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Media Arts, Design and Technology

The Department of Media Arts, Design and Technology provides a truly interdisciplinary major for students who are interested in exploratory and innovative experiences that blend traditional and emerging creative practices. The Media Arts, Design and Technology program sets students on the path to design leading-edge artifacts and experiences that engage, entertain, and impact.

Media Arts, Design and Technology (MADTech) students are prepared to enter many fields in the creative industries from professional design firms to entertainment and educational technology companies. As “artist-designers,” students in the MADTech program learn to be creative practitioners and image-makers who bring form to emotions and ideas through the exploration of medium, composition, and most importantly, storytelling.

Students and faculty in Media Arts, Design and Technology challenge the status quo through creative technology acuity, experimentation across creative mediums, and articulation of creative ideas and vision through verbal and visual explanation.

Media Arts, Design and Technology students study to be:

Visual Storytellers

MADTech students bring a compelling visual form to narratives that result in career paths in the creative industries from animation, game design, and interactive exhibits, to soft materials construction, and digital/print media publishing.

Critical and Creative Thinkers

MADTech students are taught to be critical and creative problem-solvers with a willingness to take risks to translate creative ideas into prototypes and products.

Experimenters

MADTech students are constantly uncovering new methods, materials, techniques and technologies to enhance their products and ideas by pushing creative boundaries both technically and conceptually.

Makers

MADTech students don’t just propose concepts and prototypes, they take steps beyond idea schematics to prototype and make the products and artifacts that they are designing.

Entrepreneurs and Innovators

MADTech students forge new paths in artifact and experience design that places human engagement, enrichment, and learning at its core.

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Media Arts, Design and Technology Undergraduate program

The Department of Media Arts, Design and Technology Undergraduate program gives students the opportunity to learn as they develop their creative portfolios through a wide range of two-dimensional and three-dimensional traditional materials and computer-based processes including drawing and illustration, visual composition, soft materials construction, fibers, graphic and interactive narratives, motion graphics, visual effects, animation, web design, game design, interactive and computational media, virtual and augmented reality, 3D modeling, digital fabrication, and more.

The first two years of the undergraduate Media Arts, Design and Technology degree focus on principal foundations that explore, develop, and strengthen the student’s knowledge of visual and interactive processes. Students focus the remainder of their studies in intermediate and advanced-level classes that encourage depth in traditional materials and computer-based processes and breadth in creative experimentation.

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Media Arts, Design and Technology Graduate program

The Department of Media Arts, Design and Technology Master’s program, focuses on Experimental Media Arts. The MADTech program encourages students to explore the intersection of digital and material technologies to create interactive and engaging experiences that push the boundaries of storytelling, learning, and play.

The outcome of graduate student work can be the development of creative portfolio works that are backed by rigorous exploration, discovery, and historical and contemporary precedents. The MADTech student can also choose to complete a written research-focused thesis on new cross-disciplinary practices in Media Arts, Design and Technology.

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March 17, 2025

New Faculty Innovators in Design: Spotlight on Andrés Téllez

Dr. Andrés Téllez is an Assistant Professor of Design Studies at North Carolina State University. As part of our spotlight on new faculty, we are excited to highlight his contributions and expertise, showcasing the innovative perspectives he brings to the College of Design.

March 13, 2025

Art2Wear pop-up gallery and live event at the Gregg Museum

This article was written by Kelsey Bohn and originally appeared in the Technician. See the original. The Gregg Museum of Art and Design opened a new Pop-Up Gallery Lounge entitled “Art2Wear: Through the Archives” Tuesday. The exhibition is in partnership with NC State’s Art2Wear club, which hosts an annual student-led showcase that displays a variety of innovative,…

February 17, 2025

College of Design Signs MOU with National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)

The College of Design at NC State University has signed an MOU with the Faculty of Architecture of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma De México (UNAM) to promote academic and research activities between the two institutions and further affirm the value of international collaboration. Collaborations with UNAM will allow the college to extend its involvement in global issues related to urbanization and the environment and translate that knowledge into teaching and practice through the lens of a global framework.