New Media Design

• New media design is an RIT New Economy Major. This collection of degree programs is forward-thinking and future-forming and helps prepare you to excel in the multidisciplinary nature of our modern, dynamic economy.
• Gain the skills to design cutting-edge interactive solutions–from mobile apps to fully immersive digital environments.
• Develop projects at RIT's MAGIC Spell Studios, a state-of-the-art facility featuring a fully functional film sound stage, sound mix and color correction post-production studios, a 4K Dolby Atmos theater, and multiple media laboratories.
• A two-course, two-semester capstone project pairs you with students from the new media interactive development major to collaborate on projects for corporate clients looking for solutions to digital challenges facing their organizations.
• Through real-world client engagements, students address digital challenges with the creation of AR and VR projections, games, and physical and mobile experiences. Past industry partners include Constellation Brands, Eastman Kodak, Forbes, Rochester Regional Health, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

What is New Media?

New media is an ever-changing form of digital communication that engages, immerses, and entertains its users.

The term new media was first coined in the mid-80s to refer to the impact computing was beginning to have on traditional forms of media, such as newspapers, radio, and television. But as digital platforms began to evolve beyond the internet, new media came to encompass all types of information and entertainment accessed by our computers, phones, and tablets. New media now encompasses anything that integrates communication, computing, and technology – from social media (Facebook, Instagram) and streaming services (Spotify, Hulu, Amazon Prime), to highly interactive digital technologies like wearables (Apple Watch, FitBit), virtual reality, augmented reality, and gaming.

New Media Design Degree

In the new media design degree, your coursework will help you build the skills you need to design interactive media. These courses include visual design foundations, 2D and 4D design, animation, information design, user interface design, user experience design, 3D modeling, motion graphics, web and multimedia technologies, usability research, and programming. You’ll gain the skills needed to design cutting-edge interactive solutions from mobile apps to fully immersive digital environments.

Design for interactive media requires collaboration with programmers skilled in interactive design. As a new media design student, you’ll benefit from close collaboration with students in RIT’s new media interactive development major, which focuses heavily on programming and interactive development. Courses in this major address the computing and programming side of new media design, with classes covering topics in mobile development and alternative interfaces, website design and implementation, physical/wearable computing, game design, game development, design and media production, interactive audio, and more. Both programs share core courses in programming and design, enabling students in both majors to develop the complementary skill sets needed for success in the industry.