New Media Design BFA Program Prepares for Careers of the Future

Our everyday lives are changing so fast, in so many different ways! When you think about the major changes in the overall way of life over the past few decades, one thing that comes to your mind is undoubtedly digitization, which has become an integral part of our daily lives. Perhaps we are not even aware of the extent to which technology, media, and digitization have entered every sphere of our lives, both private and professional, but let us remind you.

Teenagers spend 43% of their waking hours in front of screens

Can you guess how many hours per day we look at the screens? According to the latest available data, the global average of screen time is 6 hours 58 minutes. For teenagers, it’s even bigger – they spend 7 hours and 22 minutes per day in front of screens. That is equal to 43% of a teen’s waking hours.

It's no secret that today's generation is growing up in a digital world, where technology plays a central role in their daily lives. However, what might surprise you is that for 7 hours per day, they are maybe building skills to positively shape the future, and with that being said – our lives as well! Does this digitization bring out some challenges or changes we need to be mindful of? Yes! And that is why RIT has developed transformative programs that positively respond to such challenges in a global economy – and the New Media Design study program is one of them.

Combining creativity with the technology skillfulness

In September of 2022, we welcomed our first class of students enrolled in the New Media Design program at the Zagreb campus. New Media Design is RIT’s four-year undergraduate program that produces innovative creators of next-generation digital media! In this program, students learn how to create, develop and present the content of digital media, and upon completion of their studies, they will earn two degrees – American and Croatian.

Mia belongs to the first generation of the New Media Design study program and she shared with us her impressions: “When I saw that RIT launched a new study program, I was excited because I believed it was a perfect one for me. The thing that intrigued me the most was the combination of art/design and computer science. Something unique about the program is the encouragement to create many different things for our future portfolio and projects that help us practice thinking of creative and efficient solutions faster.”

New Media Design graduates from the American campus are building successful careers in giants such as Marvel Entertainment, Spotify, Netflix, Amazon, Blizzard Entertainment (World of Warcraft), YouTube and many others.

Why is this program described as multidisciplinary?

Designed as a response to the current and future needs of the fast-growing digital media market, this program integrates:

• art,
• design communication,
• computing,
• and technology.

During their studies, students will acquire the key competencies needed for a career in the areas such as digital marketing, web and mobile application development, communications and other creative industries. They will learn how to 3D model, and animate, all about information design and the basics of programming. Special focus will also be put on developing soft skills such as analytical and critical thinking, teamwork ability and effective communication.

Most of the classes focus on practical knowledge and hands-on projects

“Our classes are composed of lectures and labs, which means that one day we study and learn, and then in labs we use the information we learned to create something or work on our projects. As someone with no prior knowledge or experience in this field, I believe I learned a lot. Not only do I believe that I have excelled in the design aspect, but I believe I have acquired some more knowledge with different computer programs”, Mia explained what her classes look like.

Aside from learning in practice with the guidance of their professors, the best way to get to know the industry and real-life situations is through the cooperative education program. The need for experts in this field was also expressed by renowned Croatian companies in the digital media industry, and that is why they are a part of RIT Croatia's co-op program. Through co-ops, students gain valuable work experience that will also help them prepare for work in positions such as UI / UX designer, digital product designer, graphic designer, app designer, visual designer, and other. In addition to that, students will achieve a good foundation for further career development in the film industry, video game industry and other emerging industries.

“So far, we have worked with Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Adobe InDesign, and Visual Studio Code and we had to adapt to them quite quickly. If we had issues or wanted to do something more interesting our professors were always available to help us and send websites that would help us advance our work. They were also available to give us critiques on our designs so we can learn how to make some work more prominent or interesting”, Mia concluded.

Prepare yourself for the careers of the future; gain technical skills and work on your creative style by enrolling in the New Media Design study program! Do you want to know more about the program? Read here.