Curriculum
Innovative courses delve into new applications of media, theory and practice, broad cultural perspectives, and critical discourse. We build in a great degree of flexibility for you to be able to draw from courses across the college such as studio arts, media arts, and courses in design and creative writing.
- Freshman
- Sophomore
- Junior
- Senior
| ID | Course Title | Course Req |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts (6 cr. required) | ||
| LA122 | Writing in Context | 3 |
| LA225 | Perspectives on Society and Culture | 3 |
| Art History (6 cr. required) | ||
| AH125 | Exploring Visual Culture | 3 |
| AH210 | Intro to World Art History | 3 |
| Studio Courses (3 cr. required) | ||
| Studio Elective | 3 | |
| Seminar (1 cr. required) | ||
| FD100 | First Year Seminar* | 1 |
| FOUNDATION STUDIO - (15 cr. required) | ||
| FD101 | Visual Elements: 2D | 3 |
| FD102 | Visual Elements: Digital Tools | 3 |
| FD105 | Drawing 1 | 3 |
| FD111 | 3D Design | 3 |
| FD112 | Time Arts | 3 |
| TOTAL | 31 | |
| At the completion of First Year: 31 cr. earned to date | 31 | |
*FD100 First Year Seminar is required of all freshman with fewer than 30 transfer credits.
| ID | Course Title | Course Req |
|---|---|---|
| Art History (3 cr. required) | ||
| Art History "History of…" course | 3 | |
| Liberal Arts (9 cr. required) | ||
| LA225 | Perspectives on Society & Culture | 3 |
| MTH101 Math or SCI223 Science | 3 | |
| MTH101 Math or SCI223 Science | 3 | |
| Studio Courses (18 cr. required) | ||
| 200-level Studio Course | 3 | |
| 200-level Studio Course | 3 | |
| 200-level Studio Course | 3 | |
| 200-level Studio Course | 3 | |
| Studio Elective | 3 | |
| IM201 | Theory & Practice 200-level | 3 |
| TOTAL | 30 | |
| At the completion of Second Year: 61 cr. earned to date | 61 | |
| ID | Course Title | Course Req |
|---|---|---|
| Art History (3 cr. required) | ||
| Art History 200/300-level | 3 | |
| Liberal Arts (9 cr. required) | ||
| LA321 | Social Science Seminar | 3 |
| LA325 | Literature Seminar | 3 |
| Liberal Arts 300/400-level elective | 3 | |
| Seminar (3 cr. required) | ||
| TH300 | Media Arts Professional Practice | 3 |
| Studio Courses (15 cr. required) | ||
| *300-level interdisciplinary course (LIST BELOW) | 3 | |
| *300-level interdisciplinary course (LIST BELOW) | 3 | |
| Junior 300-level Intermedia studio course or any 300-level studio | 3 | |
| IM301 | Theory & Practice 300-level | 3 |
| Studio Elective | 3 | |
| TOTAL | 30 | |
| At the completion of Third Year: 91 cr. earned to date | 91 | |
*Options Include:
-Video Installation (can be taken for two semesters)
-Intermediate Video
-Intermediate Sound
-Experiments in Combined Print Media
-Intermediate Sculpture (can be taken for two semesters)
-Hybrid Painting
-Intermediate Animated Arts
-Narrative Strategies (Animated Arts)
-Drawing Seminar (DR363/364)
-Screens & Devices
| ID | Course Title | Course Req |
|---|---|---|
| Art History (3 cr. required) | ||
| Art History 300/400-level | 3 | |
| Liberal Arts (6 cr. required) | ||
| LA421 | Research for a Creative Practice | 3 |
| Liberal Arts 300/400-level elective | 3 | |
| Studio Courses (15 cr. required) | ||
| any 400-level studio course (from menu) | 3 | |
| IM300 | Theory & Practice 300-level | 3 |
| Studio Elective | 3 | |
| Studio Elective | 3 | |
| Studio Elective | 3 | |
| Thesis (6 cr. required) | ||
| TH401 | Thesis Critique Seminar (semester 1) | 3 |
| TH499 | Thesis (semester 2) | 3 |
| TOTAL | 30 | |
| At the completion of Fourth Year: 121 cr. earned to date | 121 | |
Learning Outcomes
Execute and present projects with advanced levels of technical skill and conceptual depth. Develop own voice through rigor, risk, and experimentation.
Synthesize concepts into projects through a combination of research and experimentation. Demonstrate advanced skills with discerning levels of meaning in own work, those of peers, across a broad range of creative and scholarly research.
Own individual positionalities as well as develop literacies with practices/perspectives that align and challenge existing views. Co-create a culture of respect, tolerance, and constructive critique. Draw understanding from creative and scholarly practices that more directly mirror contemporary culture, student demographics, (bipoc) specifically.
Foundation Year
A time to explore
In your Foundation Year, you’ll be immersed from day one in media and making of all kinds from drawing, design, and sculpture, to digital tools, video, and performance. It’s a year of discovery, a time to explore new ways of thinking and making, meet new friends, and get to know your new community.
Foundation YearThesis
Preparing for graduation
Your senior year is an exciting time of tranistion from student to working artist or designer. The focus of your senior year is conceiving a thesis project of your own design and producing it with the support of faculty, your peers, and a mentor who works with you one-on-one.
Senior ThesisAreas of Study
Freedom to focus
PNCA offers ten undergraduate majors, all of which offer you choices in your electives and liberal arts courses. This means that whatever your major, you have the freedom to focus many of your course choices around your particular area of interest. We've outlined the following Areas of Study to give you a sense of the scope of courses available at PNCA.
Areas of StudyLiberal Arts
Fortify your intellectual foundation
Liberal Arts courses round out your education, helping you become a more thoughtful, well-rounded artist or designer. Explore widely or select your courses to focus on one of what we call Areas of Study.
Liberal ArtsCome tour PNCA today
Come explore and experience how PNCA is dedicated to empowering students to reimagine what art and design can do in the world.
Photo by Adam Simmons, PNCA Class of 2017
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