Digital Worlds Institute

Bachelor of Arts in Digital Arts & Sciences

Digital Arts and Sciences (DAS) is an interdisciplinary field first offered by the University of Florida (UF) in both the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Sciences formats as early as 2001. The Digital Worlds Institute was given stewardship of the Bachelor of Arts in DAS (BADAS) and has recently received approval to offer a new and enhanced curriculum that substantively blends aspects of digital arts, technology, communications and performance. We are now planning to begin to accept students into the updated interdisciplinary degree program in Fall of 2014.

The new BADAS degree will allow a choice from three potential areas of concentration for students:

• Systems Design – Focused on technical art and digital animation. Students will learn digital animation, interface protocols and programming, game design, and media systems development. Appropriate for those with strong interest and some background in technology or programming.

• Media & Storytelling – Focused on using digital media to effectively communicate and craft new forms of stories. Students will learn strategic digital communication, linear and non-linear narrative, messaging, and branding using traditional and emerging technologies like social media. Appropriate for writers and communicators wishing to acquire fluency and expertise in the digital arts and sciences.

• Design & Production – Focused on using digital media to use and design virtual and augmented environments, digital projections and audio, and produce digitally-enhanced performances. Appropriate for students with identified interests in traditional areas including music, dance, theatre and design arts wishing to merge these interests with digital technology and production techniques.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

About the BADAS Degree Program:

What will I learn in the BADAS program? 
What career paths are available for BADAS graduates?
When is the program going to start?
What technologies and software packages will I learn to use?
What do I need to get in to the BADAS program?
What is meant by a “Personal Statement of Intent” (PSI)?
What is meant by “Supplemental Support Material” (SSM)?
Can the BADAS we taken in either a traditional or an online format?
Can I take one course at a time?

About the University of Florida Policies:

What are the admissions requirements for freshmen? 
What are the admissions requirements for transfer students?
When can I apply to the program? 
What are the tuition rates?
What classes will transfer to UF if I am not a Florida resident?
Does UF allow/participate in the dual enrollment program for students?
What if I am not able to complete all prerequisites in time and have already completed my 60 hours?  Can I finish them at UF, or will I have to start over as a freshman?

About the BADAS Degree Program:

What will I learn in the BADAS program?
Depending upon their chosen area of concentration, BADAS students will learn and develop their fluency in a variety of areas including 2D and 3D animation, digital production, game design and development, digital storytelling and communication, and digital performance production (including audio and projection design).
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What career paths are available for BADAS graduates?
BADAS students will have a number of career paths available to them depending upon their area of concentration and personal goals and motivations. BADAS students will be competitive for 21st century careers in sectors of the entertainment, technology, media and communications industries such as digital animation, technical art and systems design, marketing and public relations, game design and development and the plethora of emergent fields increasingly using interactive digital media content and technologies.
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When is the program going to start? 
As of December 2012, our faculty and associates are engaged in an interdisciplinary program review and related strategic planning. It will be announced on this website when the program will officially begin accepting applications for the BADAS program.

Official admittance to the program will require a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) as established by the University (see below), a well-thought out Personal Statement of Intent (PSI) and Supplemental Support Material showcasing original student work related to the area of study articulated in the PSI. For those students in residence at UF, or for those seeking an AA degree from a university in the Florida State University system, submission of these materials would typically be required near the end of their second or sophomore year.
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What technologies and software packages will I learn to use?
Students in the BADAS program will learn to use a variety of tools and technologies. However, because digital curriculum is constantly shifting to mirror ever-evolving industry practices, we do not guarantee that we will offer a course in any given software package. We teach students to be adaptable and understand the principles associated with our fields and subjects so that they can adjust to these evolving industry packages. That said, we anticipate that in our courses student learning will involve the following current contemporary tools, languages and technologies:

    For animation: Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max, Blender
    For game development: Unreal Developer's Kit, Unity3D, Torque
    For systems design: Java, Javascript, ActionScript, Python
    For audio design: ProTools, PureData

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What do I need to get in to the BADAS program?
Students seeking admission to the program must meet the University of Florida admissions standards and requirements, and additionally must provide a Personal Statement of Intent (PSI) and Supplemental Support Material (SSM) directly to the UF Digital Worlds Institute. Submitted materials will not be returned – students should keep copies of all SSM materials submitted.
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What is meant by a “Personal Statement of Intent” (PSI) ?
A Personal Statement of Intent (PSI) refers to an original document created by the applicant that details their interests, motivations and rationale in seeking acceptance into the BADAS program. It is recommended that such a statement be between one and two pages in length, and demonstrate not only serious intent to pursue the program, but also a level of writing and communications ability appropriate for a student to be accepted into a program at a major American University.
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What is meant by “Supplemental Support Material” (SSM)?
Supplemental Support Material (SSM) refers to a body of original creative or technical work authored, documented and presented in a contemporary digital format. Depending on a student’s intended area of concentration in the BADAS program (i.e. Systems Design, Media & Storytelling or Design & Production), the SSM would contain examples of the best original work they have done prior to seeking admittance to the BADAS program. This could be work completed as part of their previous education, or original work completed outside of the classroom demonstrating passion and accomplishment in the general area they intend to pursue in the BADAS program. For example SSM submissions in each of the areas might include:

