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A major in Media Arts and Sciences requires at least 12 courses, at least two of which must be in the 300-level other than 350 or 360. Flexibility has been built into the major to allow students the ability to adapt their course of study in relation to their interests, and can choose an emphasis either in Media Sciences or in Media Arts, or a balanced MAS course of study. The major starts with 3 pre-requisite courses, at least 5 courses in the concentrating area and at least 2 courses in the non-concentrating area. In addition to other courses at Wellesley, students can take courses from MIT's Media Lab or Comparative Media Studies. See sample ways to structure the major.

The Major consists of:

1. Three required introductory courses , one each from Studio Art, Art History and Computer Science:

• ARTH 101 Introduction to the History of Art: Renaissance to the Present
• ARTS 109 Basic 2D Design or ARTS 108 Photography I
• CS 110 Computers and the Internet

2. At least two required Art Courses (at least five required for emphasis in Media Arts ) from the following:

• ARTS 219 or ARTS 220 Introductory Print Methods
• ARTS 221 Digital Imaging
• ARTS 255 Dynamic Interface Design
• ARTS 260 Moving Image Studio
• ARTS 265 Video Production II or ARTS 208 Photography II
• ARTS 313 Virtual Form
• ARTS 317 Seminar: Topics
• ARTS 320 Architectonics and Installation
• MUS 275 Computer Music: Synthesis Techniques and Compositional Practice

3. At least two required Computer Science Courses (at least five required for emphasis in Media Science ) from the following:

• CS 111 Intro to Programming
• CS 215 Multimedia Design and Programming
• CS 230 Data Structures
• CS 231 Fundamental Algorithms
• CS 242 Computer Networks
• CS 304 Databases with Web Interfaces
• CS 307 Computer Graphics

At least one Media Culture course is recommended from the following:

• ARTH 225 Modern Art Since 1945
• ARTH 226 History of Photography: From Invention to Advertising Age
• ARTH 391 Persuasive Images (not offered during the 2009-2010 Academic Year)
• CAMS 175 Introduction to Media Studies
• SOC 216 Sociology of Mass Media and Communication

At least one production course is recommended from the following (can be done in groups):

• MAS 250 Research or Individual Study
• MAS 250H Research or Individual Study
• MAS 350 Research or Individual Study
• MAS 350H Research or Individual Study
• MAS 360 Senior Thesis Research
• MAS 370 Senior Thesis

Honors may be supervised by members of the departments associated with the major in accordance with the requirements of the host department. Supervisors from other departments can be arranged by permission of the directors.

Related Courses - For credit Toward the Major

The courses listed below are representative of Wellesley and MIT courses that emphasize topics related to the MAS major. Students may include courses not listed below in their major with permission of the program directors.

• ANTH 232 Anthropology of the Media
• ARTH 335 Seminar. Topics in Modern Art. Topic for 2009-2010: The Bauhaus
• CAMS 231 Film as Art
• CS 115/PHYS 115 Robotic Design Studio
• CS 342 Computer Security
• ENG 204 The Art of Screenwriting
• EXTD 240 Papyrus to Paper to Pixel (not offered during the 2009-2010 Academic Year)
• PHIL 203 Philosophy of Art
• PSYC 337 Psychology of Creativity
• SOC 215 Sociology of Popular Culture

MIT Courses

The MIT Media Lab and the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program offers a large variety of courses that could be appropriate for a MAS. Their offerings vary per semester, so you should consult their course listings often.

• MAS.110 Fundamentals of Computational Media Design
• MAS.111 Introduction to Doing Research in Media Arts &   Sciences
• MAS.160 Signals, Systems and Information for Media Technology
• MAS.642J Writing for Computer Performance
• CMS.790 Media Theories and Methods I
• CMS.801 Media in Transition
• CMS.880 Erasmus to E-mail: Technologies of the Word
• SP.747 Creative Imaging

Olin Courses

The Olin College of Engineering offers the following courses that may be appropriate for a MAS major, please check their website for offered times.

• ENGR 2250 User Oriented Collaborative Design
• ENGR 3220 Human Factors and Interaction Design

[maintained by D. Olsen,
last updated June 24, 2009 ]