New Media
Let Your Creativity Shine in UNC Asheville’s New Media Major
Created with code and inspired by traditional art and design, the new media major at UNC Asheville is built for curious creatives and fearless innovators.
Courses That Encourage Exploration
New Media courses promote experimentation, conceptual and technical development of student projects, ideas and research. The major offers a vehicle for learning digital storytelling, animation, 3D modeling, stop motion, digital fabrication, interactive art and design, web development, video art, virtual and augmented realities, artificial intelligence, and creative applications in internet art, sound art, performance art and installation.
New Media Careers and Outcomes
Graduates of the new media bachelor’s degree program are ready to move on to careers in interactive design, animation or video, or to pursue graduate studies. Whether your dream career is in marketing, journalism, or tech, your skills in digital literacy, design, communication, web development, animation, video, digital fabrication, and coding make you an adaptable and desirable candidate to a range of potential employers.
Study Abroad
The New Media faculty-led study abroad program offers students an incredible opportunity to explore the global landscape of new media art and design. Each summer, the program alternates between two dynamic travel routes: London, Paris, and Berlin one year, followed by Brussels, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam the next. Over the course of two immersive weeks, students engage directly with the international art scene, visiting world-class museums, cutting-edge galleries, and working artist studios.
Shaping Tomorrow's Leaders:
Your creative visions spring to life as an art major at UNC Asheville, where curiosity meets critical thinking, and imagination has the power to make an impact.
My time at UNC Asheville was deeply formative, and I especially valued working with my advisor, Lei Han. Since graduating, I’ve built a career in New York City as a Post Producer for People, Inc. (People Magazine, InStyle, Travel + Leisure, EW, and more), where I was part of the team nominated for two New York Emmy Awards for work with InStyle Magazine. I also freelance as a Production Designer and Director, with a recent short film I worked on premiering at the New York Latino Film Festival.
Back in Asheville, I co-founded Cat Fly Film Festival and served as its Creative Director from 2017–2023. I am passionate about diverse storytelling and authentic queer representation in all the work that I do. The skills, mentorship, and community I found at UNC Asheville continue to shape the way I work today."
Emphasis Areas
Emphasis Areas
The structure of our curriculum prepares students for this ever-evolving field. We promote the value of individual research and interdisciplinary collaboration—a typical 4-year plan of study challenges students to develop conceptual and critical thinking skills through technical and creative problem solving. Students eventually choose an area of emphasis in one of three emphasis areas: Video, Animation, or Interactive Media.
Create and Transform
The work of UNC Asheville’s new media faculty, students, and alumni speaks to our reputation for creating, innovating, and pioneering in the world of art and digital media. Student and faculty work includes two- and three-dimensional animation, stop motion, video, motion graphics, interactive art and design, physical computing, virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing, laser cutting and other digital fabrication techniques, web media, sonic art, performance, installations, client-driven design, and digital prints.
Neurodiversity
By Anna Verhelle, Carl Dudra, Cerys Webber and Justin Ginn
The Color Violet
by Deanna Marie Wexler
[untitled]
by Kayla Hammonds
Beyond Four Walls - John Jamison
UNC Asheville new media major John Jamison turned his passion for video editing into valuable job experience as an intern at the Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center in downtown Asheville.
History, Buried Deep
UNC Asheville History and New Media Students Use Virtual Reality to Share Local African American History
Outside the Classroom
Outside the Classroom
Internships
Beyond the classroom, students are inspired by visiting artists and guest speakers and gain real-world experience through internships in art and design. New media majors have interned with museums, nonprofits, marketing firms, sports teams, and creative agencies across the region and beyond, including the North Carolina Arboretum, Black Mountain College Museum, Asheville Art Museum, WNC Magazine, and even national organizations like the San Diego Padres.
Outside the Classroom
Outside the Classroom
New Media Facilities
New Media is located in Owen Hall on UNC Asheville’s beautiful mountain campus. Here, the New Media facility, which opened in 2022, was custom-designed by faculty to meet the needs of the department, including bespoke labs and studios that students and faculty use to produce, create + edit dynamic projects.
Events & Exhibitions: The New Media Gallery
Events & Exhibitions: The New Media Gallery
The New Media Gallery on the 3rd floor of Owen Hall showcases work by invited artists + student + faculty. exhibitions. Students can also get involved with the New Media Arts Council (NewMAC), a student-led organization that provides peer mentorship to students entering the program. The department also hosts an annual juried student exhibition showcasing student work that experiments with new forms of narratives.
Meet the Faculty
Meet the Faculty
New media faculty at UNC Asheville have expertise in animation, directing, screenwriting, filmmaking, art, design, virtual reality production, coding, and much more. Here to mentor you as you learn, experiment, and grow into your full potential, our faculty encourage serious play, self-discipline, lifelong learning, and community service. Small class sizes and frequent interactions with faculty is one of the things that makes the UNC Asheville experience unique.
Related Programs
Ready for What's Next?
Explore, create, and innovate in the Bachelor of Arts in New Media program at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Dive into animation, interactive media, and video art and design with faculty support as you prepare for an exciting career in the evolving world of new media.