• Systems Design: Examples of original software, video games, computer code and/or scripting written by the student. Also, examples of original animation, motion graphics or technical design or artwork created by the student and presented to the BADAS Faculty for review via website, data disc or another professional digital medium.
• Media & Storytelling: Examples of original writing, scripts, audio or video creations or perhaps documentation of performances, movies or other narrative forms created by the student. Alternatively, examples of effective digital communications (i.e. websites, branding or marketing campaigns or strategic communications, etc.) created by the student and presented to the BADAS Faculty for review via website, data disc or another professional digital medium.
• Design & Production: Examples of original work either previously produced or designed for production in a theatrical, non-traditional or digital venue. This may take the form of audio or video recordings, conceptual treatments or proposals for digitally-enhanced live performance productions or perhaps an entirely new form of production that combines human performance with technology (i.e. streaming video, live interactive performance, etc.) created by the student and presented to the BADAS Faculty for review via website, data disc or another professional digital medium.

The PSI and SSM would typically be submitted at the same time the formal application to the University of Florida is made (or shortly thereafter). However, the PSI and SSM would be sent directly to the UF Digital Worlds Institute, rather than the University-level admissions office.
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Can the BADAS we taken in either a traditional or an online format?
For students who are accepted into the program with an Associate of Arts degree, two additional years of coursework (taking 15 hours per traditional academic semester) are needed to complete the BADAS. We are currently working through the logistics of options that would provide for the coursework to be taken as either a traditional on-campus experience or as a primarily online experience. The Institute faculty believe that certain elements of the program are best imparted with an onsite experience, therefore a minimal residency requirement for the primarily online experience may be established and announced before students are officially admitted to the program. Depending on the particular Associate’s degree or prior coursework, some students may have to complete additional general education requirements.
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Can I take one course at a time?
In order to stay on a timely path to completion, and to remain engaged with a consistent cohort of student colleagues, students are encouraged to take a full-time load (15 credit hours, or five courses) each semester. Coursework requires consistent participation and meeting regular deadlines; they are not “selfpaced” courses. Therefore, while part-time registration may be accommodated with approval in advance from the faculty and appropriate student advisors, students are encouraged to take a full-time load each semester.
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About the University of Florida Policies:

What are the admissions requirements for freshmen? 
In addition to meeting the standards and requirements of the BADAS program, applicants must meet the University of Florida minimum admissions requirements for freshman applicants, listed here. They are:

• Graduation from a regionally accredited or state-approved secondary school or the equivalent (G.E.D., etc.).
• Sixteen academic units from the above, distributed as follows:

ENGLISH (WITH SUBSTANTIAL WRITING)	4 YEARS
MATHEMATICS (ALGEBRA 1, FORMAL GEOMETRY, ALGEBRA 2)	4 YEARS
NATURAL SCIENCES (TWO UNITS MUST INCLUDE LABORATORY)	3 YEARS
SOCIAL SCIENCES	3 YEARS
FOREIGN LANGUAGE (MUST BE SAME LANGUAGE)	2 YEARS

• A cumulative C average in the academic core, as computed by the university, at all institutions attended high school and college.
• Students taking dual enrollment courses must present a minimum 2.0 GPA at every institution attended.
• A record of good conduct. Major or continuing difficulty with school or other officials may render an applicant ineligible regardless of academic qualifications.
• At least the minimum score in each section of the SAT: Critical Reading= 460, Mathematics=460 and Writing= 440. Effective with the 2009 entering class, the university will begin considering the writing portion of the SAT.
• On the ACT With Writing, a minimum score of 19 on the Reading section, 19 on the Mathematics section, and 18 on the English/Writing section.
• All applicants must submit the SAT or the ACT With Writing test. While UF cannot mix scores from old and new tests, the university will accept the highest subscores from the new SAT if you took the new test multiple times. The university cannot mix or combine any ACT subscores.

NON-ACCREDITED AND HOME SCHOOLS

The University of Florida welcomes applications from all prospective students. Every freshman applicant is required to submit scores from either the SAT or ACT with Writing along with an official transcript of courses attempted, a measure of performance (traditionally course grades) and a validation of mastery or learning outcomes (usually expressed as “credit earned”). Students pursuing secondary preparation through a non-accredited or in a non-traditional manner where courses, grades and credits are not specified or monitored by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the University of Florida are asked to provide evidence of mastery or learning outcomes through means other than, or in addition to, a transcript. Such means may include SAT Subject tests, courses completed and graded through Florida Virtual School, or coursework from a regionally accredited community college or university. Non-traditionally prepared students should be able to validate secondary learning outcomes in English, mathematics, science, social studies and a foreign language.

Validation in English is accomplished with SAT Writing or ACT with Writing. Students planning to use SAT Subject Tests should present results from the Math Level 2 test.

