for Prospective Transfer Students to Computational art, Design, or games

Since the majors in Computational Art, Design, and Games are all housed in the Department of Design|Media Arts, the three majors share many lower division requirements. You can use this information to compare with courses available at your institution and identify the best match for learning outcomes and experience, so that the courses have the best chance of counting towards your major.

    • Most transfer students take three years to complete the program.

    • The most important admission criteria are the supplemental application which involves additional essays, a design portfolio, strong academic performance, and evidence of community engagement relative to interest in the major. Additional fees may apply.

    • All students must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA at the time of application (November 30).

    • Students MUST complete the requisite two English courses and one Math course by the end of Spring prior to transfer. Students are encouraged to take their required English and Math courses as early as possible with at least one English course completed by the end of Fall.

    • Completion of Cal-GETC/IGETC is not required.

    • We do not articulate coursework in advance, due to the interdisciplinary nature of these majors and the availability (or lack thereof) at community colleges — not all CCs have broad design offerings. We encourage students to look broadly across their community college's departments— we've seen strong matches come out of Fine Arts, Journalism, Art History, Computer Science, Theater, Film, Technology, and Architecture, not just Design or Media Arts specifically.

    • Please also keep in mind that course articulation is not automatic, even when a course title looks like a close match. Each course is reviewed individually by the department in relation to your specific supplemental application and portfolio— the same course title at two different colleges (or taken by two different students) can be evaluated differently depending on how applied, technical, or narrow the actual coursework turned out to be, versus how the department's learning outcomes are framed. We know this can feel like an inexact process, and we've provided as much detail as we can below to help you aim in the right direction.

    • If you do not have access to coursework, this will not negatively affect your admission. If you haven't taken a class, you can take it at UCLA. Substitutions for lower-division requirements will be determined by the department in the summer following admission. Syllabi or other descriptive course documentation may be required for consideration.

    • We consider sophomore transfers. For more information about eligibility and criteria, please visit this link.

  • Most, if not all, transfers to Computational Art, Design, and Games require three years to complete the curriculum.

    Why is this the case? The lower division coursework across the three majors is highly interdisciplinary, so much of the coursework at other schools doesn't match up in terms of learning outcomes and scope. This is especially true at California community colleges— where most of our transfer applicants come from— where design studio coursework tends to be more vocational, while UCLA's approach is more research-based.

    For example: one of the department's lower division courses is DESMA 22, "Fabrication and Materials." At a community college, possible matches to this course might exist across a variety of departments (Art, Design, Technology, etc.), and there might be multiple courses that could potentially articulate— for example, "3D Modeling for Buildings and Cars," "Sculpture," or "Rapid Prototyping Using 3D Design." Whether any of these courses ultimately articulates depends on a few factors: how closely the course's curriculum and learning outcomes align with DESMA 22's, which major the student is applying to, and the type of work the student is doing relative to that major.

    There is nothing wrong with the coursework at either institution— it's all valuable. We aim to articulate as many lower division courses as possible; differences in institutional culture and learning outcomes are simply part of what shapes that process.

  • Unfortunately, no. Formal course articulation is a complex process involving departmental review and the Registrar’s office, and this process happens in the summer after students have accepted their offer of admission.

    For California community college students, you can check Transferology.com to see if any coursework from your institution has previously been articulated to UCLA. Please keep in mind, though, that just because a course was articulated in the past, does not necessarily mean it will for you.

  • Unfortunately, we can't guarantee that the classes you need will be offered in summer, so our estimates are based on what students complete across six quarters (two years of Fall, Winter, and Spring).

    As for taking extra studios: the department caps students at two studios per quarter to keep everyone on track, and some studios are only offered once a year. Because of this, it's very difficult to enroll in additional studios to speed up graduation— the exception is your final quarter, if you need an extra studio to graduate on time.

  • You may have noticed that there is more California community college coursework that is marked for CSU transfer, than UC transfer. Again this has to do with the orientation of the coursework at CC, which is more geared towards preparing workforce, and how that translates to the intentions of degrees at CSUs and UCs. Since CSU campuses also tend towards applied learning, workforce development, and creating educators, the coursework has more commonality in terms of being triangulated towards credentialing. At the UC, the mission is research, which is more interdisciplinary and therefore doesn’t line up as easily with credentialing.

    It is possible to have CSU-transferable coursework apply towards UCLA DMA coursework, but that is a case-by-case evaluation after you have accepted your offer of admission, and not something that is pre-articulated.

 

The table below lists all of the lower-division required courses notated by major, followed by learning expectations regarding relevant experience and knowledge base. Use this information to find best match courses at your institution towards your desired major.

