Thanks in part to support from USTAR, the University of Utah is currently building a team of experts –and a new Masters program – in digital media. With an emphasis in computer game technology, the U of U’s digital media institute – which will host the Masters program – will be a research center for the colleges of engineering and fine arts. The institute will also collaborate with Utah computer gaming studios to promote entrepreneurship by licensing university technology to spin-off companies.
“One of the Entertainment Arts and Engineering program’s primary goals is to produce graduates with the skills needed by the Utah’s digital media and gaming companies, so Utah will have the competitive edge necessary in attracting and keeping the industry here in the state,” said Craig Caldwell, a USTAR professor at U of U.
In 2007, University of Utah faculty consulted with companies ranging from Disney to Electronic Arts, exploring their needs for future employees. It was discovered that one of the major difficulties facing the video game and computer animation industries was a lack of understanding and communication between artists and engineers who collaborated on projects together. As a result, the interdisciplinary Entertainment Arts and Engineering Emphasis was created for Computer Science and Film undergraduates.
Students not only take classes in Computer Science and Film, but also work together on teams that include both artists and engineers. This environment simulates how the video game and computer animation industry operates today, where creative and technical resources work side by side. The program has gained national standing and has become a model for cross-disciplinary education and collaboration.
The Entertainment Arts and Engineering Master Studio (EAEMS) builds off of the success of the undergraduate program and seeks to further the interdisciplinary goals and collaborative atmosphere. It carries on the traditions of the EAE program and brings them into a high-level intensive master’s program.
“One of the keys is to try and create a work space that is very much like that of industry and to offer excellent development facilities as well. In this Master’s program, students come in and get a highly intensive, design focused education in video game development,” said Robert Kessler, School of Computing professor.
“Students will be working and learning in an environment that very much resembles what is going on in industry or what will be going on in industry in the future,” Kessler continued.
For more information on the University of Utah’s Entertainment Arts and Engineering Master Studio program, please visit: http://www.eaems.utah.edu/
