Media Arts and Sciences Major
Goals for the Media Arts and Sciences Major
The Media Arts and Sciences major provides a well-rounded understanding of art and computer science. Graduates of the program are expected to be able to:
- Describe and debate the broader impact of digital media on individuals, communities and society at large.
- Collaborate effectively with a multidisciplinary team to invent and to problem solve.
- Identify the larger historical and contemporary tendencies shaping the development of digital media applications
- Demonstrate iterative design competency, and technical proficiency with haptic and digital tools.
- Recognize indicators, context, and characteristics, for assessing the impact and reliability of digital information
- Conduct an evidence-based inquiry into the impact, context, and reliability of digital information.
- Examine, analyze, interpret and critique digital media, applications, and art.
- Produce digital project work that is conceptually, aesthetically, and technically competent.
Requirements for the Media Arts and Sciences Major
A major in Media Arts and Sciences requires 12 units of course work, at least eight of which must be above the 100 level and at least two of which must be at the 300 level. No more than one unit of MAS 350 or MAS 360 work can be counted towards completion of the major. All MAS majors are required to take: three introductory courses, six core courses (at least three core studio courses and three core computer science courses) and three additional units of approved work for the major. The 12 units should include at least one capstone course (for students entering the college in Fall '23 and beyond.) All MAS majors are required to develop and present an online portfolio by the final semester of their senior year.
Overview of the MAS major
- 3 units: Intro
- 3 units: ARTS/MUS
- 3 units: CS
- 3 units: a selection of three additional courses that are approved for credit towards the MAS major
Flexibility has been built into the major to allow students to weight their overall plan of study towards a concentration in either Media Arts or Media Sciences if they wish. Majors are encouraged to integrate at least one approved Media Culture course as well as an Advanced Projects (*) course into their overall plan of study.
Students may count towards the major some offerings available through the MIT Media Lab, the MIT Comparative Media Studies program, or the Olin College of Engineering. An FAQ section can be found at the program’s website: www.wellesley.edu/MAS/ along with a Google Form to help students plan their major in active consultation with their major advisor and program director.
Honors in the Major
Senior MAS majors intending to pursue Departmental Honors should follow the College's Honors Thesis requirements and this timeline:
- Spring of 3rd year: begin a conversation with a Wellesley faculty member who has expertise in your proposed research area and who is available to advise senior thesis projects in MAS.
- Summer between 3rd and 4th year: Consult with your advisor as you develop your thesis proposal and identify a potential committee of MAS affiliated faculty who will assess your progress over the senior year.
- If the proposal is approved mid August, you will be allowed to enroll in MAS 360 as the fall semester begins. Students developing an MAS major with a Media Arts concentration should plan to enroll in ARTS 317H /ARTS 318H sequence as well
- Fall of 4th year: Prepare for and satisfactorily pass a mid-semester review organized by your thesis advisor.
- End of Fall of 4th year: Mid-year review of ARTS 360 work. Your Thesis Advisor must confirm that you are making satisfactory progress before you can enroll as a MAS 370 student to complete the project.
- Spring of 4th year: Work with your Thesis Advisor and committee to schedule an orals exam at the end of the Spring term (students pursuing Media Arts concentration are encouraged to prepare for the May Senior Art exhibition through their enrollment in ARTS 317H and ARTS 318H)
Advanced Placement Policy in Media Arts and Sciences
Students may receive a maximum of one unit of college credit for a score of 5 on the Computer Science A or AB AP exam. This unit can count toward the Media Arts and Sciences major.
