Fine & Performing Arts Emerging Media Arts

Description

The emerging media arts major fuses the principles of great storytelling with emerging media technologies. Through project-based courses, students explore the frontiers of media art in all its forms. The degree prepares students to build careers as practitioners of narrative-driven creativity using traditional and emerging media.  

Graduates will enter the working world prepared to pursue an array of professional fields, with the tools to discern and exploit the latest media technologies and processes. Students are prepared for careers as creative thought leaders, equipped with tangible skills in collaboration, entrepreneurship, design, and computational processes. This depth of experience allows the student to chart career paths in traditional media forms and whatever comes next.

Degree at a Glance

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
ACE Requirements		30
Some ACE outcomes may be satisfied by courses taken for other requirements
Core Requirements		42
Emerging Media Arts Electives		24
Transdisciplinary Specialization		9
Electives		15
Total Credit Hours		120

Admission

Students must apply for admission to the emerging media arts program by completing an application, which includes references, a resume, and examples of creative work. This application applies to both new students and transfer students. Those who are applying for transfer into the program must complete the application and provide grade transcripts demonstrating a 3.0 current and cumulative GPA or higher. Students should visit the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film website for information and application procedures.

After the application materials have been reviewed by the faculty, students will be notified of their acceptance status. Once admitted, a student must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA from that point forward and complete a portfolio review during the sophomore year. Admission to the emerging media arts major is highly competitive; the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film reserves the right to limit the total number of students accepted to the program.

College Requirements

College Admission

Requirements for admission to the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts are consistent with general University admission requirements. These include:
 

• English (4 units)
• Mathematics (4 units)
• Social studies (3 units)
• Natural sciences (3 units)
• Foreign language (2 units)

NOTE: One unit equals one year of high school credit.

One of the following performance standards must also be met:

New Freshmen: Minimum ACT 20 (composite), minimum SAT 950 (combined), or rank in top half of high school graduating class.

Transfer and Readmit Students: Completed 12 or more semester credits from a post-secondary institution with a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA and 2.0 GPA during the last semester of record at the time of application. (Emerging media arts majors: minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA and 3.0 GPA during the last semester of record at the time of application.)

International Students: Minimum TOEFL 70 (Internet) or 523 (paper).

Individual departments may have higher standards for acceptance into the different degrees and options. Please check with the individual departments for these standards.

Auditions/Portfolio Reviews

Auditions are required for admission to the Glenn Korff School of Music for music, music education, and dance majors. Auditions are also required for admission to the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film for the acting major. A separate application and portfolio review are required for acceptance into all other programs in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film.

Admission Deficiencies/Removal of Deficiencies

Students who are admitted through the Admission by Review process with core course deficiencies will have certain conditions attached to their enrollment at Nebraska. These conditions are in this catalog under “Removal of Deficiencies.”

Students with one deficiency, two deficiencies but not in the same category, or two deficiencies in a world language who receive a Deferred Admission or Admission by Review, may be considered for admission to the college. Students who are admitted through the Admission by Review process with core course deficiencies will have certain conditions attached to their enrollment at Nebraska. These conditions are explained under Admission to the University, Removal of Deficiencies in this catalog.

College Degree Requirements

College General Education Requirements

World Languages/Language Requirement

The language requirement serves to help students gain a working familiarity with a language and a culture other than their own.

All students pursuing bachelor of arts or bachelor of music degrees are required to complete the intermediate level in one world language. The language requirement is fulfilled by the completion of the 4th level of a single language (either in high school or in college). Language study at UNL is currently available in Arabic, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, Russian, Spanish, and American Sign Language. Courses offered at UNL that complete the sequence include: ARAB 202, CHIN 202, CZEC 202, FREN 202 or FREN 210, GERM 202, GREK 301 & GREK 302, JAPN 202, LATN 301 & LATN 302, RUSS 202, SLPA 202, SPAN 202 or SPAN 210.

NOTE:

• A student who has completed the fourth-year level of one world language in high school is exempt from the language requirement.
• A student whose language proficiency is not reflected on a transcript may demonstrate proficiency of the intermediate level through assessment with the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. (Greek, Latin, and American Sign Language are not included in this process.) Report of the results will be made to the academic advisor for consideration of a waiver of the language requirement without credit toward the degree.
• International and domestic students whose first language is not English will be exempt from the requirement without credit toward the degree based on documentation of previous study.

