In March of this year, Art Center President Lorne Buchman announced Create Change, a strategic plan that lays the groundwork for Art Center not only to retain its competitive edge, but to become the foremost art and design college of the 21st century.

Among several initiatives, the plan recognizes the need for Art Center to create new programs that anticipate the future trajectory of our practices, which in turn will complement and enhance our existing programs. Faculty and College leaders conducted research on emerging markets, evaluated student demand, business feasibility and curricular relevance of several proposed new programs. Three of those programs will launch in Fall 2012:

Interaction Design (B.S.)
Whether designing a mobile app or a gestural interface for an exhibition, a new consumer electronics product or a rich informational website, Interaction Design students at Art Center learn to think deeply about the user’s experience, apply technology creatively and invent new approaches to interaction and design.
http://www.artcenter.edu/ixd

Environmental Design (M.S.)
The new Graduate Program in Environmental Design considers the relationship between individuals, materials, space and emotion, challenging students to design spatial experiences from the first moment of encounter to the last moment of interaction. Tracks in Spatial Experience and Furniture and Fixture Design enable students to specialize and obtain advanced knowledge on theory and practice.
http://www.artcenter.edu/gradenvl

Transportation Design (M.S.)
The new Graduate Transportation Design program will help change the thinking of the automotive industry and the wider field of transportation and personal mobility. Through two tracks—Vehicle Design and Transportation Systems—students will create inspired vehicles and transportation systems that will impact the world.
http://www.artcenter.edu/gradtrans

Graduate Media Design (M.F.A.) is also launching the new Media Design Matters track, which allows students to work at the intersection of social issues, media infrastructure and communication technology in a real-world context. The track is run in collaboration with Designmatters, Art Center’s social impact department.
http://artcenter.edu/mdp

Each of these new offerings will attract to Art Center a diverse new group of students who will learn to create and influence change in our world.

Applications are now being accepted for Fall; we encourage students, faculty and staff to refer those who are interested in learning more to the links provided here and to Admissions.