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Interactive Arts and Technology Major

Bachelor of Science

The School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) offers a bachelor of science (BSc) degree in interactive arts and technology.

Admission Requirements

Please refer to the admission requirements section.

Program Requirements

Prerequisite Grade Requirements

Interactive arts and technology course entry requires a grade of C- or better in each prerequisite course.

Students must obtain permission from the department if they wish to complete, for further credit, any course that is a prerequisite for a course the student has already completed with a grade of C- or higher.

Continuance Requirements

Students in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology are required to maintain a minimum 2.00 and 2.40 GPA in their IAT courses. Students who fall below this continuance requirement will be placed on academic warning in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology and will have two terms to bring their IAT GPA to a 2.4 or higher. Failure to do so will result in removal from the interactive arts and technology major or joint major program.

Students removed from the interactive arts and technology major or joint major program will be placed in the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology double minor program.  Students wishing to transfer back into the major or joint major will need to meet the admission requirements to obtain re-entry.

Lower Division Requirements

Complete all of the following courses:

CMPT 120 - Introduction to Computing Science and Programming I (3) or an equivalent introductory programming course such as CMPT 102, CMPT 125, CMPT 126, CMPT 128, CMPT 130, or CMPT 166
IAT 100 - Digital Image Design (3)
IAT 102 - Graphic Design (3)
IAT 103W - Design Communication and Collaboration (3)
IAT 106 - Spatial Thinking and Communicating (3)
IAT 167 - Digital Games: Genre, Structure, Programming and Play (3)
MACM 101 - Discrete Mathematics I (3)

Complete six of the following courses:

IAT 201 - Human-Computer Interaction and Cognition (3)
IAT 202 - New Media Images (3)
IAT 206W - Media Across Cultures (3)
IAT 222 - Interactive Arts (3)
IAT 233 - Spatial Design (3)
IAT 235 - Information Design (3)
IAT 265 - Multimedia Programming for Art and Design (3) or other approved second year programming course
IAT 267 - Introduction to Technological Systems (3)

Upper Division Requirements

A major in interactive arts and technology requires a minimum of 30 upper division IAT units and a minimum of nine upper division courses. Of these, students must take

IAT 309W - Writing Methods for Research (4)

and at least two 400-level courses of at least three units each, excluding directed studies.

Of the total of 44 upper division units required to their degree, students must complete a total of 24 units chosen from the following science courses to satisfy the BSc requirements:

IAT 330 - Make Change Studio I: Introduction (3)
IAT 333 - Interaction Design Methods (4)
IAT 336 - Materials in Design (4)
IAT 339 - Web Design and Development (3)
IAT 351 - Advanced Human-Computer Interaction (3)
IAT 355 - Introduction to Visual Analytics (3)
IAT 359 - Mobile Computing (4)
IAT 381 - Special Topics in Interactive Arts and Technology (Science) (3)
IAT 387 - Directed Studies (3)
IAT 410 - Advanced Game Design (4)
IAT 430 - Make Change Studio III: Refinement and Production (3)
IAT 432 - Design Evaluation (3)
IAT 437 - Representation and Fabrication (3)
IAT 452 - Developing Design Tools (3)
IAT 455 - Computational Media (3)
IAT 459 - Internet Computing Technologies (4)
IAT 481 - Special Topics in Interactive Arts and Technology (Science) (3)
IAT 487 - Directed Studies (3)
IAT 499 - Graduation Project (6)

and any upper division course from computing science (CMPT), engineering science (ENSC), biomedical physiology and kinesiology (BPK), management and systems science (MSSC), mathematics (MATH), mathematics and computing science (MACM), cognitive science (COGS) or psychology (PSYC).

To enroll in 400-level courses, students must complete the lower division requirements as specified above and a required upper division writing course, IAT 309W.

