With career and technology studies (CTS) in schools evolving to a more creative media design and communication focus, the University of Lethbridge has recognized a defined need for teachers with new media skill sets by creating a new combined degrees program.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts – New Media/Bachelor of Education combines the best of two worlds, bringing the latest new media technology, tools and techniques to today’s young learners.
“We are very excited about this new curricular partnership with the Faculty of Education. This new option creates another pathway for fine arts students with an interest in new media and fills an important need in the K to 12 system,” says Dr. Ed Jurkowski, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts.
“The CTS program is absolutely essential in today’s schools,” says Dr. Craig Loewen, dean of the Faculty of Education. “The range of curricula addressed enhances schools’ abilities to meet the needs and varied learning styles of their students, provide tangible and applied learning opportunities and build real connections with people and businesses in the surrounding community.”
Students who attend the U of L on a full-time basis need five years to complete the combined degrees and graduate with two degrees, a Bachelor of Fine Arts – New Media and a Bachelor of Education.
New Media courses introduce diverse materials, technical skills and a range of new media areas including graphic design, web design and development, interaction design, 3D modelling, animation, gaming, photography, narrative screenwriting, digital audio and video production, and historical and contemporary new media theory.
The U of L’s Faculty of Education is renowned for consistently producing excellent teachers. At the heart of the Bachelor of Education are three professional semesters, providing practical experience through supervised placements in schools. The U of L’s 27 weeks of practicum offers some of the most extensive classroom experience in the country.
This new Bachelor of Fine Arts – New Media/Bachelor of Education option may be of interest to a variety of audiences including new students who begin in the Faculty of Fine Arts and then apply to the Faculty of Education after meeting Education’s admission requirements; current students already enrolled in Bachelor of Fine Arts – New Media; and alumni with a Bachelor of Fine Arts – New Media, who can now apply to the Bachelor of Education program as a second degree.