Degree Program & Requirements

New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute (CMI) prepares students to become digital storytellers using state of the art, industry-standard tools. The program provides learning opportunities for newly admitted NMSU students, and for students with a Creative Media Technology associate degree from a NSMU community college or other two-year degree granting institution. The Bachelor of Creative Media provides a liberal arts background that will enable the student to pursue further education, professional training, or employment in a professional industry. Through concentrated study, CMI students can acquire skills that apply across multiple disciplines and industries: entertainment, medicine, science, forensics, information, education, government, and business fields.
The Bachelor of Creative Media is available in either Digital Film Making or Animation and Visual Effects. The curriculum focuses on the art, craft, and the business of storytelling. Students choose an area of emphasis, but they study all aspects of digital filmmaking and digital arts, whether they are aspiring writers, animators, directors, editors, or cinematographers. Theory and practice are integrated at every step as students manipulate text, sound, and images using industry-standard technology. CMI houses a state of the art digital projection screening room, post-production lab, animation lab, and production space.

Bachelor of Creative Media
Major:	Digital Film Making
	Animation and Visual Effects
Minors:	Digital Film Making
	Animation and Visual Effects

The Creative Media Institute prepares students to be effective creators and critical thinkers in digital media. Study in the CMI program fosters graduates capable of collaborative expression based on a clear understanding of media culture, history, design and practice. CMI also offers students the opportunity for internships in digital video, animation, visualization and simulation, industrial video, and educational video at varied production facilities on campus.

Degree Requirements:

Bachelor of Creative Media
Students must complete a min. total of 128 credits in the following areas:

69 credits in CMI/CMT/OCAN/ENGL/THTR/ART
35 cr. of Common Core
6 cr. Viewing a Wider World
18 cr. of electives

General Education Core Requirement

ENGL 116 G, Perspectives on Film 3 cr.

Creative Media Foundation Courses
45 credits total required
(of which 24 credits are # 300 and above)

MAJOR: Digital Film Making
24 credits total from the following
(of which 18 credits must be #300 and above)

MAJOR: Animation & Visual Effects
24 credits total from the following
(of which 18 credits must be #300 and above)

THTR 110* Acting - 3 cr.

ART 150* Drawing I - 3 cr.

CMI 200* Sound Design I - 3 cr.

CMI 205* Intro to Cinematography - 3 cr.

CMI* 216 Editing I - 3 cr

CMI 230 Fundamentals of Animation: Theory and Practice - 3 cr.

ENGL/CMI 232 Script Development and Storyboarding - 3 cr.

ENGL/CMI 235 Principles of Story Across the Media - 3 cr.

ENGL 303 Theory and Criticism: Film, Media, and Culture - 3 cr.

CMI 305 Business of Filmmaking/Animation - 3 cr.

ENGL 326 Cultural Identity and Representation Across the Media - 3 cr.

CMI 498 Final Yr. Senior Project I: Production and Post Production - 6 cr.

CMI 499 Final Year Senior Project II: Production and Post Production- 6 cr.

*course may be taken at an NMSU community college
** course offered only at Dona Ana Community College

CMT105** Film Crew Training I - 9 cr.

CMT106** Film Crew Training II - 9 cr.

CMI 214      Acting for Film - 3 cr.

CMI 301       Sound Design II - 3 cr.

ENGL 309     Screenwriting I - 3 cr.

CMI 310      Advanced Cinematography - 3 cr.

CMI 311     Editing II - 3 cr.

CMI 318     Documentary Prod. & Narrative - 3 cr.

CMI 320      Short Film Production - 6 cr.

CMI 328      Production Management - 3 cr.

ENGL 336     Studies in Film - 3 cr.

CMI 395      Directing I - 3 cr.

CMI 396       Directing II - 3 cr.

CMI 398      Special Topics - 3- 9 cr.

CMI 400      Directed Studies - 3- 9 cr.

ENGL 427    Adv. Studies in Film & Digital Media                     3 cr.

ENGL 436 Adv. Studies in Film & Digital Media History & Culture 3 cr.

ENGL 437 Adv. Studies in Film & Digital Media
Theory & Criticism 3 cr.

CMI/ENGL 480   Screenwriting II - 3 cr.

CMI 495 Internship - 3 cr.

CMI 496 Media Law & Ethics - 3 cr

CMI 497 Portfolio Design and Development 3 cr.

ART 151 Drawing II - 3 cr.

CMI 155* 2-D Animation - 3 cr.

CMI 231 History of Animation - 3 cr.

ART 250 Drawing III - 3 cr.

ART 256 Introduction to Letter Forms & Typographic - 3 cr.

CMI 260 Foundations of Digital Animation - 3 cr..

ART 265 Sculpture I - 3 cr.

CMI 301 Sound Design II - 3 cr.

CMI 328 Production Management- 3 cr.

CMI 331 Modeling - 3 cr.

CMI 332 3-D Character Animation - 3 cr.

CMI 334 3-D Modeling and FX - 3 cr.

CMI 335 Advanced FX and Compositing - 3 cr.

ENGL 336 Studies in Film - 3 cr.

CMI 341 Film Techniques for Animators - 3 cr.

CMI 350 Intermediate 2-D Animation - 3 cr.

CMI/THTR 357 Computer Scenographics - 3 cr.

CMI 365 Personal Character Development - 3 cr.

CMI 397 Animation Practicum - 1-3 cr.

CMI 398 Special Topics - 3-9 cr.

CMI 400 Directed Studies - 3-9 cr.

ENGL 427 Advanced Studies in Film & Digital Media - 3 cr.

ENGL 436 Adv. Studies in Film & Digital Media History & Culture 3 cr.

ENGL 437 Adv. Studies in Film & Digital Media Theory & Criticism - 3 cr.

CMI 495 Internship - 3 cr.

CMI 496 Media Law & Ethics - 3 cr

CMI 497 Portfolio Design and Development - 3 cr.

MINOR: Digital Film Making
Take 18 credits from the CMI, ENGL and THTR courses as listed in the Creative Media Foundation and Digital Film Making major. A minimum of 9 cr. must be upper division (# 300 - 499)

MINOR: Animation and Digital Effects
Take 18 credits of CMI, ENGL and THTR courses as listed in the Creative Media Foundation and Animation and Digital Effects major. A minimum of 9 cr. must be upper division (# 300 - 499)

NMSU College of Extended Learning: Creative Media Institute
(575) 646-5671 or (800) 821-1574 | Fax: (575) 646- 6321
Milton Hall 172
MSC 3CMI / P.O. Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001