Program Overview

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New Media Interactive Development Bachelor of Science Degree

Overview

RIT’s new media interactive development degree adapts digital technologies for social software, wearable devices, touch interfaces, virtual/augmented reality, and more.

Why Study RIT’s New Media Interactive Development Major

• An RIT New Economy Major: The interactive media major is part of a collection of degree programs that are forward-thinking and future-forming and help prepare you to excel in the multidisciplinary nature of our modern, dynamic economy.
• Hands-on Experience: Two blocks of cooperative education (co-op) provide full-time, paid career experience working in industry.
• Valuable Partnerships: Collaborate with students in RIT’s new media design major, which focuses heavily on interactive media design and emphasizes visual communication, 2D and 4D design, animation, and design strategy.
• STEM-OPT Visa Eligible: The STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program allows full-time, on-campus international students on an F-1 student visa to stay and work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation.

What is the Interactive Media Degree at RIT?

In RIT’s new media interactive development major, you’ll learn the programming and computing skills for multiple interfaces, and the interactive design skills needed to create outstanding user interaction. You can focus your studies on a specific area of new media to truly explore your interests and adapt your skills to a range of emerging technologies.

What is New Media?

New media is an ever-changing form of digital communication that engages, immerses, and often entertains users. The term new media was first coined in the mid-80s to refer to the impact computing was beginning to have on traditional forms of media, like newspapers, radio, and television. But as digital platforms began to evolve beyond the internet, new media came to encompass all types of information and entertainment accessed by computers, phones, and tablets. New media now encompasses anything that integrates communication, computing, and technology – from social media networks (Facebook, Instagram) and music and television streaming services (Spotify, Hulu, Amazon Prime), to highly interactive digital technologies like wearables (Apple Watch, FitBit), virtual reality, augmented reality, and gaming.

A Dynamic Degree for New Media Interactive Development

In the degree in interactive media, your course work is concentrated on programming and interactive development with in-depth classes on topics such as:

• Mobile development and alternative interfaces
• Website design and implementation
• Physical/wearable computing
• Game design
• Game development, design and media production
• Interactive audio

You’ll build professional-quality websites, apps for mobile devices and tablets, and create social networking applications that connect people with technology and each other. In a digital environment, you’ll learn to program using current and emerging technologies for interactive web design, touchscreens, wearables, and interactive objects. In addition, coursework in design principles will make the interactive experiences you build look polished and captivating. Two blocks of cooperative education experience give you full-time, paid experience working in industry to help lead you to a career in interactive media.

New Media Courses

Compelling interactive design requires collaboration with designers. As a new media interactive development student, you’ll benefit from a close partnership with students in RIT’s new media design major. New media courses address interactive media design and emphasize visual communication, 2D and 4D design, animation, and design strategy. Both programs share core courses in programming and design, enabling students in both majors to develop the complementary skill sets needed for success in the industry.

Your fourth year concludes with a new media interactive development Capstone I and II, a two-course, two-semester experience in which you’ll work on a project for a corporate client who is seeking to identify and implement a digital solution to a challenge. You’ll gain the teamwork experience needed as you learn to develop, navigate, and leverage the designer-programmer-client relationship. With many courses, both project- and team-based, you’ll build a robust portfolio of interactive projects, positioning you to showcase your skills, capabilities, and knowledge to prospective employers upon graduation.

Careers and Experiential Learning

Typical Job Titles

• Web Developer
• Front End Developer
• Solution Developer
• Software Developer
• Software Engineer
• Program Manager
• Digital Director
• Lead Usability Analyst
• Quality Assurance Engineer
• Programmer Analyst
• UX Engineer
• Technical Lead
• UX Strategist
• Interactive Developer
• Javascript Engineer
• Credentialing Specialist
• Windows Phone Developer
• IT Technician
• Product Designer
• Android Developer
• Digital Technician
• Application Developer

Industries

• Advertising, PR, and Marketing
• Commercial Banking and Credit
• Food and Beverage
• Government (Local, State, Federal)
• Higher Education
• Internet and Software
• Non-Profit

Cooperative Education

What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.

Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. Your computing co-ops will provide hands-on experience that enables you to apply your computing knowledge in professional settings while you make valuable connections between classwork and real-world applications.

Students in the new media interactive development degree are required to complete two blocks of cooperative education experience.

