Program Overview

B.S. in Digital Narrative and Interactive Design

The B.S. in Digital Narrative and Interactive Design is a program that combines the strengths of creative writing, world-building, media studies, coding, and human-computer interfacing. Students learn how to build interactive narrative systems through games, literature, virtual reality environments, and other media experiences in a variety of fields. This major is operated jointly by the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Computing and Information.

What can you do with a degree in digital narrative and interactive design?

Students have a broad range of professional opportunities. Many students go on to pursue graduate degrees in computer science, data science, English writing, and media studies, and to work in fields like game design, journalism, computing and information fields, research, and beyond.

Required Courses

Core Courses

• Gateway Course: Choose one of the following courses:
  • ENGLIT 0512 - NARRATIVE AND TECHNOLOGY
• Composition Courses: Choose one of the following courses:
  • ENGCMP 1201 - DIGITAL NARRATIVE AND INTERACTIVE DESIGN
• Programming Basics Courses: Choose one of the following courses:
  • CS 0010 - INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING FOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERS
• Intermediate Programming Courses:
  • CMPINF 0401 - INTERMEDIATE PROGRAMMING
• Interaction and Narrative Course: Choose one of the following courses:
  • ENGLIT 0512 - NARRATIVE AND TECHNOLOGY
  • Note: Students who take ENGLIT 0512 for their Gateway course may not use it to fulfill this requirement.
• Media Literacy course: Choose one of the following courses:
  • ENGFLM 0355 - VISUAL LITERACY
• Data Literacy Course: Choose one of the following courses:
  • CS 0445 - ALGORITHMS AND DATA STRUCTURES 1

Elective Courses

Students must complete two elective courses from the School of Computing and Information and two elective courses from the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Courses offering a depth of knowledge in pre-identified areas of interest are clustered together to provide a guide for students. Students are not required to follow nor declare a specific track. Track options include:

• Critical Making: This track focuses on understanding code as creative and expressive of social relationships. The coursework addresses human interfaces within cultural and social contexts, particularly the historical and contemporary relationship between social interaction and platform design.
• Game Design: This track focuses on situating game production, advertising, and playing into current and historical social and cultural contexts. Coursework analyzes and evaluates the relationship between narrative and gameplay, and articulates critical facets of game design such as gameplay mechanics, balance, fairness, narrative, pacing, character, and aesthetics.
• Online Media: Skills gained in this track will range from developing digital format narrative to communicate on behalf of organizations (for-profit or non-profit) and innovating online interactions to creating and critically analyzing content and data across the variety of specific digital formats.

Capstone Sequence

The Capstone sequence allows students to design and implement a signature project to complete the major. Students start with the design project (Project 1) and complete the sequence with the implementation project (Project 2) in consultation with their advisors. Students seeking Independent Study or Directed Study options for the capstone sequence should work with their advisors to ensure that the work done in these courses will complete the sequence.