A new degree program designed to provide graduates with the skills necessary to work in the video game and entertainment industries is coming to Arkansas Tech University in fall 2016.
The Bachelor of Arts degree in game and interactive media design will be offered through the Arkansas Tech Department of Art.
Dr. Dawn Ward, professor of art and head of the Arkansas Tech Department of Art, said that a new computer lab for the program in Norman Hall will feature the latest in high-end graphic cards, software and a three-dimensional printer.
“The Department of Art is very excited about the opportunities that this program will offer our students in an industry whose rapid growth has created a very high demand for these skills,” said Ward.
In addition to the video game and entertainment fields, other career paths for graduates of the program could include animation, simulation programming, web design and interactive visualization construction.
Ward was part of a similar program prior to her appointment at Arkansas Tech. She has experience teaching digital illustration, digital photography and digital art history.
Other faculty members who will contribute to the game and interactive media design program include Jasmine Greer, who has a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia College and teaches animation, digital illustration, motion graphics and web design; and Dustin Simpson, who holds a Master of Science degree in game production and management from the University of Advancing Technology and has more than five years of experience teaching in the technical and artistic facets of video game development.
“The work that Mr. Simpson demonstrated on campus this spring in the Unreal Engine 4 software is beautiful and inspiring,” said Dr. Jeff Woods, dean of the Arkansas Tech College of Arts and Humanities.
For more information about the Arkansas Tech Bachelor of Arts degree in game and interactive media design, visit www.atu.edu/art or call (479) 968-0244.