Minimum Hours Required for Graduation

A minimum of 120 semester hours of credit is required for graduation from the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts. Students in the College are required to maintain a minimum current and cumulative GPA of 2.0. Individual departments may require a higher current and cumulative GPA.

Grade Rules

C- and D Grades

The College will accept no more than 15 semester hours of grades lower than C (includes C-, D+, D, and D- grades)  from schools outside of the University of Nebraska system.

Courses with grades lower than C—either those earned at Nebraska or transferred from other schools—cannot be applied toward requirements in a major, but may be applied toward total hours and other requirements that do not have a minimum grade threshold.

Pass/No Pass

University regulations for the Pass/No Pass privilege state: The Pass/No Pass option is designed to be used by a student seeking to expand his/her intellectual horizons by taking courses in areas where he/she may have minimum preparation without adversely affecting his/her grade point average.

1. Neither the P nor the N grade contribute to a student’s GPA.
2. P is interpreted to mean C or above. Some professional education courses require a C+ or above.
3. A change to or from Pass/No Pass may be made until mid-term (1/2 of the course). This date coincides with the final date to drop a course without the instructor’s approval.
4. The Pass/No Pass or grade registration cannot conflict with the professor’s, department’s, college, or University policy governing grading option.
5. Prior to the mid-term deadline, changing to or from the Pass/No Pass requires using the MyRED system to change the grading option or filing a Drop/Add form with Husker Hub, first floor Canfield Administration Building. After the mid-term deadline, a student registered for Pass/No Pass cannot change to a grade registration unless the Pass/No Pass registration is in conflict with a professor’s, department’s, college, or University policy governing Pass/No Pass.
6. The Pass/No Pass grading option cannot be used for the removal of C- or D or F grades.

Pass/No Pass privileges in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts are extended to students according to the following additional regulations:

1. Pass/No Pass hours can count toward fulfillment of ACE requirements up to the 24-hour maximum.
2. Freshmen and sophomores may enroll for no more than 6 hours of Pass/No Pass work per semester.
3. Students may not elect to take courses on a Pass/No Pass basis to fulfill degree requirements in the major. Departments may allow up to 6 hours of Pass/No Pass to be taken in the minor offered by the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.
4. Departments may specify that certain courses can be taken only on a Pass/No Pass basis.
5. The College will permit no more than a total of 24 semester hours of Pass/No Pass grades to be applied toward degree requirements. This total includes all “pass” grades earned at Nebraska and other schools.

Individual departments vary in their policies regarding Pass/No Pass hours as applied to the major and minor. Consult the individual departmental listings for these policies. Students who wish to apply Pass/No Pass hours to their major and minor(s) must obtain approval on a form that is available in the Dean’s Office, 102 Woods Art Building.

GPA Requirements

Students are expected to maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average each semester. Some programs within the College may have higher GPA requirements to keep in good academic standing.

Transfer Credit Rules

Ordinarily, hours earned at an accredited college are accepted by the University. The College, however, will evaluate all hours submitted on an application for transfer and reserves the right to accept or reject any of them. The maximum number of hours the University will accept on transfer from a two-year college is 60.

Normally, credit is not given for pre-university work. In some instances, however, it may be possible to receive credit through satisfactory examination.

All transfer students must complete the Residency Requirement (see “Residency Requirement”), and at least 9 hours in the major field must be completed at the University regardless of the number of hours transferred.

The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts will accept no more than 15 semester hours of D grades from schools other than UNO or UNK. All grades may be transferred from UNO or UNK. However, transfer courses within a student’s major or minor will be evaluated by that unit and held to the same minimum grade standards as courses taken at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Transfer Credit from Foreign Institutions

Credit for courses taken at foreign universities and colleges will be transferred only after validation by the appropriate department. This evaluation may include examination of the student over subject matter studied at the foreign institution.

International Baccalaureate Credit

Students who have studied art, music, or theatre within the International Baccalaureate Program will be given credit for courses at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln according to the guidelines established by each academic unit. Contact the department office for specific course information.

Course Level Requirements

Upper-Level Requirement: Thirty of the 120 semester hours of credit must be in courses numbered above 299.

Residency

Students must meet either of the following residency qualifications:
 

• At least 30 of the last 36 hours of credit must be registered for and completed while enrolled at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
• A total of 90 credits must be registered for and completed while enrolled at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Credit earned during education abroad may be used toward degree requirements if students participate in prior approved programs and register through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Credit awarded from an institution other than Nebraska will be subject to transfer credit and residency rules.