Applicants presenting scores from G.E.D. must also submit secondary records up to their point of leaving along with results from the SAT or ACT with Writing.

CONCURRENT HIGH SCHOOL AND AA DEGREES

Students who will receive their high school diploma and the Associate of Arts degree at the same time should complete the freshman application. You must apply to a specific UF college and major, and you must meet college and major prerequisite course and minimum GPA requirements.

ADMISSION OFFERS ARE TENTATIVE

All offers of admission are tentative if you have high school or collegiate coursework in progress. Final admission is dependent on receipt and review of your final transcripts.

Admission offers are subject to cancellation if your final coursework does not meet admission requirements.

More information about UF's admissions policies is available from the Undergraduate Catalog.
https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/Pages/admission.aspx 
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What are the admissions requirements for transfer students?
In addition to meeting the standards and requirements of the BADAS program, applicants must meet the University of Florida minimum admissions requirements for transfer students, listed athttp://www.admissions.ufl.edu/ugrad/trapprocess.html. It is recommended that students seeking to transfer into the BADAS degree have an Associate of Arts degree from a regionally-accredited post-secondary institution (e.g., a two-year community or state college, for example). All transfer students must do the following:

• Submit the online UF application and $30 nonrefundable application fee six to nine months before the term begins. (Please note that if paying by credit card, a $1.75 service fee will be added automatically to the $30 fee, so the total application fee is $31.75.)
• Meet application deadlines. The application, application fee and ALL transcripts must be received by the March 1 deadline.
• Submit all high school and postsecondary transcripts. Official transcripts can be sent to UF in two ways: paper transcript received by UF in a sealed envelope or electronic transcripts sent from your institution directly to UF. Most Florida public high schools, universities and community colleges prefer to send transcripts electronically, saving you up to two weeks’ response time.
• SAT/ACT With Writing test scores are required for freshmen/sophomore transfers and those applying to teacher certification programs. Official scores must be sent to UF directly from the testing agency.
  SAT testing agency or call 609-921-9000.
  ACT testing agency or call 319-337-1270.
• Submit documentation of two sequential courses of foreign language in secondary school or 8-10 sequential semester hours at the postsecondary level, or document an equivalent level of proficiency.
• Apply to a specific UF college and major.
• Meet college and major prerequisite courses and minimum GPA requirements. Limited access programs, teacher certification programs and programs requiring an audition generally require additional application materials.
• Be in good standing and eligible to return to any institution previously attended.
• Submit proof of immunization prior to registration.
• Understand that meeting minimum requirements does not necessarily guarantee admission to the university or the BADAS program.

In addition to meeting the University-level requirements, students wishing to be admitted to the BADAS Program must submit a Personal Statement of Intent (PSI) and Supplemental Support Material (SSM) directly to the UF Digital Worlds Institute. The contents and quality of these submissions, in addition to previous academic GPA, will be a significant factor in determining whether or not a student is accepted into the program.

ADMISSION OFFERS ARE TENTATIVE

All offers of admission are tentative if you have high school or collegiate coursework in progress. Final admission is dependent on receipt and review of your final transcripts.

Admission offers are subject to cancellation if your final coursework does not meet admission requirements.

More information about UF's admissions policies is available from the Undergraduate Catalog.
https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/Pages/admission.aspx 
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When can I apply to the program?
The freshman application deadline is November 1st; applications received after November 1st will receive a decision on a space-available basis only.  Since the BADAS coursework does not begin until the junior year, students applying as freshmen should choose a related major (such as the Bachelor of Science in Digital Arts & Sciences) or the “exploratory” major, which can be changed upon acceptance into the BADAS program.

Transfer applications (for students with an AA from a Florida community college) are due by March 1st; program-specific materials (the Personal Statement of Intent and Supplemental Support Materials) are due by March 15th.  
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What are the tuition rates?
Tuition and fees for BADAS-specific coursework total $204.76 per credit hour (based on 2012-2013 rates); this rate applies to all students, regardless of Florida residency.
Students entering as freshmen, or those who need to take additional coursework beyond the BADAS-specific courses, will be assessed tuition charges based on state residency.  Florida resident tuition and fees total $204.76 per credit hour; non-Florida resident tuition and fees total $947.33 per credit hour.  
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What classes will transfer to UF if I am not a Florida resident?
All transcripts are reviewed by the UF Office of Admissions to determine completion of general education and foreign language requirements.  It is the prerogative of the student’s college to determine how transfer credit satisfies the specific degree’s course requirements.  
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Does UF allow/participate in the dual enrollment program for students?
While UF does not directly participate in dual enrollment (meaning a high school student cannot enroll for classes at UF), credits earned through dual enrollment at a Florida community college may be transferred towards the hours needed for a UF degree.
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What if I am not able to complete all prerequisites in time and have already completed my 60 hours?  Can I finish them at UF, or will I have to start over as a freshman?
Any deficiencies in general education coursework can be completed at UF, although not all such courses are available online.  
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