New Media/Computer Science
Credentials available
- Bachelor of Fine Arts - New Media/Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)
Campus
- Lethbridge
Intake
Program description
Get down to the pixel level.
Demand is increasing for new media artists that draw from an extensive computer science foundation. This five-year combined degrees program bridges the gap and provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Explore the intersection of art, design and technology in a hands-on program that prepares you for creative careers and leadership in a rapidly evolving digital world. From day one, you’ll dive into collaborative and self-directed creative projects while building a strong foundation in interactive, narrative, spatial and networked media.
Our innovative program blends studio practice with professional development and research-creation, helping you build impactful digital work while exploring the cultural, ethical and environmental issues shaping the world today.
Combine your foundation in new media with studies in computer science, delving into the study of algorithms, data structures and their applications to develop efficient solutions to global problems.
- Build skills in areas that excite you — digital storytelling, video, sound, coding, game design, UX, and more.
- Learn through studio-based courses that blend experimentation, collaboration and critical inquiry with access to cutting-edge equipment and labs.
- Have the option to participate in a New Media Internship placement option where you work for a company or organization in an area that is of interest to you.
Work-Integrated Learning
You have full access to co-operative education, international exchanges, independent and applied studies as well as volunteer opportunities. ULethbridge is the only university in Alberta to offer co-operative education to all majors, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Professional Development
Participate and get involved in advanced studio exhibitions, internships, research and more as a New Media student.
We offer competitive scholarships and awards for students to focus on special projects, gain real-world experience and hone their talent through research and artistic creation.
Skills You Build
| Digital artmaking and storytelling | Project implementation | Web design and development |
| Visual communication | Critique and analysis of media | Video production |
| UI and UX design | Presentation | Writing for digital media |
| Sculpture and animation | Emerging technologies | Graphic design |
Possible careers
New Media/Computer Science graduates are highly adaptable in a variety of work environments and emerging technologies. You may go on to work in industries such as digital media production, communications, digital marketing, video game development, film and television, or the arts. Possible careers include:
- Web Developer/Designer
- Mobile App Designer
- Business owner/entrepreneur
- Digital Communications/Marketing Content Strategist
- Producer
- Project Coordinator
- Creative Director/Art Director
- Graphic Artist
- Robotics
- Multimedia
- Computer Music
- Software Development
- Systems Analysis
- Database Management
- Foreign Area Analyst
Some of these careers require additional education. Students may also choose to continue their education at the MFA or PhD level.
Admission requirements for New Media/Computer Science
For admission, Canadian high school students in Alberta must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
This course is required:
- English Language Arts 30-1
Three of these courses are required:
- Aboriginal Studies 30
- Art 30 or Art 31
- Biology 30
- Chemistry 30
- Choral Music 30, General Music 30, or Instrumental Music 30
- Dance 35
- Drama 30
- Mathematics 30-1 or Mathematics 30-2
- Mathematics 31
- Physics 30
- Science 30
- Social Studies 30-1 or Social Studies 30-2
- Five credits in Advanced-level CTS Computer Science (CSE)
- One or more distinct languages at the 30 level
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 30 level
- Must be worth at least five credits (multiple courses worth a total of five or more credits can be used)
- Cannot be a Special Project
For admission, Canadian high school students in British Columbia must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
One of these courses is required:
- English 12
- English First Peoples 12
Three of these courses are required:
- One or more distinct languages at the 12 or 12A level
- Human Geography 12 or Physical Geography 12
- BC First Peoples 12 or Contemporary Indigenous Studies 12
- Political Studies 12
- Law Studies 12
- Comparative Cultures 12
- Asian Studies 12
- 20th Century World History 12
- Social Justice 12
- One of Pre-Calculus 12 or Foundations of Mathematics 12
- Calculus 12
- Anatomy & Physiology 12
- Chemistry 12
- Physics 12
- Composition 12
- Creative Writing 12
- New Media 12
- Spoken Language 12 or Literary Studies 12
- Geometry 12
- Statistics 12
- Computer Science 12
- Environmental Science 12
- Specialized Science 12
- Economic Theory 12
- Geology 12
- Studio Arts 3D 12,Studio Arts 2D 12, or Art Studio 12
- Dance Foundations 12, Dance Company 12, Dance Conditioning 12, or Dance Technique and Performance 12
- Drama 12
- Choral Music: Chamber Choir 12, Composition and Production 12, or Instrumental Music: Orchestra 12
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 12 level
- Must be worth at least four credits
For admission, Canadian high school students in Manitoba must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
One of these courses is required:
- Comprehensive Focus 40S
- Literary Focus 40S
- Transactional Focus 40S
Three of these courses are required:
- Biology 40S
- Chemistry 40S
- Computer Science 40S
- Current Topics in FNMI Studies 40S
- Drama 40S or Drama 45S (maximum one credit)
- Global Issues 40S
- History: Western Civilization 40S
- Interdisciplinary Topics in Science 40S
- Pre-Calculus Mathematics 40S or Applied Mathematics 40S
- Advanced Mathematics 45S and Calculus 45S
- Music 40S or Music 45S (maximum one credit)
- Physics 40S
- Visual Arts 40S or Visual Arts 45S (maximum one credit)
- Geography: World Human 40S
- One or more distinct languages at the 40S or 30S (min. 4yr) level
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 40 level
- Must be designated S, G, or U
- Must be worth at least one credit (two half-credit courses may be used)
