The Bachelor of Science in Creative Technology and Design is an engineering degree like no other. Encompassing a broad, transdisciplinary course of study, the degree blends creativity and design with a rigorous engineering curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving and creative production. Attracting designers, technologists, makers and inventors who seek diverse and adaptable skills, the degree opens doors to a wide range of 21st-century challenges and opportunities.
Industry and Career Paths
Students graduating with a major in Creative Technology and Design and prepared to enter professional positions in the following disciplines:
- Human-computer interaction.
- Information design and data visualization.
- Web design and development.
- Video and narrative media.
- Robotics and physical computing.
- Internet of Things design.
- Graphic design and visual communication.
- Game design and development.
- User-interface and user-experience design (UI/UX)
- Experience design.
- Digital sound, audio production and electronic music.
- Mobile application design and development.
Students who complete the BS degree program are also poised to pursue graduate or advanced degrees in engineering, other technological fields and design.
Hallmarks of the Program
- Most classes are small, studio-based courses that encourage group work and collaboration.
Most classes are greater than 50 percent female-identifying or non-binary students, a percentage well above most engineering and computing programs.
The interdisciplinary coursework stresses knowledge, skills and expertise in technology development through both design and engineering.
Projects use an iterative creative process from problem finding and ideation through user-testing, implementation and deployment.
Students learn to think critically about the ethical and cultural impacts of emerging technology.
Faculty are engineers, designers and artists from diverse fields who are experts in working with students of varied backgrounds, abilities and interests.
Unique
With a solid engineering foundation, the BS in Creative Technology and Design program caters to an emerging generation of hybrid students. Students develop skills that extend beyond traditional engineering disciplines, eagerly producing technical and creative projects that integrate both engineering and design.
Transdisciplinary
The degree program is discipline agnostic, encouraging students to pursue their interests and passions in ways that conform to, as well as transcend, traditional disciplinary fields. By helping students discover, explore and expand these interests, faculty members prepare students for rapid shifts and innovations in tomorrow's technology landscape.
Creative Production and Critical Perspectives
Students are prolific creators who learn to critically and conceptually assess the works they create. Courses are designed on the studio model that integrates faculty and peer critique at every level. Graduates of the program are savvy and resourceful engineers, equal parts creator and critic, artist and theorist.
Requirements
Course Requirements
Students must complete a total of 128 credits in order to graduate with a BS in creative technology and design. The last 45 credit hours of the 128 for the BS degree must be earned via CU Boulder coursework only and while rostered in the College of Engineering & Applied Science.
The minimum passing grade for a course that is considered a prerequisite for another course is C-. A grade of C or better is required in all terminal Foundation, Core and Capstone courses. A grade of C- or higher is required in all terminal Focus and CPT Electives.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Coursework (73-75 credit hours) | ||
| Writing, Humanities and Social Sciences (H&SS) | ||
| College-Approved Writing Course 1 | 3 | |
| H&SS Electives 2 | 18 | |
| Mathematics Courses and Natural Science Electives | ||
| APPM 1350 | Calculus 1 for Engineers | 4 |
| or MATH 1300 | Calculus 1 | |
| or APPM 1345 | Calculus 1 with Algebra, Part B | |
| APPM 1360 | Calculus 2 for Engineers | 4 |
| or MATH 2300 | Calculus 2 | |
| Mathematics Electives 3 | 6 | |
| Natural Science Electives 4 | 12 | |
| Engineering and Computation Coursework | ||
| ATLS 1300 | Computational Foundations 1 | 4 |
| or APPM 1650 | Python for Math and Data Science Applications | |
| or ASEN 1320 | Aerospace Computing and Engineering Applications | |
| or CSCI 1300 | Computer Science 1: Starting Computing | |
| or ECEN 1310 | Introduction to C Programming | |
| or INFO 1701 | Programming for Information Science 1 | |
| ATLS 2270 | Computational Foundations 2 | 4 |
| or APPM 3650 | Algorithms and Data Structures in Python | |
| or CSCI 2270 | Computer Science 2: Data Structures | |
| or INFO 2201 | Programming for Information Science 2 | |
| GEEN 1400 | Engineering Projects 7 | 3 |
| or ASEN 1400 | Gateway to Space | |
| or ASEN 1403 | Introduction to Rocket Engineering | |
| or ECEN 1400 | Introduction to Digital and Analog Electronics | |
| Free Electives | ||
| Free Electives | 15 | |
| BS Program Coursework (55 hours) | ||
| ATLS Foundation and Core Coursework | ||
| ATLS 1100 | Design Foundations | 3 |
| ATLS 2000 | The Meaning of Information Technology | 3 |
| or ENES 2020 | The Meaning of Information Technology | |
| ATLS 2100 | Image | 3 |
| ATLS 2200 | Web | 3 |
| ATLS 2300 | Text | 3 |
| ATLS 3100 | Form | 3 |
| ATLS 3200 | Sound | 3 |
| ATLS 3300 | Object | 3 |
| Capstone Coursework | ||
