and technology with three concentrations: design, media arts and informatics.

¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Requirements

¶¡ÏãÔ°AV is based on a competitive cumulative grade point average. Students whose first admission attempt is unsuccessful may improve their average by completing additional courses. ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV to the school is possible via three routes, as outlined below.

Route 1

These applicants come directly from BC high school 12 or have equivalent high school preparation in accordance with the requirements.

Route 2

Internal transfer applicants are students who have already been admitted to another ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV program, and now wish to be transfer to the School of Interactive Arts and Technology. These applicants will normally be admitted to the school via the TechOne program.

Students apply to either the program after completing 18 units of the lower division requirements listed below, or equivalents. A minimum of six units of IAT course work is required.

Route 3

These applicants apply to the School of Interative Arts and Technology for direct transfer from another post-secondary institution.

Students apply to the program after completing 18 units of the lower division requirements listed below, or equivalents.

Grade Point Average

For honours, a 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division grade point average (UDGPA) is required.

Program Requirements

Students complete 132 units, as specified below.

This program requires the completion of

  • lower division requirements of 12 units of approved first year courses and the SIAT core requirements
  • upper division requirements of at least one of the three concentrations in SIAT
  • lower and upper division requirements of the BA degree program
  • honours research project sequence (IAT 490-6, 491-6)
  • a total of at least 132 units including 60 upper division units, 48 of which must be upper division IAT units.

Students enter this major program by meeting the admission requirements specified above. Students will normally apply to the BA program after completion of first year studies or equivalent.

Lower Division Requirements

The first year of a degree in Interactive Arts and Technology is TechOne, which is comprised of CMPT 166, IAT 100, 102, 103W, 106, 167, and either MATH 130 (BA) or MACM 101 (BSc).

Core Courses

SIAT lower division core requirements are as follows.

Students complete all of

  • CMPT 166-3 An Animated Introduction to Programming or an equivalent introductory programming course such as CMPT 120, 125, 126, or 128
  • IAT 100-3 Digital Image Design
  • IAT 102-3 Graphic Design
  • IAT 103W-3 Design Communication and Collaboration
  • IAT 106-3 Spatial Thinking and Communicating
  • IAT 167-3 Digital Games: Genre, Structure, Programming and Play
  • IAT 201-3 Human-Computer Interaction and Cognition *
  • IAT 202-3 New Media Images
  • IAT 222-3 Interactive Arts
  • IAT 233-3 Spatial Design
  • IAT 235-3 Information Design
  • IAT 265-3 Multimedia Programming for Art and Design * or other approved second year programming course
  • IAT 267-3 Introduction to Technological Systems

* these courses or their equivalents must have a science designation

Additional Requirements

Students in this BA program will also complete both of

  • IAT 206-3 Media Across Cultures or equivalent
  • MATH 130-3 Geometry for Computer Graphics or equivalent

Upper Division Requirements

A BA with an honours is offered with three concentrations: design, media arts, informatics (see below). All share the fundamental concern of people using technology in context. Each draws from distinct patterns of scholarship and thinking.

Each has its own academic emphasis leading directly to its particular pattern of study and graduate outcome. Students must complete the upper division requirements of at least one of three concentrations in SIAT.

Honours students must complete the requirements for a major and additional IAT electives for a total of 48 upper division IAT units and complete the honours research project sequence (IAT 490-6, 491-6). In addition, students must complete unspecified upper division courses to total 60 upper division units.

Concentration in Media Arts

This concentration studies the creation, analysis and understanding of new media. New media environments are both computational artifacts and cultural experiences that include historical, social, aesthetic, and economic processes. Graduates will be skilled in the critical analysis and making of new media forms such as electronic games, digital video, computer animation, and interactive multimedia.

Students who choose this concentration complete all of

  • IAT 313-3 Narrative and New Media
  • IAT 320-3 Body Interface
  • IAT 343-3 Animation
  • IAT 344-3 Moving Images
  • IAT 443-3 Interactive Video
  • IAT 445-3 Immersive Environments

Concentration in Informatics

This concentration covers technological systems used in work, learning and play situations. Its emphasis is on system building with particular emphasis on how people use systems, how to design and program user-centered systems, and how to represent and reason about the objects and environments that people use. Graduates will make systems that people find useful and engaging.

Students who choose this concentration must complete all of

  • IAT 351-3 Advanced Human-Computer Interaction
  • IAT 352-3 Knowledge Media Architectures
  • IAT 355-3 Introduction to Visual Analytics
  • IAT 410-3 Advanced Game Design
  • IAT 452-3 Developing Design Tools
  • IAT 455-3 Computational Media

Concentration in Design

This concentration focuses on the design and use of interactive products and systems. It emphasizes designing and understanding all aspects of successful designs. Graduates will demonstrate ability in contemporary design from requirements through design to critique and evaluation.

Students who choose this concentration must complete all of

  • IAT 333-3 Interaction Design Methods
  • IAT 334-3 Interface Design
  • IAT 336-3 Materials in Design
  • IAT 337-3 Representation and Fabrication
  • IAT 338-3 Interactive Objects and Environments
  • IAT 431-3 Speculative Design

Additional Requirements

Students in this BA program will also complete both of

  • IAT 403-3 Interdisciplinary Design Studio I (Arts)
  • IAT 405-3 Interdisciplinary Design Studio II (Arts)

and 24 units chosen from the following

  • IAT 312-3 Foundations of Game Design
  • IAT 313-3 Narrative and New Media
  • IAT 320-3 Body Interface
  • IAT 334-3 Interface Design
  • IAT 338-3 Interactive Objects and Environments
  • IAT 343-3 Animation
  • IAT 344-3 Moving Images
  • IAT 380-3 Special Topics in Interactive Arts and Technology (Arts)
  • IAT 431-3 Speculative Design
  • IAT 443-3 Interactive Video
  • IAT 445-3 Immersive Environments
  • IAT 480-3 Special Topics in Interactive Arts and Technology (Arts)

and any upper division course from communication (CMNS), publishing (PUB), cognitive science (COGS), contemporary arts (FPA), human geography (GEOG), philosophy (PHIL), business (BUS), or psychology (PSYC).

In addition, students complete sufficient unspecified upper division courses to total 60, and unspecified courses at any division to total 132 units overall.

Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements

Students admitted to ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.

WQB Graduation Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit.
Requirement

Units

Notes
W - Writing

6

Must include at least one upper division course, taken at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV within the student’s major subject
Q - Quantitative

6

Q courses may be lower or upper division
B - Breadth

18

Designated Breadth Must be outside the student’s major subject, and may be lower or upper division
6 units Social Sciences: B-Soc
6 units Humanities: B-Hum
6 units Sciences: B-Sci

6

Additional Breadth

6 units outside the student’s major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements)
Additional breadth units must be from outside the student's major and may be B-designated (B-Hum, B-Soc, B-Sci courses). Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honors, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas.

 

Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit

The University’s residency requirement stipulates that, in most cases, total transfer and course challenge credit may not exceed 60 units, and may not include more than 15 units as upper division work.

Elective Courses

In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.

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