The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology is home to artists, scientists, designers, scholars, and researchers who collaborate to create an exciting and dynamic academic program. Faculty, students, and researchers explore innovative topics through the study of emerging media, artistic production and experimentation with recent technologies, and critical engagement with pressing social issues.

Media Arts and Design at UT Dallas

Students who complete a BA in Media Arts and Design receive a thorough grounding in the mutually productive interaction of technology with the arts, with specific emphasis on the interplay of visual art, music, and narrative with the new modes of expression and communication that have emerged from the convergence of computing and media technologies.

The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology provides multiple creative labs that feature leading-edge technologies and high-performance workstations. Students also have access to a games and media library that holds over 1,000 digital and analog games spanning multiple game platforms including both classics and new releases.

All undergraduate students start their studies under the design and production umbrella, which provides a solid foundation in applied design while giving them the flexibility to pursue coursework in any of the school’s areas of study. Students interested in pursuing advanced work in a particular area may apply for one of the following specialized pathways/concentrations:

• Critical Media Studies
• Design and Creative Practice

Career Opportunities

Students earning a Media Arts and Design degree can enter a wide range of fields across many industries. Graduates gravitate to careers in the fields like advertising, journalism, media, communication, technology, education, administration, marketing, broadcasting, public relations, law, social advocacy, digital content management, and user experience and interaction.

About the Bass School

The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology  addresses the needs of a new generation of artists, performers and scholars. Bass students learn skills to craft exceptional work in an environment that encourages fluid movement between traditional disciplines and creative expression. Faculty integrate advanced technology with established artistic and research methods, equipping students to tackle pressing challenges. In exciting forms of collaborative and experimental learning at the intersections of arts, humanities, and emerging technologies, Bass students imagine, invent and create, while preparing to succeed and make a difference in a globally connected world. Visit the Bass School website for a list of Labs and Studios.

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Arts: Animation and games, history, Latin American studies, literature*, media arts and design, philosophy, professional communication and digital media studies, visual and performing arts

Master of Arts: Art history, arts, technology, and emerging communication, history,  humanities, Latin American studies,  literature, philosophy, visual and performing arts

Master of Fine Arts: Animation, arts, technology, and emerging communication, game development

Doctor of Philosophy: arts, technology, and emerging communication, history,   humanities, literature, visual and performing arts

Minors Offered

If your academic focus leads you elsewhere at UT Dallas, but you would still like to pursue studies in the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, the following minors are available:

• African American and African Diaspora Studies
• Art History
• Arts Management and Leadership
• Asian Studies
• Audio Production
• Communication Studies
• Creative Writing
• Dance
• Ethnic Studies
• Film Studies
• History
• Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights
• Latin American Studies
• Literature
• Medicine, Arts, Science, and Humanities (MASH)
• Music
• Performing Arts
• Philosophy
• Religious Studies
• Spanish
• Theatre
• Visual Arts

Honors Thesis and Fast-Track Program

The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology honors thesis offers the opportunity for advanced creative and scholarly work and recognition. To earn honors, students must graduate with:

• A minimum of 3.0 graded, upper-division semester credit hours at UT Dallas.
• A GPA of 3.67 in a student’s major.
• The completion of an honors thesis or project evaluated by two faculty members with a grade of at least B+.
• *Exceptionally well-qualified undergraduates who meet the requirements for admission to graduate school should consider the Fast Track program, which allows them to begin work on a master’s degree before graduation. Qualified seniors may take up to 12 credit hours of approved graduate courses during their senior year, which will apply to their undergraduate degree plans. For more information regarding Fast Track, contact an undergraduate academic advisor.

Additional Facts

• Several faculty members have been awarded prestigious fellowships, including those from the The National Humanities Center, Guggenheim, Fulbright, Alexander S. Onassis and Woodrow Wilson foundations. Others are recipients of the Füst Literary Award, as well as awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
• Every year, many of our Animation and Games faculty work on blockbuster projects and with AAA game studios, producing content that is seen or played by millions worldwide.
• The school’s centers further enhance students’ educational experience by bringing the concept of globalism to campus, by bringing world events into focus through research and by encouraging innovation and creativity.
• The National Science Foundation recently awarded a major grant to the school’s Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology to study the mentoring and education that occurs in science laboratories.