About Integrated New Media Studies

Integrated New Media Studies (INMS) offers students a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree that combines art, design, and communication with contemporary digital and computer technologies. The core curriculum is built on a solid grounding in graphic design, video and motion media, interactive multimedia and web design, and music/sound production. Students may select from three degree offerings:

• B.F.A. in INMS
• B.F.A. in INMS with a concentration in graphic design
• B.F.A. in INMS with a concentration in informatics

Students completing the B.F.A. in INMS will be prepared to participate in all phases of new media project development—from conception and planning through design, programming, production, and distribution. New media skills may be applied to many careers, including website and graphic design; theater design; digital filmmaking and animation; interactive and distance education; medical, nursing, and patient education; game design; electronic and computer music; new media art; as well as business applications in product development and training, marketing, sales, and advertising.

Transfer Credit Hours

As applicable within the B.F.A. in INMS degree, students may transfer credit hours earned at other IU campuses or under articulation agreement with Ivy Tech Community College without portfolio review, subject to IU South Bend Transfer of Credit policy (see index of this bulletin). Otherwise, transfer students with studio credit hours from their previous institutions must submit portfolios for faculty evaluation, as well as course descriptions and syllabi, where available. Specific procedures for the submission of transfer credit hours may be found on the INMS area website.

Upper-Divisional Review

All students in the INMS program are considered pre-B.F.A. students until they complete an upper-divisional review. Ordinarily, this review is scheduled when the student has successfully completed 50 to 60 credit hours distributed across all degree categories. Within these credit hours, students need to have completed coursework in lower-level studio and production courses sufficient that, on the basis of projects and exercises completed in these courses, the INMS faculty may judge students’ probable success in undertaking upper-level coursework and completing the degree. INMS faculty members advise appropriate courses and monitor students’ progress prior to upper-divisional review. A review is scheduled when the faculty judges that, in consideration of a student’s program of study, the student has had sufficient opportunity to produce work demonstrating appropriate progress in the degree. Further information regarding the upper-divisional review process may be found on the INMS website.