A bachelor's degree in new media is being offered by the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University South Bend.

The degree is geared for students who wish to prepare for careers in new media arts such as gallery and installation art; commercial, marketing, training and sales applications; interactive and distance education applications, medical imaging, game design, Web site design, digital filmmaking and applications in digital audio and music.

The degree is interdisciplinary and will draw upon existing IU South Bend areas, courses and art faculty. In its initial state, the degree offers a solid grounding in 2D graphic design, video and motion media, basic interactive multimedia design, and music/audio production.

Students may choose one of three concentrations in music/audio, graphic design, or motion media. These concentrations, each consisting of nine credit hours, fine tune the degree in the direction of students' interests and abilities. With an additional faculty hire, future concentrations in advanced interactive design, installation, 3D, animation, or other areas will be possible.

Professor Michael Lasater is the director of the new media program. "A lot of what I do in this degree is to coordinate resources across disciplines with the School of the Arts and across the university."

Lasater said his is very pleased and excited that IU South Bend has establish this program. "Students have quite literally grown up and lived in a new media environment – the Internet, cell phones, computers and video games. We need to provide a program offering advanced studies and production skills and therefore career opportunities."

He said students have been asking for the program. "Virtually every comprehensive university I know has a program in something called new media or intermedia."

For information about the program, contact Lasater at mlaster@iusb.edu .