Introduction

Through intensive skill building and guided studio and collaborative projects, students will develop processes and approaches applicable to various forms of making within the field of interactive/digital media. Coursework focuses on the integration of digital media and design through aesthetics, usability and creativity. Required courses cover skills in web programming, design for interaction, UX/UI design, new and alternative media, machine language, computer vision, digital fabrication and physical computing. Students will have opportunities to design and fabricate cross-disciplinary products while embracing an interdisciplinary approach to making through various languages, processes and terminologies in a variety of disciplines.

Admission Requirements

  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5

  • Complete ART 234 (Digital Foundations) with a minimum grade of C

  • Complete ART 280 (Art + Tech I) with a minimum grade of C

For more information about the minor in Interaction Design, please contact Department Chair and Associate Professor Kim Ambriz, k-ambriz@neiu.edu.

Program Benefits

Art and Graphic Design Majors

Designers with interaction and motion skills are in high demand in the design field and this demand is only projected to increase. Art and Graphic Design students who take on this minor will not only receive an excellent education steeped in the traditions of Graphic Design, but upon graduation, they will be able to present a portfolio of highly in demand and contemporary motion based and interactive work.

Art Education - K-12 Majors

As more and more elementary and high schools embrace the Maker Space and Open Classroom models of education, it will be increasingly important that emerging educators possess technical skills and theoretical approaches of programmatic thinking, creative coding, 3D modeling and printing. In addition to these skills, this minor will provide emerging educators with cross-disciplinary approaches to problem solving, which is vital for new models in education.

Non-Art Majors

This minor is an effort to address the demand for a creative code and front-end development curriculum for majors and non-art majors. This 21 credit minor would complement a major in areas such as Communication, Business, Marketing, or Computer Science. It also has the flexibility to be a minor for students in unrelated fields who have a passion for creative coding. This minor will address digital literacy and programmatic knowledge for students from all majors. Students will gain an essential understanding of the importance of digital literacy and content creation within broad professional disciplines as well as non-routine cognitive skills and the ability to think outside the box.

Career Options

The minor in Interaction design provides students with applicable skills to pursue positions in fields such as:

  • Front End Development & Web Design

  • User Experience Design

  • User Interface Design

  • General Graphic Design

  • Game Design and Development

  • Mixed Reality (Augmented and Virtual) Design

  • Videography and Video Editing

  • Digital Fabrication

  • 3D Design CAD/CAM

  • Industrial Design

  • Motion Design

For more detailed career information, visit the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Academic Catalog Information

Take a closer look at the minor in Interaction Design and the courses offered in the program.

Interactive Design, Minor

Department and Contact Information

If you are interested in the program or have questions, please contact Art + Design at (773) 442-4910.

Art + Design Department Homepage

About Northeastern

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