• UNM

Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media

The Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program (IFDM) program focuses on digital media in a broad interdisciplinary context. Students, whose goal is to become an artist, writer, gamer, entrepreneur, engineer, critical thinker, scientist, film and video maker, animator, storyteller, designer, computer scientist or educator using or developing the tools of digital media, will find a path in this program. Sony Imageworks named the University of New Mexico as a partner in its Imageworks Professional Academic Excellence (IPAX) Program because of the interdisciplinary breadth and its focus on critical, creative, technical and collaborative learning reflected in the curriculum. The IFDM program is possible through the collaboration of the College of Fine Arts, the School of Engineering, the Anderson Schools of Management, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the participation of the School of Architecture and Planning, the School of Law and the College of Education. Students in the program may pursue their interests in one of four different colleges within the University:

• Fine Arts– Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) with concentrations in either Production or Critical Studies
• Anderson School of Management– Bachelor of Business Administration
• Arts & Sciences– Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Journalism
• School of Engineering– Area of focus in IFDM for Computer Engineering students, and an IFDM Fine Arts minor for Computer Science students

Admission into the IFDM program requires a three-tier application process. Students must apply for general admission to UNM through the Admissions Office. Additionally, students must also apply to become a pre-major in the program. This involves completion of the online IFDM pre-major application, usually in the early spring to begin the program in the fall immediately after admission. Each year a maximum of 50 students are admitted to the program as pre-majors. Finally, students must apply to the IFDM host college/school at UNM (e.g., College of Fine Arts) to become a declared major, meeting all college/school admission requirements. Please contact the College of Fine Arts Advisement Office at 505-277-4817 to learn more about the B.F.A. in IFDM.

All students admitted to the program have to complete the general education University Core curriculum (e.g., Math, English, Science). Students will also have a set of ten common core courses for the IFDM program. These IFDM core classes are taken in order from the time a student is admitted as a pre-major into the program. The last core courses of the program include capstone courses, in which students work in interdisciplinary teams to complete projects relevant to their IFDM curriculum. The IFDM program requires that students earn a grade of at least a C or better in each IFDM core course in order to progress to the next core IFDM course. Students may also design a portion of their curriculum to further develop their specific interests in the major.

The curriculum leading to the B.F.A. is designed for students interested in pursuing concentrations in either Production or Critical Studies within the UNM Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program. The Production Concentration focuses on the knowledge and practice involved in film and video making, gaming and simulation, the intersections of art making, live performance, installations, systems based art, with digital media, and the bridging of art, technology, and science in work-based on infomatics or work responding to culture, history, society and the sciences. The Critical Studies Concentration emphasizes interdisciplinary and cross-cultural study, historical grounding, social and political analysis, and the art of written communication. It is intended for students who aspire to write professionally and creatively about digital media, systems-based artwork, software engineering, hardware design, film/video, perception, live performance, design, and visual culture. Students applying to become a declared major in IFDM must have completed the first two IFDM core courses and meet all other CFA admission requirements. Students are also expected to maintain and graduate with a 3.0 grade point average in classes applied to the major.

If you enroll in this program, you should read carefully the paragraph on Scholastic Standards for the College of Fine Arts. Courses offered in Departments of Art and Art History, Cinematic Arts, Music, and Theatre and Dance are part of the major field of study. Students are required to meet with an academic advisor in the College of Fine Arts each semester.

Requirements: