Virtual Technology & Design

The Virtual Technology and Design (VTD) program offers a Bachelor of Science degree, which emphasizes an interdisciplinary education, through a curriculum that integrates computer technology with the art and science of design.

The program recognizes the demand for design professionals who have the knowledge and skills necessary to conceive and construct electronically mediated solutions for an array of issues that give form and substance to our daily activities. As electronic media increasingly intersects with human interaction, the quality of access to information, services and the opportunity to participate fully in our communities of tomorrow hinge in part on the kinds of solutions imagined and environments planned by these virtual designers. The virtual designer serves both defined and yet to be defined industries. They bring a unique combination of visual, spatial and technical skills to problems that range from the need to interactively visualize complex information systems to the multi-dimensional modeling requirements of virtual environments for serious games (non-entertainment games), entertainment games, entertainment, demonstrative evidence, visualization, simulations, education and training (corporate, industrial etc.) applications.

The VTD student is a person excited by the possibilities of combining design with technology. Like other design students, inquiry, discovery and building creative solutions that responds to human needs intrigues them. However, they are more intrigued by the possibility of designing in a digital realm rather than with bricks and mortar or more traditional media. They want to build, but build and use virtually.

Graduates of the program will be prepared with the intellectual and management tools, as well as the technical and design skills, required of professionals who wish to contribute as leaders in the electronic media and design communities. Their understanding of the implications of electronically mediated information, communication and virtual environments on human activities will enable them to significantly influence the quality of every day life.

Academic Proposal (PDF)