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

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

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

New students, learn more about Registration here.

Breakdown of Requirements:

• Liberal Arts & Sciences: 48 credits (16 core / 32 Liberal Arts)
• General Elective & Other: 20 credits
• IMA Major: 60 credits

128 credits total

16 credits Liberal Arts & Sciences Core

• Writing the Essay: Art & the World (EXPO-UA 5: 4 credits) (or for some international students who have been notified about placement in the following: International Writing Workshop I – EXPOS-UA 4 or International Writing Workshop Introduction – EXPOS-UA 3.)
• Writing the Essay: The World Through Art (ASPP-UT 2: 4 credits) (or EXPOS-UA 9 for international students who took EXPOS-UA 4 in the Fall semester)
• Texts & Ideas (CORE-UA 400: 4 credits)
• Cultures & Contexts (CORE-UA 500: 4 credits)

32 credits Liberal Arts & Sciences Electives

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

• Quantitative Reasoning OR select classes from the Math department and other relevant/related department (CS, Engineering)
• Physical Science OR Life Science OR select classes from relevant /related departments
• Societies & the Social Sciences OR select classes from a relevant /related departments
• Expressive Culture OR select Open Arts courses, select Art Department courses, select classes from other relevant/related departments

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.

20 credits Unrestricted GENERAL Electives:

Unrestricted general electives, could be used towards a double major or minor credits.

60 credits IMA Major Requirements

• Creative Computing (IMNY-UT 101: 4 credits)
• Communications Lab (IMNY-UT 102: 4 credits)
• Capstone Studio (IMNY-UT 400: 4 credits)
• IMA Cohort: Community is a Practice (IMNY-UT 99: 0 credits)

Elective Distribution — Students must take a minimum of two courses (or at least 8 credits) in each category:

• Programming & Data
• Physical Computing &Experimental Interfaces
• Media & Entertainment
• Art & Design
• Seminar/Studies

IMA Cohort: Community is a Practice

All incoming IMA students will be required to participate and register in the IMA Cohort class.

The IMA Cohort provides incoming IMA students with an opportunity to consider the IMA program, and their role within it. This zero-credit course is based around in-class activities, discussions, viewings, texts, and lectures that begin from the students’ varying perspectives and ultimately provide a grounding within the tenets of the IMA program. 

IMA is an interdisciplinary program that draws students from across the United States and around the world. This course functions as an opportunity for students to consider the knowledge that they already have, the contexts in which that knowledge is situated, and how students can relate to and work with classmates who come from their own diverse contexts and backgrounds. 

Students will be guided through discussions, viewings, and visits from other members of the university. Because this is a zero-credit course and there are no assignments outside of class, student participation and engagement in these activities is especially important. 

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)

Media & Entertainment

Fairy Tales for the 21st Century (IMNY-UT 283)

Immersive Experience (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)

IMA Major Electives:

This is a sample listing of electives. Exact offerings will be available on a semester basis.

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

Year Four