IMA

← Back to Home

OLD IMA PROGRAM STRUCTURE

This program structure applies to most students who entered IMA prior to Fall 2022.  

With over one-third of the curriculum requirements devoted to writing, humanities, sciences, and social sciences, we are making sure that all of the IMA BFA students explore the intellectual world around them.

IMA students are required to take liberal arts courses offered at NYU’s College of Arts & Sciences. The IMA curriculum has a core set of foundation courses and then students can choose from a wide range of elective classes. Students can also expand beyond liberal arts to take courses in fine arts, business, social work, engineering, or other programs at NYU’s various colleges and schools.

IMA foundational courses introduce students to the fundamentals of computational media through the lenses of design, technology, and culture. Students will have fundamental skills and the capacity and flexibility to discover and pursue their own interests through electives ranging from collaborative game production to critical analysis, from adaptive design to specialized elements of visual and audio design.

The IMA BFA concludes with Capstone in the last semester, which can be a group collaboration or an individual project.

This web-page is for students following the Old IMA Program Structure. As of Fall 2022, all incoming students should follow the New IMA Program Structure.

Breakdown of Requirements

128 Credits Total
  • Liberal Arts & Sciences: 48 credits
  • General/Free Electives: 20 credits
  • IMA Major: 60 credits

LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCES – CORE

16 CREDITS

LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCES – ELECTIVES

32 CREDITS

Students may select from departmentally pre-approved listings of liberal arts courses. 32 credits total – 8 courses, including 1 course in each area listed below:

Many CAS courses can count towards Liberal Arts Electives. See the Liberal Arts & Sciences category in the Interchange. If a course is not listed in the Interchange, email ima-advise@itp.nyu.edu.

UNRESTRICTED GENERAL ELECTIVES

20 CREDITS

General or free electives from any program department. These courses may also be used towards double major or minor credits.

IMA MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (OLD STRUCTURE)

60 CREDITS

Elective Courses

These are general IMA major courses or courses outside of the program that we have identified as counting towards IMA credits. Students must take 2 courses that fulfill this category (8 credits total). This is a listing of IMA electives. Exact offerings will be available on a semester basis.

Elective Distribution

These are primary IMA electives. Students must take a minimum of 2 courses (8 credits) in each category below :

Programming & Data
  • Collective Play (IMNY-UT 225)
  • Creative Approaches to Emerging Media (IMNY-UT 205)
  • Introduction to Machine Learning for the Arts (IMNY-UT 224)
  • Reading and Writing Electronic Text (IMNY-UT 221)
  • The Code of Music (IMNY-UT 222)
  • Networked Media (IMNY-UT 223)
  • Topics in Programming and Data: New Realities (IMNY-UT 220)
  • Topics in Programming and Data: Front End Web (IMNY-UT 220)
Physical Computing & Experimental Interfaces
  • Designing Interfaces for Live Performance (IMNY-UT 243)
  • Introduction to Assistive Technology (IMNY-UT 241)
  • Introduction to Fabrication (IMNY-UT 242)
  • Introduction to 3D Printing (IMNY-UT 244)
  • Topics in Fabrication: Digital Fabrication (IMNY-UT 251)
  • Topics in Physical Computing and Experimental Interfaces: Physical Computing (IMNY-UT 245)
  • Topics in Media Art: Building Creatures for Interactive 3D (IMNY-UT 260)
Media & Entertainment
  • Fairy Tales for the 21st Century (IMNY-UT 283)
  • Immersive Experiences (IMNY-UT 282)
  • Performative Avatars (IMNY-UT 284)
  • Real-Time Media (IMNY-UT 285)
Seminar/Studies
  • Creative Approaches to Emerging Media (IMNY-UT 205)
  • Big Ideas in the History and Future of Technology (IMNY-UT 203)
  • Internet Famous (IMNY-UT 201)
Art & Design
  • Design Fundamentals (IMNY-UT 261)
  • Topics in Design: Information Design (IMNY-UT 271)
  • User Experience (IMNY-UT 262)

Sample Schedule (OLD STRUCTURE)

YEAR ONE

Fall Semester
Creative Computing4
Communications Lab4
IMA Cohort: Community is a Practice0
Writing the Essay: Art and the World4
Quantitative Reasoning4
Credit Total:16
Spring Semester 

Seminar/Studies		4
Writing the Essay: The World Through Art4
Cultures & Contexts4
Art & Design4
Credit Total:16

YEAR TWO

Fall Semester
Media & Entertainment4
Programming & Data4
Texts and Ideas4
Liberal Arts Elective4
Credit Total:16
Spring Semester
Physical Computing & Experimental Interfaces4
Media & Entertainment4
Physical/Life Science4
Liberal Arts Elective4
Credit Total:16

YEAR THREE

Fall Semester (Maybe Study Abroad)
Art & Design4
IMA Elective4
Expressive Culture4
General Elective4
Credit Total:16
Spring Semester 
Physical Computing & Experimental Interfaces4
Programming & Data4
Liberal Arts Elective4
General Elective4
Credit Total:16

YEAR FOUR

Fall Semester
Seminar/Studies4
Societies & the Social Sciences4
General Elective4
General Elective4
Credit Total:16
Spring Semester 
Capstone Studio4
IMA Elective4
Liberal Arts Elective4
General Elective4
Credit Total:16