Careers in Interactive Media Development

Interaction designers are in demand. All kinds of companies and organizations seek interaction developers for a range of positions in which an organization needs dynamic and innovative digital experiences and creative technology solutions.

A sampling of companies that have hired graduates of RIT’s new media interactive development major includes American Greetings, Bottomline Technologies, Fidelity Investments, Forbes Media, GeekHive, IBM, JPMorgan Chase & Co, LenelS2, M&T Bank, MassMutual, Southwest Airlines, TD Bank, and Wegmans Food Markets.

Curriculum

New Media Interactive Development, BS degree, typical course sequence

• First Year
  • IGME-101: New Media Interactive Design and Algorithmic Problem Solving I
  • IGME-102: New Media Interactive Design and Algorithmic Problem Solving II
  • IGME-110: Introduction to Interactive Media
  • MATH-131: Discrete Mathematics
  • MATH-185: Mathematics of Graphical Simulation I
  • NMDE-111: New Media Design Digital Survey I
  • NMDE-112: New Media Design Digital Survey II
  • YOPS-010: RIT 365: RIT Connections
• Second Year
  • IGME-099: Co-op Preparation Workshop
  • IGME-201: New Media Interactive Design and Algorithmic Problem Solving III
  • IGME-202: Interactive Media Development
  • IGME-236: Experience Design for Games & Media
  • IGME-330: Rich Media Web Application Development I
  • IGME-499: Undergraduate Co-op (summer)
  • STAT-145: Introduction to Statistics
• Third Year
  • IGME-340: Multi-platform Media App Development
  • IGME-430: Rich Media Web Application Development II
  • IGME-470: Physical Computing & Alternative Interfaces
  • IGME-480: Current Topics in Interactive Development
  • IGME-499: Undergraduate Co-op (summer)
• Fourth Year
  • IGME-588: New Media Interactive Development Capstone II
  • IGME-587: New Media Interactive Development Capstone I
  • NMDE-401: New Media Design Capstone I

New Media Interactive Development Advanced Electives

• FNRT-328: Composing for Video Games and Interactive Media
• GCIS-410: Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) for Computing II
• IGME-119: 2D Animation and Asset Production
• IGME-219: 3D Animation and Asset Production
• IGME-340: Multi-platform Media App Development
• IGME-350: International Game Industry
• IGME-382: Maps, Mapping and Geospatial Technologies
• IGME-386: Spatial Algorithms and Problem Solving
• IGME-423: Games for Change
• IGME-431: Digital Video for the Web
• IGME-450: Casual Game Development
• IGME-460: Data Visualization
• IGME-529: Foundations of Interactive Narrative
• IGME-531: Aesthetics and Computation
• IGME-580: IGM Production Studio
• IGME-589: Research Studio
• IGME-590: Undergraduate Seminar in IGM
• IGME-599: Independent Study
• IGME-670: Digital Audio Production
• IGME-671: Interactive Game and Audio
• IGME-680: IGM Production Studio
• IGME-690: IGM Seminar
• ISTE-454: Mobile Application Development I
• ISTE-456: Mobile Application Development II
• ISTE-458: Advanced Topics in Wearable & Ubiquitous Computing
• ISTE-470: Data Mining and Exploration
• LING-581: Natural Language Processing I
• NMDE-201: New Media Design Elements II
• NMDE-203: New Media Design Interactive II
• NMDE-302: New Media Design Graphical User Interface

Admissions and Financial Aid

First-Year Admission

First-year applicants are expected to demonstrate a strong academic background that includes:

• 4 years of English
• 3 years of social studies and/or history
• 4 years of mathematics is required and must include algebra, geometry, algebra 2/trigonometry, and pre-calculus. Calculus is preferred.
• 2-3 years of science is required and must include chemistry or physics; both are preferred.
• Computing electives are preferred.

Transfer Admission

Transfer applicants should meet these minimum degree-specific requirements:

• A minimum of precalculus is required. Calculus is preferred.
• Chemistry or physics is required.
• Computing courses are preferred.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.

RIT’s personalized and comprehensive financial aid program includes scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment programs. When all these are put to work, your actual cost may be much lower than the published estimated cost of attendance.

Faculty

• Austin Willoughby: Senior Lecturer
• Tony Jefferson: Principal Lecturer
• Christopher Egert: Professor

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