Doctor of Philosophy in Electronic Arts

Continuing its leadership in the experimental arts, Rensselaer has established a Ph.D. in Electronic Arts.  One of the first of its kind, the program offers an interdisciplinary arts degree that integrates arts practice with theoretical and historical research. The core of the curriculum focuses on the student's personal creative practice which is informed by coursework, individual attention from advisors, and culminates in a dissertation.

Rensselaer's Department of the Arts is generally considered to be the first integrated electronic arts program within a research university in the United States.  During the past ten years, the character of graduate education in the arts has been changing. The most visible new features are the prominence of the electronic arts, the development of interdisciplinary approaches, and, related in part to the previous two factors, Ph.D.s in interdisciplinary arts.  New professional standards and opportunities require Ph.D.s. in several areas:

• Many artists are now exploring new domains of creativity, which necessitate advanced research in a variety of fields--communication technologies, biology, and gaming--to name a few.
  
  
• In the university teaching market, many art and interdisciplinary arts departments have expanded what were previously positions filled only by those individuals with M.F.A.s to candidates who hold Ph.D.s.
  
  
• There are a number of institutions for advanced creative study that offer research positions for individuals with Ph.D.s in the creative arts.
  
  
• Curatorial positions in museums and university galleries are another professional option for individuals with an interdisciplinary arts Ph.D.