Board of Regents OKs new major at UMD focused on virtual reality design
The major is planned to help students develop design skills and apply them to interactive digital projects. It offers two tracks — “Innovative Coders” and “Emerging Creatives” — allowing students from both fields to adapt their pre-existing talents to new demands from the tech world.
“We’re not trying to make computer scientists into artists, or artists into computer scientists,” said Bonnie Thornton Dill, the arts and humanities college dean.
But rather than isolate students with different skills, the major aims to facilitate collaboration across disciplines. Each year, students would be required to work together on projects demanding design techniques and coding languages learned in class.
Upon graduation, students will be equipped for careers in animation, computer games and software development, among others, said Amitabh Varshney, the computer, mathematical, and natural sciences college dean.
He added that companies such as Pixar, Facebook and Adobe have expressed interest in hiring students who complete the major.
See the full story here: https://dbknews.com/2019/12/02/umd-virtual-reality-major-board-of-regents-approval-immersive-media-design/