Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts and Design

Students gain practical experience by moving between traditional academic spaces and specialized creative environments where they can experiment with emerging technologies, digital production, design, sound, and interactive media. The Bass School provides research labs, 2D/3D and AR/VR studios, makerspaces, galleries, media libraries, and high-performance workstations, giving students opportunities to turn concepts into creative projects and portfolio-ready work. Students can also use university career resources to pursue internships and professional experiences alongside their degree:

• 3D Studio — supports hands-on exploration of three-dimensional design, digital fabrication, immersive projects, and creative production.

• Anechoic Chamber and Transmedia Studio — gives students access to specialized environments for sound, audio, transmedia experimentation, and immersive creative work.

• Mograph Lab — supports motion graphics and time-based visual experimentation relevant to digital media production.

• VAST Lab — provides an environment for virtual, augmented, and extended-reality research and creative experimentation.

• Public Interactives Research Lab (PIRL) — connects interactive media, technology, public engagement, and research.

• Narrative Systems Research Lab — supports experimentation with narrative, media, and emerging technologies.

• Research in Art, Rematerialization + Ecology (RARE) — provides an interdisciplinary environment connecting artistic practice with materiality and ecological questions.

• Games and Media Library — provides an extensive collection of games and media for research, coursework, and creative exploration; the Bass School reports more than 1,000 digital and analog games across multiple platforms.

• Digital Fabrication & Projection Mapping — students can explore computer modeling, fabrication workflows, and projection mapping through courses such as ATCM 3355 Computer Modeling for Digital Fabrication and ATCM 3356 Projection Mapping Lab.

• Audio & Sound Production — coursework such as ATCM 3345 Sound Art, ATCM 3346 Audio Post-Production I, and ATCM 4347 Recording Studio Techniques II provides practical experience with sound and audio technologies.

• Student Organizations — AIGA UTD provides career-development workshops and networking opportunities for students entering design-related fields, while the UX Club builds awareness and community around user-centered design.

• Internships & Career Experience — UT Dallas provides internship opportunities through Handshake and the University Career Center, including career advising, employer events, resume support, interview preparation, and internship searches. AHT students can also report internship experiences through Handshake.

Graduates of Media Arts and Design can move into creative, technology, media, communication, design, and digital-content careers, with the program supporting both specialist and interdisciplinary career paths. UT Dallas specifically identifies opportunities such as UX design, technical art, motion graphics, digital fabrication, media arts, content creation, social media, journalism, and project management, making the degree particularly flexible for students who want to work at the intersection of creativity and technology.

Typical job roles: UX Designer, Motion Graphics Designer, Digital Fabrication Specialist, Technical Artist

The university provides several resources to help students turn their academic work into professional opportunities:

• University Career Center — provides career advising, resume and CV reviews, mock interviews, job-search assistance, career fairs, employer events, and internship support.

• Handshake — gives students access to job and internship listings, employer connections, career events, and appointments with career advisors.

• Job Shadowing Program — connects students with UTD alumni and employers so they can observe professional workplaces, network with industry professionals, and explore potential career paths.

• Bass Graduate Salary Indicator — the Bass School reports $63,970 average salaries for recent Bass graduates since 2019, providing a useful school-level indicator of post-graduation earning potential.

• Industry Engagement — Bass has an ongoing partnership with the Design District, with initiatives intended to provide students opportunities to work with local artists and gain exposure to commercial art practice.

• Capital One Connection — Capital One has funded scholarships supporting students pursuing applied experience design and research, expanding access to UX/UI career pathways and mentorship.

• FAA–VAST Lab Collaboration — UT Dallas’s VAST Lab has collaborated with the Federal Aviation Administration on extended-reality research for aerospace maintenance, demonstrating how emerging-media expertise can connect with real-world technology applications.

• Dallas–Fort Worth Advantage — students study in a region with 20+ Fortune 500 headquarters, alongside a major arts and entertainment ecosystem that can support networking and professional exploration.

• Long-Term Accreditation Value — the degree is awarded by UT Dallas, which is institutionally accredited by SACSCOC, supporting the academic recognition of the bachelor's degree.

• Bass Alumni Network — the Bass School reports more than 11,100 living alumni, providing a broad community of graduates across creative, technology, communication, and related fields.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the BA, students can continue into graduate-level study at UT Dallas, including the MA in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, MFA in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, or PhD in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication. The university also offers a Fast Track option for exceptionally qualified undergraduates, allowing eligible seniors to take up to 12 approved graduate credit hours during their senior year that can apply toward the undergraduate degree and accelerate progression into graduate study.