UT Dallas 2017 Graduate Catalog

School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication

The School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication (ATEC) offers two graduate degree programs: Arts and Technology and Emerging Media and Communication. ATEC merges the innovation processes of artists, scientists, and engineers and explores experimental models through new technologies and the uses, impact and implications of digital technology for communication, culture and commerce.

Master of Arts in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication

The program leading to the MA in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication is designed both for individuals engaged in professional practice wishing to enhance their knowledge and skills and for students intending to pursue a doctorate in a related field. It offers advanced studies in interactive media and computer-based arts that emphasize the fusion of creative with critical thinking and theory with practice. Students must complete 36 semester hours of coursework and an advanced project.

Master of Fine Arts in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication

The Master of Fine Arts in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication is a terminal degree in emerging artistic practices focusing primarily on the creative use and critical investigation of technology in artistic practices. The program is designed for both students wishing to teach arts and technology-related courses at the college level, and for those intending to engage in professional studio or design practice. While maintaining a commitment to interdisciplinary education fusing critical with creative thinking, this program places greater emphasis on the creation and application of computer-based arts and narrative. Students must complete 54 semester hours of course work and a substantial advanced project.

Doctor of Philosophy in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication

The Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication doctoral program is the place of convergence for artists, scholars, engineers and scientists from multiple disciplines willing to explore rigorously and creatively the new territories revealed by the conjunct activities of arts, sciences and technology.

The Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication Research teams and laboratories supporting the doctoral program are engaged in innovative practices in the domains of: cultural sciences, data visualization and representation, modeling and simulation, virtual environments, emerging media and communication, game studies, and sound design.

Students in the doctoral program in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication will typically design and develop multidisciplinary research projects addressing questions such as: new modes of interaction with information, social and professional behaviors and relationships in physical and virtual environments, challenges and issues of new modes of expression, representation, and education.

While academia represents an important professional avenue for PhD graduates in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, industry presents numerous career opportunities in such fields as: design, research and development for new media, education, communication, and information technologies.

Master of Arts in Emerging Media and Communication

The media landscape has dramatically shifted, and new knowledge, new ways of acquiring knowledge and new collaborative digital skills are required to be successful in this new era. Media makers of all varieties will need to develop the tools and skills necessary to make and understand digital networked media. The Emerging Media and Communication Masters degree attracts students looking to practice new media as well as understand the way it is transforming our culture.

Degrees Offered

Objectives

The School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication is committed to interdisciplinary programs that investigate the linkages between the arts, sciences, communication, humanities, and technology by fusing critical with creative thinking, theoretical with practical endeavors. Rather than identifying fixed disciplinary areas, the program emphasizes the interrelationship of broad areas of interest.

Within the Graduate Program in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, most courses are offered under the rubric of Arts and Technology (ATEC), but the degree plan also includes courses in Aesthetic Studies (HUAS), History of Ideas (HUHI), and Studies in Literature (HUSL).

Within the Graduate Program in Emerging Media and Communication, most courses are offered under the rubric of Emerging Media and Communication (EMAC), but the degree plan also includes courses in Arts and Technology (ATEC), Aesthetic Studies (HUAS), History of Ideas (HUHI), and Studies in Literature (HUSL).

All our graduate programs are designed to provide students a flexible, interdisciplinary context within which to pursue a program of study built on connections among specific courses and the areas of concentration. Offerings include not only seminars stressing the interpretation and criticism of specific works and issues but also ensembles, studios, and workshops in which the activity of creation and/or performance becomes the primary means of learning.

Facilities

The School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication provides specialized facilities for academic research and creative expression. The Edith O'Donnell Building houses gallery space as well as studios for painting, photography, and other arts.

Admission Requirements

The University's general admission requirements are discussed on the Graduate Admission page.

Each application is considered on its individual merits. Normally students applying for admission to the Graduate Program in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication should have a previous academic degree (BA or BS, MA or MFA) in an appropriate field (i.e., Art, Computer Science), a grade point average of 3.3 (especially in upper-division undergraduate and graduate work), and evidence of previous coursework and/or expertise in the creative arts and digital technology.

Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation from individuals who can judge the candidate's probability of success in graduate school.

For consideration for the admission in the program in the Fall, completed applications to the MFA or to the doctoral program must be received on or before January 15. Completed applications will continue to be accepted after the deadline date, but applicants who apply late may not have access to funding, or may be admitted to a later term.

Students applying to the MFA program in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication should submit a 500-700 words essay explaining their work or research. The essay will discuss past and present artistic practices as well as future directions or goals for the work, and describe how the Master of Fine Arts in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication is particularly suited to their professional goals.

Applicants to the MFA program in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication should also submit a collection of original art work demonstrating their artistic range and skills as evidence of previous course work and/or expertise in the creative arts and digital technology. These samples should be submitted in the form of digital documents to include texts still images animations, films, audio files in a format that is best suited to convey the artistic qualities of the documents

Students applying to the doctoral program in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication should also submit an essay presenting a research project supported by evidence of previous expertise and practice in the field of art digital technologies and emerging communications.

This project should fall in the fields of expertise of the school of Arts, Technology and Emerging Communication. Applicants are encouraged to verify the relevance of their projects with the ATEC faculty members.

Applicants to the PhD program in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication must also present a portfolio including any publications or other evidence of scholarly or creative endeavor achieved by the applicant and should list academic and professional organizations in which the applicant is active and any fellowships, scholarships, or other honors received.

The School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication does not require the Graduate Record Examination for admission to graduate programs.

Full-time and Part-time Students

Students can pursue the graduate degrees on a full- or part-time basis. Full-time students normally register for nine or more semester credit hours per term. The school takes care to accommodate part-time study by scheduling both day and night classes, thus allowing students flexibility in organizing individual schedules.

Degree Requirements

The University's general degree requirements are discussed on the Graduate Policies and Procedures page.

The approach to graduate education in the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication is flexible. Within the specific degree requirements listed in the graduate catalog, each student plans a program of studies in consultation with an assigned advisor.

Courses meeting degree requirements are normally chosen from the core courses and the areas of concentration within the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication. To have courses taken outside the school applied to one of its degrees, students must seek prior approval from the school's Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. They may also petition to have appropriate transfer courses applied to reduce the required number of semester credit hours for a degree at UT Dallas. The school's Associate Dean for Graduate Studies may require students with background deficiencies to take additional courses at the undergraduate or graduate level to remedy those deficiencies.

Students undertaking creative projects for master's portfolios or doctoral dissertations must demonstrate their competency as artists by including in their degree plans a minimum number of studios, ensembles, or workshops related to a proposed medium: two for the MA and four for the PhD.

Research

The research interests of the faculty reflect the interdisciplinary mission of the School. In addition to the research activities of individual faculty.

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