Lower Division Course Requirements: Computational Art, Design, and Games
Lower Division Course Type Computational Art Design Games
7 Critical Game Culture Lecture — No — No ✓ Required
8 Media Histories Lecture ✓ Required ✓ Required ◐ Choose 1
10 Design Culture Lecture — No ✓ Required ◐ Choose 1
21 Digital Image Studio ✓ Required ✓ Required ✓ Required
22 Fabrication & Materials Studio ◐ Choose 1 ◐ Choose 1 ✓ Required
24 Video & Motion Studio ✓ Required ✓ Required ◐ Choose 1
25 Typography Studio ◐ Choose 1 ✓ Required ◐ Choose 1
27 3D Modeling Studio ✓ Required ◐ Choose 1 ✓ Required
28 Interactivity Studio ✓ Required ✓ Required ✓ Required
29 Social Computing Lecture ✓ Required — No — No

Legend

✓ Required  This course must be completed to satisfy preparation for the major.

◐ Choose 1  Only one course from the paired set below is required — not both.

— No  This course does not count toward preparation for this major.

"Choose 1" Pairings by Major

  • Computational Art: 22 Fabrication & Materials or 25 Typography
  • Design: 22 Fabrication & Materials or 27 3D Modeling
  • Games: 8 Media Histories or 10 Design Culture  |  24 Video & Motion or 25 Typography
 

COURSE TITLE + Learning Expectations

CRITICAL GAME CULTURE (DESMA 7)

  • Gain literacy in games and game studies texts

  • Learn to engage critically with games and game culture through reading, viewing, and most importantly actual play

  • Draw on your own diverse knowledge, experiences, and vantage points to write and reflect personally and critically on the readings and games presented in the class

  • Experiment with different forms of creative responses beyond writing

  • Participate in play, discussion, and experimentation

Look for course titles like:

  • Game Design / Game Development: Introduction to Game Studies, History of Video Games, Games and Culture

  • Media Studies: Digital Media and Society, Media Criticism, Popular Culture and Media

  • Film/Media Studies: Introduction to Media Studies, Media Literacy, Critical Media Analysis

  • Communication Studies: Popular Culture, Mass Media and Society

  • Cultural Studies: Popular Culture, Cultural Studies of Technology

  • Sociology: Sociology of Media, Technology and Society

  • Ethnic Studies / Gender Studies: Representation in Media, Race and Media, Gender and Media

  • Interdisciplinary Studies: Contemporary Issues in Digital Culture

A course is likely to be a good match if it covers at least two of the following: history of games or digital media; critical analysis of games, media, or interactive technologies; social and cultural impacts of games; representation, identity, gender, race, class, or globalization in digital culture; readings and discussion centered on media as cultural artifacts.

Courses that usually do not match, even though they involve games, include Intro to Game Design, Game Programming, Unity Development, Game Art, Game Production, or general Computer Science survey courses — these tend to focus on creation and technical skills rather than critical or cultural analysis.

MEDIA HISTORIES (DESMA 8)

  • Explore optical media and aesthetic movements covering the past two centuries

  • Understand how such movements can inform generative work

  • Understand how these media become essential in emerging era of digital humanities

  • In general, courses in Art History, Film/TV, or media studies that cover the 20th century may be approved

Look for course titles like:

History of Photography, History of Film, Film History, Introduction to Media Studies, Media and Society, History of Mass Media, Visual Culture, History of Digital Media, History of Communication Technology.

DESIGN CULTURE (DESMA 10)

  • The student should have a basic understanding of design from a cultural and social (perhaps design historical) perspective.

  • Learn to understand how design influences everyday life

  • Understand the various types of design and the motives guiding its planning, marketing, reception, and uses

  • Explore the connections between design and technology in the context of historic, economic, and cultural factors

Look for course titles like:

Design History, History of Graphic Design, Design and Society, Introduction to Design Studies, History of Industrial Design, Visual Culture, Design in Contemporary Culture.

We're specifically looking for courses that address: design as a cultural force; design's impact on everyday life; relationships between design, technology, and society; the historical development of designed objects, systems, and environments; consumer culture, marketing, and design reception; and critical analysis of visual and material culture.

Note: Graphic design or introductory art history courses on their own are usually not sufficient— the course needs to frame design through a cultural, social, or historical lens specifically, not just teach design skills or general art history.