| ATLS 4000 | Research Methods and Professional Practice | 3 |
| ATLS 4010 | Capstone Projects | 4 |
| Critical Perspectives in Technology (CPT) Electives | ||
| CPT Electives 5 | 6 | |
| Focus Electives (project-based courses) | ||
| Focus Electives 6 | 18 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 128 | |
| 1 | Students may choose a course from the list of college-approved writing courses. |
| 2 | Students may choose courses from the list of college-approved humanities and social sciences (HSS) electives. |
| 3 | Students may choose two courses from the list of mathematics electives (found in degree audit). |
| 4 | Natural Science Courses (use Class Search and under Advanced Search, choose "A&S GenEd: Distribution-Natural Sciences"). |
| 5 | Students may choose two courses from the list of CPT Electives (found in degree audit). |
| 6 | Students may choose six courses from the list of Focus Electives (found in degree audit); at least 12 credits of which must be upper-division coursework; at least 12 credits must be ATLS courses. |
| 7 | If a first-year projects course is not taken, a student can take a higher-level projects course to fulfill this requirement. Any approved focus elective (within the engineering college) will count. |
Sample Four-Year Plan of Study
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| ATLS 1100 | Design Foundations | 3 |
| CSCI 1300 or ATLS 1300 | Computer Science 1: Starting Computing or Computational Foundations 1 | 4 |
| APPM 1350 or MATH 1300 | Calculus 1 for Engineers or Calculus 1 | 4-5 |
| First-Year Projects Course | 3 | |
| COEN 1830 | Special Topics (Engineering First-Year Seminar) | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 15-16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ATLS 2000 | The Meaning of Information Technology | 3 |
| ATLS 2270 or CSCI 2270 | Computational Foundations 2 or Computer Science 2: Data Structures | 4 |
| APPM 1360 or MATH 2300 | Calculus 2 for Engineers or Calculus 2 | 4-5 |
| Natural Science Course 3 | 3-4 | |
| Credit Hours | 14-16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ATLS 2100 | Image | 3 |
| ATLS 2200 | Web | 3 |
| ATLS 2300 | Text | 3 |
| Mathematics Course 4 | 3 | |
| Humanities or Social Science Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Natural Science Course 3 | 3-4 | |
| Credit Hours | 18-19 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ATLS 3100 | Form | 3 |
| ATLS 3200 | Sound | 3 |
| ATLS 3300 | Object | 3 |
| Mathematics Course 4 | 3-4 | |
| Humanities or Social Sciences Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15-16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Critical Perspectives in Technology Elective 5 | 3 | |
| Focus Electives 6 | 6 | |
| Natural Science Course 3 | 3-4 | |
| Humanities or Social Sciences Elective 1 | 3 | |
| College-Approved Writing Course 2 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 18-19 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Focus Electives 6 | 6 | |
| Humanities or Social Sciences Electives 1 | 5 | |
| Natural Science Course (if needed to fulfill 12 credits hours total of science) 3 | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ATLS 4000 | Research Methods and Professional Practice | 3 |
| Critical Perspectives in Technology Elective 5 | 3 | |
| Focus Elective 6 | 3 | |
| Humanities or Social Science Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 6 | |
| Credit Hours | 18 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ATLS 4010 | Capstone Projects | 4 |
| Focus Elective 6 | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 6 | |
| Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 128-134 | |
| 1 | Students may choose courses from the list of college-approved humanities and social sciences (HSS) electives. |
| 2 | Students may choose a course from the list of college-approved writing courses. |
| 3 | Natural Science Courses (use Class Search and under Advanced Search, choose "A&S GenEd: Distribution-Natural Sciences"). |
| 4 | Students may choose two courses from the list of Mathematics Electives. |
| 5 | Students may choose two courses from the list of CPT Electives. |
| 6 | Students may choose six courses from the list of Focus Electives; at least 12 credits of which must be upper-division coursework; and at least 12 credits must be ATLS courses. |
| 7 | If a first-year projects course is not taken, a higher-level projects course will satisfy this requirement. All focus electives (within the engineering college) are approved to fulfill this requirement. |
Learning Outcomes
Upon graduation, CTD students are expected to be able to:
- Develop work that addresses complex interdisciplinary problems, applying principles of engineering, computational thinking, and design using industry standard and emerging technologies.
- Understand the historical, cultural and psychological factors that impact the human experience of design.
- Engage in research, critical assessment and critique.
- Engage in iterative design and production to contribute novel functionalities, aesthetics or interactions.
- Collaborate on a team that effectively demonstrates task management, accountability and makes progress towards common goals.
- Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities and make informed discernments in applying creative technology solutions.
- Effectively communicate the functionality, purpose and impact of creative technology solutions in a wide range of professional contexts in a way that is thoughtful and respectful to others.