Media Arts and Design is an interdisciplinary program that exists at the intersection of the arts and technology. While housed within Media Arts and Technology, the minor electives come from a wide range of subject areas including Art, Communication, English, Film and Media Studies, German, Linguistics, Music, and more.
The program is intended to help students develop a blend of creative and technical literacies that are invaluable in the job market, and critical for jobs bringing together design and technology, such as systems analysis, audio engineering, or user experience design. Students in the arts and humanities can develop their technical literacy by using digital tools to analyze and present information, and produce original creative works. Students in the sciences can enhance their creative design skills, and gain practical experience through project-based learning.
Minor Structure and Courses
The minor in Media Arts and Design consists of two required courses and four elective courses taught across Summer Sessions A and B, and may be completed in one or more Summer quarters.
View the full Minor Sheet to see all program requirements.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because MAT 10 and MAT 189 are offered only in Summer, students will need to plan their path to completing the minor accordingly.
Minor Courses Offered in Summer 2025:
MAT 10 – Intro to Media Arts & Design (Session A)
MAD Intro is an introduction to the concepts of creative computing. Students will learn about the digital arts field with an emphasis on technological developments and their integration in art production.
MAT 111AU – Audio Engineering, Sound Design, and Generative Music Systems (Session B)
This project-based course will cover concepts in audio mixing, editing, and sound design. You will learn fundamentals of audio engineering through recording and producing original audio tracks, develop skills in audio programming to create bespoke audio effects and generative music systems, gain skills using industry-standard audio software Ableton Live as well as Max4Live, get a chance to collaborate and work alongside other creators here on campus, and have your work showcased in an event at the end of the session.
MAT 111FS - Media Arts & Design Fundamental Skills (Session A)
This is an introductory course that focuses on the skills and practices of media arts and design. Students identify a theme and explore it through reading and making over six weeks. The course emphasizes a hands-on approach and requires physical evidence of students; efforts. Students analyze successful architects, designers, and artists who defined the areas of media, arts, and design. The course format includes two in-person lectures and one in-person section per week, with a focus on producing examples for the final project. The end goal is a successful final project presented in an exhibition format on campus.
MAT 111MC - Musical Computation & Design (Session A)
Investigates the musical potential in seemingly non-musical systems through computational design principles. Students engage in compositional experimentation by translating patterns from architecture, quantum fields, biology, and linguistics into musical form. Develops both technical and creative competencies, welcoming arts/humanities students exploring computational thinking and STEM students pursuing creative expression. Concepts introduced from first principles with emphasis on discovery and exploration. No prior knowledge of music theory, programming, or referenced fields required.
MAT 111PC - Physical Computing for Design (Session B)
This introductory course explores the intersection of electronics, computation, and creative practice, empowering students to design interactive systems, instruments, and interfaces using microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators. Emphasizing hands-on learning, it bridges the digital and physical realms to create expressive, multi-sensory experiences. Students will prototype interactive objects and devices, gaining technical skills and a creative mindset to engage with technologies like IoT, wearable computing, and interactive installations. No prior experience is required—only curiosity and enthusiasm for experimentation.
MAT 111PF – Materialize: Prototyping and Fabrication (Session B)
This course covers the entire process from concept design to detailed plans, and students navigate it using traditional sketching and cutting-edge AI tools. Practical lessons in laser cutting and 3D printing empower students to create multi-material constructs, emphasizing iterative design processes to refine outcomes. The course is partly held in the Library Makerspace, and it includes hands-on sections promoting active learning. Students culminate their learning in a final project, where they explore innovative form factors, interactive prototypes, and fabrication practices.
MAT 111WN – Web-Based Interactive Narratives (Session B)
This course offers a hands-on approach to learning creative coding, enabling students to design and develop web-based interactive stories with a blend of text, images, sound, and interactions. The curriculum will introduce narrative structures, creative coding techniques, and the basics of web design and development. Projects range from simple animations to complex, user-driven narratives. No prior coding experience is required.
MAT 111XR – Extended Reality & Worldmaking (Session B)
Extended Reality (XR) is more than an entertainment platform; it functions as an effective and cognitive medium that reshapes how people experience emotion, narrative, and embodiment. This course approaches XR as a worldmaking practice, treating virtual space as an interface through which cultural and experiential meaning emerges. Students explore XR environments as sites where empathy, identity, and relationality can be reimagined, connecting critical theory with hands-on spatial storytelling.Core concepts such as worldmaking and space as interface are examined to understand how immersive environments communicate beyond language. Emphasis is placed on affective design, including light, sound, scale, movement, and atmosphere. Through readings, case studies, and iterative prototyping, students develop XR environments using Unity3D, photogrammetry, Gaussian splatting, and selected AI-based tools. The course culminates in a first-person XR walking-simulator project presented in VR.
COMM 154 — Video Game Research (Session F)
An introduction to social scientific research on the motives, responses, and consequences of playing video games.
MAT 110CF — Fundamental Concepts of Media Arts and Design (Session A)
This is an introductory course that covers the principles and practices of media arts and design. Students learn to create digital graphics, audio compositions, and video productions using digital tools and technologies. The course adopts a hands-on approach, emphasizing emerging design techniques such as generative artificial intelligence, parametric design, and algorithmic composition. The course challenges students to critically evaluate the role of media arts and design in contemporary society. The course format includes two in-person lecture sessions and one section per week, with a focus on technological literacy, software proficiency, and computational design.
MAT 189 – Media Arts and Design Capstone (Session B)
MAD Cap is the Capstone course for the Media Arts; Design Minor. It synthesizes learning from other Media Arts; Design courses through the development of a digital portfolio and meetings with guest speakers.
Questions?
Contact Allyson Walker (allyson@mat.ucsb.edu) with questions or to declare the minor.