School of Design

Minors

• Animation
  The Animation minor provides a solid grounding in the technique and theory of animation. In required core courses, you’ll study the history of animation around the globe, explore basic techniques such as object, hand-drawn and stop-motion animation, and draw digitally using industry-standard editing and storyboarding software, creating a story reel for a final project.
• Biology
  The Biology minor is designed for artists, communicators, and creative thinkers who want to pursue careers at the intersection of science and the arts. Your courses in this minor will encompass all manner of life—from the smallest cell to the largest mammal. You will also have the opportunity to delve into individual projects of your choice with support of faculty who are experts in the field.
• Environmental Studies
  Global environmental challenges mean a growing demand for creative, sustainable solutions. The Environmental Studies minor blends natural-science coursework in biology, chemistry, geology, and ecology. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the scientific, economic, political and ethical issues relating to the environment today––an experience that can enhance your work in any field.
• Game Art
  As a student minoring in Game Art, you’ll learn how to use different software tools to create sophisticated visual concepts for games and simulations. You’ll learn to integrate art assets, including characters, environments, animations, and visual effects into a variety of game engines. Our curriculum requires you to work collaboratively with students across disciplines, helping you build your communication skills and preparing you for collaborative work environments.
• Game Design
  This comprehensive minor teaches you to design games in terms of game play, fun, user experience, and system design. You’ll learn advanced theory and use state-of-the-art techniques and tools to create engaging, immersive game experiences. Our curriculum requires you to work collaboratively with students in multiple disciplines, helping you build your communication skills and preparing you for success in your chosen creative industry.
• Graphic Design
  Learn the language of graphic design and develop a toolkit that will be applicable to creative careers across industries. You’ll learn how to visually convey messages, clarify complex information, and solve problems through design. This minor covers both digital and traditional graphic design. You’ll learn creative and conceptual processes that allow you to design powerful messages working with typography, layout, image editing, illustration, color theory and more, in addition to using the computer-based skills required to successfully deliver your work.
• Health and Wellness
  Health and Wellness Minor educates students on the physiological, environmental, and psychosocial components that impact personal health and well-being. The minor promotes an evidence-based mindset and the acquisition of practical life skills that could empower students to reflect on their own well-being and evaluate their health related behaviors. The Science and Mathematics Department hosts the core classes of personal wellness, nutrition, and human anatomy to provide students a solid foundation in the physiological component of health. In this interdisciplinary minor, students also choose from a selection of environmental science courses as well as courses in psychology and sociology.
• Immersive Media
  Immersive media are part of an emerging art and communication practice that synthesizes multiple creative disciplines. These media seek to achieve the psychological state of immersion by redefining a user’s perception of reality by replacing it or making it hybrid with digital content. Industries from medicine and engineering to gaming and cultural heritage are embracing immersive media platforms such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, HoloLens, and MagicLeap. Completing the minor will prepare you to leverage a critical liberal arts perspective with the latest affordances of augmented mixed and virtual reality to build compelling, immersive experiences.
• Mathematics
  Technology has redefined the creative space, and mathematics is at the heart of shaping the digital world. The Mathematics minor covers critical topics in the field while emphasizing subjects with application to the arts, media and communications. Upon completion, you’ll stand out to prospective employers as someone who can effectively use mathematics and learn new technical skills, and you’ll have a leg up in such technical fields as acoustics and computer science.
• Motion Graphics
  Motion Graphics is a growing practice that involves producing title sequences, television commercials, television network identifications, music video effects, and web and app-based graphic animations. This minor focuses on developing skills in design process, animation, and video capture for use in motion graphics projects for television, film and the web. Students who may wish to complete the minor include students from Cinema and Television Arts, Art and Art History, Interactive Arts and Media, and Photography.
• Programming
  Programming isn’t just for full-time coders. Industries beyond software development seek candidates with coding and application development skills. A minor in programming gives you a distinct edge no matter your industry. In addition to required core courses for this minor, you can choose from multiple elective tracks, from app development to game programming to simulations. This minor complements a major in Journalism, Marketing, or any Interactive Arts and Media program.
• User Experience
  If you’re interested in designing digital interfaces and products that are useful and intuitive, consider a minor in User Experience. You’ll learn how to create compelling, participant-centered work through a practical curriculum that emphasizes user interaction, audience behavior, engagement, metrics and observation, all grounded by theory classes in interface design, information architecture, research and prototyping. This minor complements a major in Design, Advertising, Journalism, Marketing, Television, or Game Design.
• Web Development
  Possessing a fundamental understanding of web development, social media and user-centered design is imperative in this day and age—especially for creative professionals. The minor in Web Development equips you with the technical knowledge you need to be competitive in your industry. You’ll learn state-of-the-art programming languages and use them to create interactive websites with dynamic content. This minor complements a major in Graphic Design, Fiction, Marketing, Arts and Media Management, Journalism, Television, or Film.