CalArts Launches New BFA Program in Creative Computing

Degree will prepare students to use engineering skills as a medium for artistic expression

VALENCIA, Calif., Oct. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) proudly announces the launch of its bachelor of fine arts (BFA) program in Creative Computing, which will enroll its first students in the fall of 2026. This interdisciplinary program, among the first in the United States, further exemplifies the institution's commitment to integrating artistic expression with leading-edge technological innovation.

The Creative Computing BFA is designed to provide students with a robust foundation in computer science, electrical engineering, signal processing, and emerging technologies such as virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR), robotics, and AI/machine learning. The program also allows undergraduates to develop a strong, personal artistic voice and to use technology as a tool for storytelling, cultural critique, and creative exploration.

Students will have the opportunity to specialize in one of five areas: Game Design, Music Technology, Coding for Design, Spatial Computing, or Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.

Emphasizing the curriculum's transformative potential, Interim Provost Michael Bryant said: "Students will graduate prepared to lead in the expanding world of creative technologies and define the creative industries of the future."

The program aligns with several other new, future-focused initiatives at CalArts. The CHANEL Center for Artists and Technology, announced last spring in partnership with the CHANEL Culture Fund, positions artists at the forefront of shaping the evolving technologies that define our world, and establishes CalArts as the hub of a new ecosystem of arts and technology. Similarly, CalArts' D.R.E.A.M.S. (Digital Research Entertainment Arts Media Storytelling) initiative, established in 2025 with support from Tom Dolan and the Dolan Family Foundation, will prepare students for dynamic careers in the rapidly growing industry of location-based entertainment.

CalArts is currently accepting applications for the BFA in Creative Computing program. Interested students can learn more at calarts.edu/creativecomputing.

California Institute of the Arts  has set the pace for educating professional artists since 1970. Offering rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs through six schools—Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater—CalArts champions creative excellence, critical reflection, and the development of new forms and expressions. As successive generations of faculty and alumni have helped shape the landscape of contemporary arts, the Institute first envisioned and founded by Walt Disney encompasses a vibrant, eclectic community with global reach, inviting experimentation, independent inquiry, and active collaboration and exchange among artists, artistic disciplines, and cultural traditions.

SOURCE California Institute of the Arts