July 26, 2006 

NYIT Launches Master of Fine Arts Program in Graphic Arts

Old Westbury, N.Y., July 26, 2006: New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) announced the launch of a new Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) graduate program with a specialization in computer graphics and animation. As one the foundations of the computer graphics industry, NYIT is now seeking to capitalize on the future of digital art and design as it advances students into the 21st century.

The college’s Computer Graphics Lab, formed in 1974, pioneered 3-D computer animation for nearly two decades and was staffed by a digital dream team of future computer graphics pioneers, including Pixar President Ed Catmull, Pixar co-founder Alvy Ray Smith and Netscape and Silicon Graphics founder Jim Clark. Building on the success of the college’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) program, NYIT’s College of Arts and Sciences will offer the new M.F.A. program at the college’s Old Westbury, N.Y., and Manhattan campuses beginning this fall.

“NYIT’s new master’s program will produce graduates ready to excel in the highly competitive and technologically advanced fields of digital visualization and communication,” says Professor Peter Voci, chair of NYIT’s fine arts department and M.F.A. graduate program director. “Under the guidance of our internationally recognized professors, students will hone their skills in our advanced technology labs and studios.”

Students participating in the program will learn advanced theories backed by the practical knowledge needed to succeed in the competitive media arts industries. In addition, students will be exposed to some of the finest technology available among M.F.A. programs, including NYIT’s Fine Arts Digital Sculpture Lab, which features a rapid prototyper – essentially a “3-D printer” – and Cyberware 3-D head and face scanner.

“When students graduate, they will have a portfolio of innovative, exhibition-quality computer animation and selections of commercial shorts, each with well-developed characters and a well-defined story,” says Voci. “This showcase will show future employers that NYIT students have the skills required for commercial and post-production work in video games, television and film.”

The M.F.A. in computer graphics and animation requires 64 credit hours of graduate coursework in topics such as 2-D and 3-D modeling, character animation, storyboard development, new media history, digital compositing and special effects. Internships with metropolitan-area studios will enable students to develop workplace and industry networking experience. Additional M.F.A. specializations, including graphic design and fine arts and technology, will be offered in the future.

Applicants should hold a B.F.A. degree from an accredited college or university and have a minimum grade point average of 2.85. An electronic portfolio of work must be submitted with the application. For more information, please visit http://iris.nyit.edu/finearts.

About NYIT

NYIT is the college of choice for more than 14,000 students currently enrolled in more than 100 courses of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees from several schools, including engineering, architecture, business, communication arts and medicine. A private, independent college, NYIT embraces an educational philosophy of career-oriented, professional education for all qualified students and supports applications-oriented research to benefit the greater global community. Students attend classes at NYIT’s Manhattan and Long Island campuses, as well as online and in a number of programs throughout the world. To date, more than 69,000 alumni have earned degrees at NYIT. For additional information, visit www.nyit.edu.

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Contact: mediarelations@nyit.edu