• 1)      Meet minimum academic requirements for the University of California system. First Year requirements are here, Transfer requirements are here. UCLA admits for Fall Quarter only. This material is due at the end of November.

    2)      Submit a required supplemental application. The supplement is typically due in mid-December and consists of additional artist statements and a portfolio of visual artwork. This supplement is submitted through SlideRoom.

    If you are a currently enrolled UCLA student in another major who wishes to be a UCLA Arts major, please look up the application information for Current UCLA Students.

  • 1. Creative and Artistic Vision in Computational Art: Students will conceptualize and create innovative digital artworks that integrate aesthetic principles with algorithmic processes.

    Skills: Visual design, generative art, interactive narrative, multimedia integration.

    2. Technical Competence and Craftsmanship: Students will acquire technical skills required for digital art production, including proficiency in programming, data visualization, and digital fabrication.

    Skills: Programming languages (e.g., Processing, p5.js, Python), 3D modeling, sensor integration, digital imaging.

    3. Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Students will work collaboratively across diverse fields—such as computer science, fine arts, engineering, and digital humanities—to produce complex computational art projects.

    Skills: Teamwork, communication, interdisciplinary thinking, project management.

    4. Critical Thinking and Theory in Computational Art: Students will critically analyze the cultural, social, and philosophical implications of computational art, exploring themes of representation, ethics, and digital identity.

    Skills: Art theory, cultural analysis, digital ethics, critical writing

    5. Experimental and Conceptual Approaches: Students will develop experimental approaches to digital art, exploring unconventional media integration and innovative aesthetic paradigms.

    Skills: Experimental coding, rapid prototyping, mixed and virtual reality, innovative narrative techniques.

    6. Proficiency in Digital Production and Workflow: Students will plan, manage, and execute digital art projects using industry-standard practices and iterative design processes.

    Skills: Digital project management, iterative design, testing, technical documentation

    7. Cultural Literacy and Global Engagement: Students will understand global digital art cultures and engage with diverse artistic traditions and online communities.

    Skills: Global media awareness, cultural analysis, digital community engagement

    8. Communication and Presentation Skills: Students will effectively present their computational art concepts and project outcomes to both technical and non-technical audiences.

    Skills: Public speaking, visual storytelling, portfolio development, multimedia presentations.

    9. Professional Development and Industry Awareness: Students will gain insights into career pathways within the digital art and technology sectors and be prepared for professional practice.

    Skills: Networking, career planning, portfolio curation

    10. Adaptability and Lifelong Learning: Students will remain adaptable and committed to continuous learning in the face of emerging technologies and evolving digital practices.

    Skills: Self-directed research, adaptability to new tools, ongoing skill development, reflective practice.

  • The target enrollment for Computational Art, across all four years, is 60 undergraduates.

  • We do not, we only have the major.

  • The Computational Art major is NOT a formal or recognized pathway to the Architectural Studies major, which only admits Transfer students. All of our majors have distinct faculty, facilities, and curriculum; we do not swap applicants between majors at the point of admission review.

    If you are interested in architecture but cannot apply to that major because you are not a Transfer applicant, please read this FAQ.

  • This depends on how you define your relationship with technology and digital media. As a public institution, the department understands that even though technology seems ubiquitous, not everyone has meaningful access to specific programs.

    Do you need to know certain software for admission? No. Visual artwork that has been generated by/involves technology is not a requirement for admission into the program. We are looking for your sensibility around design thinking, which can be expressed in many different ways.

  • For both First Year and Transfer applicants, the evaluation considers the following:

    • Portfolio of creative work (submitted in SlideRoom)

    • UC PIQs (from UC application)

    • Academic History (from UC application)

    • Extracurriculars/Honors/Awards (from UC application)

  • While we do not have portfolio samples, or offer portfolio reviews (more info about this here), here is some guidance from the faculty, on how to prepare supplemental materials:

    "This is a program meant for the development of conceptual and aesthetic critical thinking, and many different ways of looking at media. Take the time to learn as much as you can from the website, and look at examples of our past student's work."

    "This is a research university, where students get access to humanities, to sciences, to different ways of thinking. It's a different context from an art school."

    "We work with a lot of different media, so it's helpful in your portfolio to see work with different kinds of media. Digital media is a real focus for us, so tailoring your portfolio as much as possible to the focus of our program will give us the best sense of whether it’s the right fit. If you haven’t worked with digital media before, it’s helpful to use your written answers to explain how you envision your practice transitioning to include new types of media."

    "It's important to see your technical skill set, but your work does not need to be highly representational or heavily using technical effects. We’re more interested in the conceptual focus behind your work."

    "We want students who are curious, experimental, and open, with a rich inner artistic voice."

    "For the written response, we encourage you to be as specific as possible and tell us what excites you. The written response can be particularly illuminating and connecting if your portfolio is not explicitly design/digital media (ex. painting, drawing, etc.)."

    "Be cautious about including very standardized assignments from a class if they're not showing your unique vision or creativity."

    "We like to see some cohesiveness across pieces. Each part of your application is one piece of the larger picture, be mindful of those relationships between your application elements as you edit and organize your story."

    *

    Here is more information about how to format your portfolio.

  • In concert with the portfolio, take care with preparing your UC PIQs. The evaluators are interested to read your UC PIQs to get a sense of how you engage with ideas of community and scholarship. All of the UC campuses are research-based, as is the UCLA Department of Design|Media Arts. What does it mean to put your talents to work in design at a research university where you have a wide variety of opportunities to engage with the world as an artist citizen?

  • Yes! We have a comprehensive Transfer Guide just for you:

    https://www.uclaarts-admission.com/dma-transfer-guide