For admission, Canadian high school students in New Brunswick must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
One of these courses is required:
- English 121
- English 122
Three of these courses are required:
- Biology 121 or Biology 122
- Calculus 120
- Canadian Geography 120
- Canadian History 120 or Canadian History 122
- Chemistry 121 or Chemistry 122
- Intro to Environmental Studies 122
- One of Foundations of Math 120 or Pre-Calculus A120 and Pre-Calculus B120 (counts as one course)
- Music 120 or Music 122
- Physics 121 or Physics 122
- Science 120
- Theatre Arts 120
- Three Dimensional Studies 120
- Visual Arts 120 or Visual Arts Portfolio 122
- World Issues 120
- One or more distinct languages at the 121 or 122 level
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 120, 121, or 122 level
- Must be worth at least one credit
For admission, Canadian high school students in Newfoundland & Labrador must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
This course is required:
- English 3201
Three of these courses are required:
- Art and Design 3200
- Biology 3201
- Calculus 3208
- Chemistry 3202
- Earth Systems 3209
- Advanced Mathematics 3200 or Mathematics 3201
- Applied Music 3206 or Ensemble Performance 3105
- Physics 3204
- Theatre Arts 3220 or Musical Theatre 3221
- World Geography 3202 or World Geography 3208
- World History 3201 or Histoire Mondiale 3231
- One or more distinct languages at the 3200 level
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 3000 level
- Must be worth at least two credits
For admission, Canadian high school students in Northwest Territories must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
This course is required:
- English Language Arts 30-1
Three of these courses are required:
- Aboriginal Studies 30
- Art 30 or Art 31
- Biology 30
- Chemistry 30
- Choral Music 30, General Music 30, or Instrumental Music 30
- Dance 35
- Drama 30
- Mathematics 30-1 or Mathematics 30-2
- Mathematics 31
- Physics 30
- Science 30
- Social Studies 30-1 or Social Studies 30-2
- Five credits in Advanced-level CTS Computer Science (CSE)
- One or more distinct languages at the 30 level
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 30 level
- Must be worth at least five credits (multiple courses worth a total of five or more credits can be used)
- Cannot be a Special Project
For admission, Canadian high school students in Nova Scotia must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
One of these courses is required:
- English 12 (Academic)
- English 12 (Advanced)
- English 12 African Heritage
Three of these courses are required:
- Biology 12
- Calculus 12
- Chemistry 12
- Drama Theatre Arts 12
- Film and Video Production 12
- Geology 12
- Global Geography 12
- Global History 12
- Global Politics 12
- One of Pre-Calculus 12, Mathematics 12 (Advanced), Mathematics 12 (Academic), or Mathematics Foundations 12
- Music 12
- Physics 12
- Visual Arts 12
- One or more distinct languages at the 12 level
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 12 level
- Must be worth at least one credit
For admission, Canadian high school students in Nunavut must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
This course is required:
- English Language Arts 30-1
Three of these courses are required:
- Aboriginal Studies 30
- Art 30 or Art 31
- Biology 30
- Chemistry 30
- Choral Music 30, General Music 30, or Instrumental Music 30
- Dance 35
- Drama 30
- Mathematics 30-1 or Mathematics 30-2
- Mathematics 31
- Physics 30
- Science 30
- Social Studies 30-1 or Social Studies 30-2
- Five credits in Advanced-level CTS Computer Science (CSE)
- One or more distinct languages at the 30 level
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 30 level
- Must be worth at least five credits (multiple courses worth a total of five or more credits can be used)
- Cannot be a Special Project
For admission, Canadian high school students in Ontario must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
One of these courses is required:
- Anglais (EAE4U)
- English (ENG4U)
- Studies in Literature (ETS4U)
Three of these courses are required:
- Biology (SBI4U)
- Chemistry (SCH4U)
- Canada: History, Identity, and Culture (CHI4U) or World History: The West and the World (CHY4U)
- Canadian and International Law (CLN4U)
- Canadian and World Politics (CPW4U)
- Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U)
- Computer Science (ICS4U)
- Dance (ATC4M)
- Drama (ADA4M)
- Earth and Space Science (SES4U)
- Issues of Indigenous Peoples in a Global Context (NDW4M) or Aboriginal Governance (NDG4M)
- Advanced Functions (MHF4U), Foundations for College Math (MAP4C), Math for College Technology (MCT4C), or Mathematics of Data Management (MDM4U)
- Media Arts (ASM4M)
- Music (AMU4M)
- Physics (SPH4U)
- Science (SNC4M)
- Visual Arts (AVI4M)
- World Geography: Human Patterns and Interactions (CGU4U) or Canadian and World Issues (CGW4U)
- One or more distinct languages at the 4U, DU, or NL5 level
- Any other 4U level course
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 4U or 4M level
- Must be at least 1.0 credits
For admission, Canadian high school students in Prince Edward Island must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
One of these courses is required:
- English 611A
- English 621A
Three of these courses are required:
- Biology 621A or Biology 611A
- Chemistry 611A or Chemistry 621A
- Dramatic Arts 621A
- Environmental Science 621A
- Geography 621A: Global Issues
- History 621A: Canadian History or History 621B: Prince Edward Island History
- Mathematics 611B (Calculus)
- Mathematics 621B or Mathematics 621A
- Music 621A
- Oceanography 621A
- Physics 621A
- Visual Arts 621A
- One or more distinct languages at the 621 level
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 600 level
- Must be worth at least one credit
For admission, Canadian high school students in Quebec must have completed 10 of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
Two courses from the
- English Literature 603 series
Eight of these courses are required:
- Art 520
- Biology 101
- Chemistry 202
- Drama 560
- Geography 320
- History 330
- Mathematics 201
- Music 550
- Physics 203
- Français 601 or French as a Second Language 602
- One or more distinct languages at the 607 to 616 level
A completed CEGEP diploma (DCS or DEC) may qualify the applicant for advance credits.
