Program will blend art with sciences
April 2024 – Drew University has announced the addition of a new minor in creative art and technology.
Part of the Art Department’s program offerings, the minor begins in fall 2024 and offers interdisciplinary learning opportunities to mix the arts with the sciences, data, and technology.
The new minor is part of a growing field, as digital communication and media bachelor’s degrees have increased by more than 300 percent in the last 10 years. Drew will be one of very few peer and competitor schools to offer the minor.
The new minor stemmed from Professor of Art Lee Arnold’s experience as both the Co-Director of the Digital Humanities Mellon Grant and co-teaching a class on data visualization.
“I worked with students and faculty across the University and saw digital tools as a way to open connections for students outside of our art program,” said Arnold. “The program is meant to encourage students to link together a variety of disciplines which can set them up for exciting careers in data science, data visualization, computer science, marketing, advertising, and the media industry.”
So where does art fit into the picture with these other disciplines?
Arnold pointed to the ability to visualize, present, and communicate their work effectively and creatively.
“If students can combine what they learn in art classes with analytical skills learned in science and social science courses, they will have exciting careers to choose from.”
Students pursuing this minor will work with faculty on internships with organizations that value this interdisciplinary approach to the arts and technology. In addition, this minor will prepare students to go directly into a career or a variety of graduate programs.
The creative art and technology minor joins other recent additions to Drew’s catalog of minors, including environmental justice, musical theatre, education and society, and teaching.
