UCLA adds three design media arts majors

WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Applications will open Saturday for three new Bachelor of Arts degree programs that UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture will launch in fall 2027 in computational art, design and games.

The new majors will be housed in the university’s Department of Design Media Arts (DMA), which has offered a single undergraduate degree in Design Media Arts since it was established more than 25 years ago, according to UCLA.

“DMA was built on the belief that artists and designers should help shape the emerging digital world rather than simply respond to it,” Casey Reas, chair of the Department of Design Media Arts, said in a statement. “Nearly three decades later, that world has expanded in ways we could only begin to imagine. Computational Art, Design, and Games carry DMA’s original vision forward, giving each discipline the depth and space to develop its own history, methods, and future.”

University officials said the new degree structure is intended to provide students with more specialized academic pathways while strengthening the department’s ability to recruit students whose interests align with each discipline.

The computational art major will focus on creating artwork using code, data, interactive systems and emerging technologies.

The design major will emphasize design as a cultural, social and artistic practice while incorporating visual communication, interface and environmental design, and publishing.

The games major will provide instruction in game design and development through an arts-first curriculum that includes access to the UCLA Game Lab, where students collaborate with faculty, researchers and industry professionals.

According to UCLA, the three majors are designed to provide students with specialized knowledge and technical skills while preparing them for careers in evolving creative industries.