For admission, Canadian high school students in Saskatchewan must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
One of these courses is required:
- English Language Arts A30, English Language Arts B30, or English Language Arts 30
Three of these courses are required:
- Arts Education 30 or Visual Art 30
- Band 30, Choral 30, or Instrumental Jazz 30
- Biology 30
- Calculus 30
- Chemistry 30
- Computer Science 30
- Dance 30
- Drama 30
- Earth Science 30
- Geography 30
- History 30: Canadian Studies
- One of Pre-Calculus 30 or Foundations of Mathematics 30
- Native Studies 30: Canadian Studies
- Physics 30
- Social Studies 30: Canadian Studies
- One or more distinct languages at the 30 level
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 30 level
- Must be worth at least one credit
For admission, Canadian high school students in The Yukon must have completed five of the following courses with a minimum 65% average across them:
One of these courses is required:
- English 12
- English First Peoples 12
Three of these courses are required:
- One or more distinct languages at the 12 or 12A level
- Human Geography 12 or Physical Geography 12
- BC First Peoples 12 or Contemporary Indigenous Studies 12
- Political Studies 12
- Law Studies 12
- Comparative Cultures 12
- Asian Studies 12
- 20th Century World History 12
- Social Justice 12
- One of Pre-Calculus 12 or Foundations of Mathematics 12
- Calculus 12
- Anatomy & Physiology 12
- Chemistry 12
- Physics 12
- Composition 12
- Creative Writing 12
- New Media 12
- Spoken Language 12 or Literary Studies 12
- Geometry 12
- Statistics 12
- Computer Science 12
- Environmental Science 12
- Specialized Science 12
- Economic Theory 12
- Geology 12
- Studio Arts 3D 12,Studio Arts 2D 12, or Art Studio 12
- Dance Foundations 12, Dance Company 12, Dance Conditioning 12, or Dance Technique and Performance 12
- Drama 12
- Choral Music: Chamber Choir 12, Composition and Production 12, or Instrumental Music: Orchestra 12
One additional requirement from this list:
- That has not already been used
- May be from the list above
- Must be at the 12 level
- Must be worth at least four credits
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Mathematics 30-1
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Pre-Calculus 12
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Pre-Calculus Mathematics 40S
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Pre-Calculus 120A and 120B
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Advanced Functions MHF4U
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Mathematics 30-1
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Pre-Calculus Mathematics 12
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Mathematics 30-1
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Mathematics 3200
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Mathematics 621B
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Linear Algebra 201-NYC or Calculus I 201-NYA or Calculus II 201-NYB
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Pre-Calculus 30
This program also requires
One of the courses you include must be:
- Pre-Calculus 12
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
Not a Canadian high school student? Find your admission requirements here
First year cost estimator
for New Media/Computer Science
Let us help you understand your tuition and fees for your first year at the University of Lethbridge.
"I gained various skills from the University’s liberal education, it was actually the main reason why I made the decision to add new media to my computer science degree, to help me get an advantage in my career with front-end/back-end development and design. It's thanks to my liberal education that I have a creative design perspective alongside technical expertise, enabling me to navigate the dynamic landscape of digital technologies with dexterity and innovation."
- Jackie Eshriew (BFA - New Media/BSc '23)
Sample classes
Programming Foundations
3D Computer Modelling and Animation
Advanced Web Design
Computer Architecture
Artificial Intelligence
Additional information
5 Years (combined degrees)
- Digital Cinema Suite – professional editing and finishing rooms
- Computer labs with advanced graphics workstations
- The Game Research Lab
- The Cove Studio with VFX green screen infinity cyclorama
- An extensive media production equipment loan centre that supports experimentation across a wide range of media
Learn more
Your post secondary education is an important investment and we're here to help you reach your goals.