DIGITAL IMAGE (DESMA 21)

  • A personal and expressive language of representation

  • Emphasis on line, shape, volume, mark-making (pattern), color, grid, perspective

  • Gain foundational skills in observation and graphical representation of three-dimensional forms and spatial relationships

  • Analyze visual elements like color, composition, texture, perspective, and value to build visual literacy, expand terminology, and develop new interpretive approaches

  • Gain proficiency with digital drawing, drafting, and hybrid drawing workflows

  • Effectively communicate abstract and concrete ideas effectively through image-making

  • Critique formal and conceptual elements of peer work to strengthen communication skills and expand visual analysis skills

  • Learn effective methods for documenting, saving, compressing, and organizing projects and digital files

  • Experience using Illustrator and Photoshop

FABRICATION & MATERIALS (DESMA 22)

  • Critically engage the relationships between ideas, software, material, and process

  • Learn to create physical projects using various traditional and digital techniques

  • Experience using a laser cutter, 3D printer, hand and power tools, sewing, foundational paper, wood, foam, and/or fabric construction techniques

  • Gain confidence with fabrication tools and equipment, emphasizing safe and respectful use of shared studio spaces

  • Use sketching and other tools to develop and design three-dimensional projects

  • Develop a vocabulary for discussing sculpture and 3D designs

  • Engage in teamwork, peer critiques, and creative exploration of sculptural concepts, encouraging innovation and personal expression

VIDEO & MOTION (DESMA 24)

  • Understand fundamental principles and concepts of video and motion

  • Develop a vocabulary for discussing video, motion graphics, and animation in the contexts of design, media arts, film, animation, and fine arts

  • Acquire the technical skills for producing motion work using industry-standard software (ex. After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Audacity Cinema 4D, and/or Blender)

  • Gain an understanding of professional practices, production pipelines, and career roles in video and motion spheres

  • Explore the work of fine artists and independent filmmakers who use motion in their work

  • Create motion-based projects that can be included in personal portfolios

TYPOGRAPHY (DESMA 25)

  • Understand typography, its legibility and meaning of form

  • Create grids and set columns

  • Experience using InDesign, Photoshop, and/or Illustrator

  • Understand visual editing and aesthetics of typography, make perfect column setting

  • Book typography (typography, column-setting, text)

  • Expressive typography (storytelling, meaning, communication, and form)

3D MODELING (DESMA 27)

  • Gain a solid understanding of the logic behind “good” topology, and the ability to create models with clean edge flow and a reasonable polygon count

  • Become proficient at modeling simple and complex shapes using basic polygon modeling, curves, or NURBS techniques

  • Develop aesthetic values and a unique stylistic voice in 3D modeling software

  • Learn how to render scenes and export 3D assets for use in future projects or software applications

  • Experience using Maya and Blender

INTERACTIVITY (DESMA 28)

  • Write code within the context of the visual arts

  • Experience using Processing, p5.js, Java, and/or JavaScript

  • Create interactive software, animation, and images with code

SOCIAL COMPUTING (DESMA 29)

  • Analyze and critically examine social, cultural, and political implications of software design and development with an intersectional approach

  • Identify and recognize technology’s potential to reflect or perpetuate systems of bias or oppressive structures

  • Interact responsibly with various technologies, engaging with ethics, accessibility justice, and understanding environmental impacts

  • Synthesize computational concepts with broader contexts related to art history, design culture, and media theory

  • Create interactive web-based art projects (using p5.js and Javascript libraries) as a method of personal expression and embodied learning

This course is one of the more challenging ones to match, because most CC programming courses (CS1, Java, Python, C++, etc.) focus heavily on coding with little social or historical analysis, while most media studies courses cover the social and historical content but include little to no coding. A strong match will likely need to show evidence of both: practical engagement with computational or digital systems, and analysis of how those systems shape society, culture, identity, communication, labor, politics, or power.

Possible CC Course Matches for DESMA 29: Social Computing
CC Discipline Example Course Titles Coding Component Social/Historical Component
Computer Science Introduction to Computer Science Often light History of computing, societal impacts, ethics
Computer Science Computers and Society Usually none or light Strong
Computer Science Social and Ethical Issues in Computing Sometimes light Strong
Media Studies Digital Media and Society Sometimes project-based Strong
Media Studies History of New Media Minimal Strong
Communication Studies Technology and Human Communication Minimal Strong
Information Systems Information Systems in Organizations Moderate Organizational and social impacts
Data Science Data Literacy / Data Ethics Moderate Strong
Interdisciplinary Studies Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Varies Strong
Digital Arts / Interactive Media Creative Coding Strong Often includes cultural and historical context

Questions? Please email us at admission@arts.ucla.edu.