NOTE: SFU students accepted in the accelerated master’s within the School of Interactive Arts and Technology may apply a maximum of nine graduate course units, taken while completing the bachelor's degree, towards the upper division electives of the bachelor’s program and the requirements of the master’s degree. At least six of the nine graduate course units must come from IAT 803, 804, or 806. For more information go to: https://www.sfu.ca/gradstudies/apply/programs/accelerated-masters.html.

Concentrations

A concentration is a group of related courses that approved IAT majors can pursue within their degree.

Students may complete more than one concentration. All completed concentrations will be recognized on their transcript. All upper division (300 and 400-level) concentration courses must be completed at SFU.

Creative Media

In the creative media concentration, students gain skills in emergent areas such as narrative, interactivity, video, sound design, motion capture, visual effects and immersive technologies to tackle meaningful and critically-engaged stories, preparing them for further work in graduate studies or careers in entertainment, film, media arts, and software media industries.

Students who choose this concentration complete the following courses:

IAT 313 - Narrative and New Media (3)
IAT 340 - Sound Design (3)
IAT 344 - Moving Images (4)
IAT 443 - Senior Project in Creative Media (6)

Designing Interactions

Designing interactions develops competencies in interaction design, speculative design and user experience design. Projects develop problem-solving capabilities rigorously tested by critique after framing and research for interventions for people and communities. The role of the designer is explored in a range of contexts. Projects range from screen-based to tangible artifacts, products and services.

Students who choose this concentration complete the following courses:

IAT 333 - Interaction Design Methods (4)
IAT 431 - Speculative Design (4)
IAT 438 - User Experience Design (6)

Extended Reality and Game Design

The XR and game design concentration provides a blend of technical, theoretical, and practical skills in diverse areas of extended reality and game design. Students learn to create compelling gaming and immersive experiences, apply user-centered design, manage projects, work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and engage in critical thinking and ethical practices.

Students who choose this concentration complete the following courses:

IAT 312 - Foundations of Game Design (4)
IAT 343 - Animation (4)
IAT 410 - Advanced Game Design (4)
IAT 445 - Immersive Environments (4)

AI and Data Science for Human-Centered Systems

This concentration is aimed to teach students the skills to extract insights from data, design and build AI systems for interactive technologies, data-driven decision-making, and computer assisted creativity. It emphasizes applying human-centered computing principles and ethical considerations to AI and data science to design, evaluate and deploy state-of-the-art interactive systems.

Students who choose this concentration complete the following courses:

IAT 355 - Introduction to Visual Analytics (3)
IAT 360 - Exploring Artificial Intelligence: Its Use, Concepts, and Impact (3)
IAT 460 - Generative AI and Computational Creativity (4)
IAT 461 - Data Science for Human-Centered Systems (4)

Design and Development for Web and Mobile

This concentration provides students with the theories, tools and methods for developing digital applications for the web and mobile. There is a heavy focus on modern development practices, accessibility considerations and creating applications tailored to meet the unique needs of the target audience while considering the context of use.

Students who choose this concentration complete the following courses:

IAT 339 - Web Design and Development (3)
IAT 359 - Mobile Computing (4)
IAT 459 - Internet Computing Technologies (4)

SFU Degree Requirements

Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements

Students admitted to Simon Fraser University beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.

WQB Graduation Requirements

A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit

Requirement

Units

Notes
W - Writing

6

Must include at least one upper division course, taken at Simon Fraser University within the student's major subject; two courses (minimum three units each)

Q - Quantitative

6

Q courses may be lower or upper division; two courses (total six units or more)
B - Breadth

18

Designated Breadth

Must be outside the student's major subject, and may be lower or upper division:

Two courses (total six units or more) Social Sciences: B-Soc
Two courses (total six units or more) Humanities: B-Hum
Two courses (total six units or more) Sciences: B-Sci

6

Additional Breadth

Two courses (total six units or more) outside the student's major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements).

Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honours, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas.

Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit

  • At least half of the program's total units must be earned through Simon Fraser University study.
  • At least two thirds of the program's total upper division units must be earned through Simon Fraser University study.

Elective Courses

In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.