Experiential Learning Requirement

All undergraduates in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts must complete an Experiential Learning (EL) designated course.

ACE Requirements

All students must fulfill the Achievement Centered Education (ACE) requirements. Information about the ACE program may be viewed at ace.unl.edu.

Catalog Rule

Students who first enroll at Nebraska under the 2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog must fulfill the requirements stated in this catalog or in any other catalog which is published while they are enrolled in the College, provided the catalog they follow is no more than ten years old at the time of graduation. A student must, however, meet the requirements from one catalog only rather than choosing a portion from one catalog and the remainder from another.

Exception: Students pursuing any degree in the Glenn Korff School of Music who fail to take at least one course that will fulfill their major requirements during a 12-month period must re-audition. They will then move to the catalog in effect at that time.

Students who have transferred from a community college may be eligible to fulfill the requirements as stated in the catalog for an academic year in which they were enrolled at the community college prior to attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  The decision to utilize a previous catalog should be made in consultation with academic advisors and must be requested within the first two semesters of enrollment after transferring. Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year and within the time frame allowable for that catalog year.

Eligibility to use a prior catalog is dependent upon:

• Admission to the university as a transfer student
• Enrollment at a community college during the catalog year being used
• Continuous enrollment at the previous institution for one academic year or more
• Proceeding to enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln within one calendar year from the last enrollment at the previous institution
• Maintaining the same major after the admission process

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of emerging media arts will be able to:

1. Develop fluency in the techniques and technologies of digital art and design, interactive and immersive media, cinematic media, and storytelling.
2. Demonstrate familiarity with computation and creative coding and its application to the creation of emerging media art forms.
3. Understand and apply the core concepts of storytelling across traditional and emerging media arts platforms.
4. Develop an understanding of goal-centric collaboration and creative development through project-based learning.
5. Understand and apply best practices in emerging media production workflows.
6. Acquire working knowledge of entrepreneurial practices applicable to emerging media business model development.
7. Expand their knowledge in disciplines beyond emerging media arts and understand how emerging media arts can be applied to storytelling in these disciplines.  

Major Requirements

Core Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core Courses
EMAR 99	Ignite: Undergraduate Colloquium (4 semesters required)	0
EMAR 110	Story Lab I	3
EMAR 111	Story Lab II	3
EMAR 120	Games, Play and Performance	3
EMAR 140	Visual Expression Studio I	3
EMAR 141	Visual Expression Studio II	3
EMAR 160	Computation and Media Studio I	3
EMAR 161	Computation and Media Studio II	3
EMAR 220	History of Media Arts	3
EMAR 251	Sound Lab	3
EMAR 330	World Ready	3
EMAR 331	Innovation Studio I	3
EMAR 479	Capstone Project in Emerging Media Arts	3
PHIL 107	Ethics of Emerging Media Arts	3
Select 3 credits from:		3
EAEP 101	Introductory Seminar on Opportunities in Entrepreneurship (+1 credit of EAEP 300, 301, 302)
ENTR 121	Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovation
ENTR 321	Foundations of Entrepreneurship
Credit Hours Subtotal:		42

Emerging Media Arts Electives

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Complete an additional 24 credits of coursework with the EMAR subject code.		24

 Transdisciplinary Specialization

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Complete 9 credits in a chosen discipline outside of Emerging Media Arts (or a minor with at least 9 hours outside of Emerging Media Arts).		9

Additional Major Requirements

Grade Rules

C- and D Grades

The minimum grade for all major requirements is C.

Pass/No Pass

All courses taken for major requirements must be for a letter grade, unless the course is only offered Pass/No Pass.

GPA Requirements

Students in the emerging media arts major are expected to maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA throughout their career. Transcripts will be reviewed periodically to ensure satisfactory progress. Failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA may result in dismissal from the program.

Transfer Credit used in Major Requirements

A minimum of 9 credits in the major must be completed at Nebraska.

PLEASE NOTE
This document represents a sample 4-year plan for degree completion with this major. Actual course selection and sequence may vary and should be discussed individually with your college or department academic advisor. Advisors also can help you plan other experiences to enrich your undergraduate education such as internships, education abroad, undergraduate research, learning communities, and service learning and community-based learning.

Emerging Media Arts