Media Arts and Sciences Approved Introductory Courses
Three introductory courses are required for all MAS majors: at least one must involve visual analysis (in Art History or CAMS), one must be a Studio foundation class, and one must be an introductory Computer Science course. The options are:
| ARTH 100 or WRiT 107 | The Power of Images: An Introduction to Art and its Histories |
1.0 |
| ARTS 105 | Drawing I |
1.0 |
| ARTS 108 |
Photo I: Introduction to Photography |
1.0 |
| ARTS 109 | Two-Dimensional Design |
1.0 |
| ARTS 110 | 4D Design Intro to New Media |
1.0 |
| ARTS 113 | Three-Dimensional Design |
1.0 |
| ARTS 165 |
Introduction to the Moving Image |
1.0 |
| CAMS 100 | Introduction to Media and Screen Culture |
1.0 |
| CAMS 101 | Introduction to Cinema and Media Studies |
1.0 |
| CS 115 / MAS 115 | Computing for the Socio-Techno Web |
1.0 |
Core Courses Approved for the Media Arts and Sciences Major
All students majoring in Media Arts and Sciences must complete at least three core studio courses and at least three core computer science courses. Those wishing to declare a concentration in Media Arts may elect two more studio courses, wihile those leaning towards with a Media Sciences concentration may elect two more computer science core courses. The approved core courses are:
| ARTS 205 / MAS 205 | Mediated Drawing |
1.0 |
| ARTS 207 | Sculpture I |
1.0 |
| ARTS 208 / CAMS 238 | Intermediate Photography: The Digital/Analog Rift |
1.0 |
| ARTS 216 | Spatial Investigations |
1.0 |
| ARTS 219 | Print Methods: Lithography/Screenprint |
1.0 |
| ARTS 220 | Print Methods: Intaglio/Relief |
1.0 |
| ARTS 221 / CAMS 239 | Digital Imaging |
1.0 |
| ARTS 223 | Alternative Print Methods: Hand and Machine |
1:0 |
| ARTS 255 / CAMS 255 | Dynamic Interface Design |
1.0 |
| ARTS 260 / CAMS 230 | Moving Image Studio |
1.0 |
| ARTS 265 / CAMS 235 | Intermediate Film/Video Production |
1.0 |
| ARTS 307 | Advanced Sculpture |
1.0 |
| ARTS 308 / CAMS 338 | Photography III |
1.0 |
| ARTS 313 / CAMS 313 | Virtual Form |
1.0 |
| ARTS 317H and ARTS 318H | Advanced Independent Senior Projects (two 0.5 credit courses typically taught Fall/Spring; 1.0 credits all together) |
1.0 |
| ARTS 321 / CAMS 321 | Advanced New Media* |
1.0 |
| ARTS 323 | Advanced Graphic Projects* |
1.0 |
| ARTS 322 | Advanced Print Concepts* |
1.0 |
| ARTS 336 / MUS 336 | From Mark to Sound, From Sound to Mark: Music, Drawing, and Architecture* |
1.0 |
| ARTS 365 / CAMS 335 | Advanced Projects in Lens-Based Media* |
1.0 |
| ARTS 366 / CAMS 366 | Advanced Projects in Film and Architecture* |
1.0 |
| CS 111 | Computer Programming and Problem Solving |
1.0 |
| CS 121 | Intro to Game Design |
1.0 |
| CS 203 | Computer Music |
1.0 |
| CS 204 | Introduction to Front-End Web Development |
1.0 |
| CS 220 | Human-Computer Interaction |
1.0 |
| CS 221 | Digital Worlds for Gaming |
1.0 |
| CS 230 | Data Structures |
1.0 |
| CS 232 | Artificial Intelligence |
1.0 |
| CS 304 | Databases with Web Interfaces |
1.0 |
| CS 305 | Machine Learning |
1.0 |
| CS 307 | Computer Graphics |
1.0 |
| Data and Text Mining for the Web |
1.0 |
|
| CS 317 | Mobile App Development |
1.0 |
| CS 320 | Tangible User Interfaces |
1.0 |
| CS 321 | Mixed and Augmented Reality |
1.0 |
| CS 323 | Social Computing |
1.0 |
| CS 365 / MAS 365 | Advanced Projects in Playable Media* |
1.0 |
| CS 366 / MAS 366 | Advanced Projects in Interactive Media* |
1.0 |
| MUS 275 | Computer Music: Synthesis Techniques and Compositional Practice |
1.0 |
| MUS 277 | Interactive Sound Art with Electronics |
1.0 |
Capstone Courses
Beginning with students who enter Wellesley College in Fall 2023, at least one of the Capstone Courses is required. These courses are typically taken in senior year, but may be taken in a student's 3rd year, especially if they are planning to do a 360/370 thesis in their senior year.
