The Kansas Board of Regents today (Wednesday, June 14) approved a new Bachelor of
Applied Arts in Media Arts (BAA) at Wichita State University.
The degree, developed by WSU's College of Fine Arts and Elliott School of Communication,
will focus on animation, audio production, game design and filmmaking. It will start
this fall and be one of only a handful of such degrees in the United States.
The BAA could be a game-changer for students and area businesses. The degree merges
arts, science and technology, creating opportunities in emerging creative technologies
that will vastly improve students' career competitiveness.
These skills will result in graduates who are more qualified for a variety of media
arts jobs, such as sound engineering technician, video game designer, studio camera
operator, cinematographer, CGI animator, videographer, film director, film lighting
engineer, web designer, sound engineer, video or film editor, and film lab technician.
With recent technological advances, there is more demand in the industry for employees
to possess a variety of these skills.
The 120-credit hour total includes 30 hours of general education, 21 hours of media
arts core courses, 54 hours of discipline specific courses and 15 hours of guided
electives. In addition to WSU faculty, specific technology-based courses will be taught
by industry professionals.
This degree fulfills Wichita State's mission is to be an essential educational, cultural
and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. It is also grounded in
two core principles found in WSU's Strategic Plan – applied learning and interdisciplinary
collaboration.
Anyone interested in enrolling can contact Justin Rorabaugh, director of educational
outreach in fine arts, at 316-978-7731 orjustin.rorabaugh@wichita.edu.