| ARTS 321 / CAMS 321 | Advanced New Media |
1.0 |
| ARTS 322 | Advanced Print Concepts |
1.0 |
| ARTS 365 / CAMS 335 | Advanced Projects in Lens-Based Media |
1.0 |
| ARTS 366 / CAMS 366 | Advanced Projects in Film and Architecture |
1.0 |
| CS 365 / MAS 365 | Advanced Projects in Playable Media |
1.0 |
| CS 366 / MAS 366 | Advanced Projects in Interactive Media |
1.0 |
Recommended Media Culture Courses for the Media Arts and Sciences Major
Students majoring in Media Arts and Sciences are strongly to encourage to enroll in least one media culture course beyond the introductory level. Some options are:
| ARTH 225 | Modern Art Since 1945 |
1.0 |
| ARTH 226 / CAMS 207 | History of Photography: From Invention to Media Age |
1.0 |
| ARTS 391 | Persuasive Images |
1.0 |
| CAMS 218 | Theories of Media from Photography to the Internet |
1.0 |
| CAMS 222 | "Being There": Documentary Film and Media |
1.0 |
| CAMS 314 | Seminar Virtual Realities Realism and Reality in the Digital Age |
1.0 |
| CS 334 / PHIL 322 | Seminar: Methods for Ethics of Technology |
1.0 |
| PHIL 222 | Ethics of Technology |
1.0 |
| PSYC 218 | Sensation and Perception | 1.0 |
Advanced Production Work *
At least one unit of Advanced Production is recommended for all MAS Majors. In most cases these projects are developed in the designated Advanced Courses* listed above, but MAS majors may also propose independent or group projects:
| MAS 250 | Research or Individual Study |
1.0 |
| MAS 250H | Research or Individual Study |
0.5 |
| MAS 350 | Research or Individual Study |
1.0 |
| MAS 350H | Research or Individual Study |
0.5 |
| MAS 360 | Senior Thesis Research |
1.0 |
| MAS 370 | Senior Thesis |
1.0 |
Honors may be supervised by members of the departments associated with the major in accordance with the requirements of the host department. Supervisors from other departments can be arranged by permission of the directors.
Related Courses for MAS Credit
The courses listed below are representative of other Wellesley and MIT courses that examine topics relevant to the Media Arts and Sciences major. Students may include these and other courses not listed below in their plan of study with permission of the program directors.
| ANTH 232 / CAMS 232 | Anthropology of Media |
1.0 |
| ANTH 246 / MAS 246 | Digital Anthropology |
1.0 |
| ARTH 222 / MAS 222 | Network Analysis for Art History |
1.0 |
| ARTH 373 / CLCV 373 | Antiquities Today: The Politics of Replication |
1.0 |
| CAMS 208 / ENG 208 | Writing for Television |
1.0 |
| CAMS 234 / ENG 204 | The Art of Screenwriting |
1.0 |
| CS 231 | Fundamental Algorithms |
1.0 |
| CS 234 | Data, Analytics, and Visualization |
1.0 |
| CS 242 | Computer Networks |
1.0 |
| CS 332 | Visual Processing by Computer and Biological Vision Systems |
1.0 |
| MUS 213 | Video Games: Composition and Criticism |
1.0 |
| MUS 276 | American Popular Music |
1.0 |
| MUS 300 | History, Theory, Analysis and Ethnomusicology: Music and Sound in Video Games |
1.0 |
| PHIL 203 | Philosophy of Art |
1.0 |
| THST 200 | That's What She Said: Trailblazing Women of American Comedy |
1.0 |
| THST 207 | Stagecraft |
1.0 |
| THST 209 | Scenic Design as Collaborative Art |
1.0 |
MIT Courses
The MIT Media Lab and the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program offer a large variety of courses that may be appropriate for a Media Arts and Sciences major. These offerings vary per semester; please consult the MIT catalog at student.mit.edu/catalog/mMASa.html and student.mit.edu/catalog/mCMSa.html.
Olin Courses
The Olin College of Engineering offers the following courses that may be appropriate for a Media Arts and Sciences major:
ENGR 2250 User-Oriented Collaborative Design
Online Portfolio
In consultation with faculty, MAS majors are required to develop and present an online portfolio in the final semester of their senior year. This website is designed to show the student's best work while at Wellesley while providing a platform for future media based projects. Portfolios should include an "about" section and/or artist statement (if applicable) and a CV or other professional information.