Exchange Program with University of the Arts

University of the Arts and University of the Sciences in Philadelphia have an exchange agreement, effective Spring Semester, 2007. This agreement allows ten students from each university to take one course a semester at the other for no additional tuition.

For our students, these courses will count in all regards as USP courses. In addition, up to five students each semester may enroll in applied music courses for an additional fee. Students from USP will now have the opportunity to take courses in fields as varied as e-publishing and strategic advertising, multimedia and game design. USP students will also be able to take private lessons in woodwinds and strings, percussion and brass. At the same time, UA students will have open to them the many exciting courses that USP offers. Students at both schools will now have the resources of two universities for the price of one.

This agreement has already made possible a variety of collaborations among faculty members at both schools. It has the potential to do much more as it brings together two universities that are so complementary and so similar but so profoundly different.

Students who are interested in taking a course at UA should consult with their advisors first. They then should make an appointment with Mrs. Joan Franks, Administrative Coordinator of the Humanities Department, x8895.

Students should be made aware that the two universities have different calendars and different arrangement of hours for courses. Spring breaks do not coincide, and classes tend to be scheduled once in the late afternoon and early evening.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is it?
The exchange agreement between University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and the University of the Arts opens the door for students to take one class for-credit, each semester, at the partner University campus. Students from USP will now have the opportunity to take courses in fields as varied as e-publishing and strategic advertising, multimedia, and game design from UArts College of Media & Communication (CMAC). USP students will also be able to take private lessons in woodwinds and strings, percussion and brass at their School of Music in the College of Performing Arts (CPA).

Who is eligible?
All matriculated, undergraduate USP students are eligible.

What about grad students?
Right now, there are no graduate level classes being offered, but a graduate level exchange is being discussed.

How many USP students can participate each semester?
A total of 10 students from each school, each semester can take classes. Another five USP students may enroll in the applied music program (private instruction) offered by the UArts School of Music. 

What about credit?
You take these courses for credit which will appear on your USP transcript as if you took the class at USP.

What does it cost?
There is no additional cost for classes taken at UArts in the College of Media & Communication. The applied music program through the School of Music will have a fee to cover the cost of private instruction and will be paid through USP. 

What are the grade requirements?
A USP student receiving a grade below 2.0 in any course taken as part of this program will not be allowed to continue taking courses at UArts. Grades will be sent to USP’s Registrar from the UArts Registrar and will appear on your USP transcript.

What’s my status when I’m on UArts’s campus?
You will be considered as having a non-matriculated status at UArts. You will be provided with an ID, and be entitled to those privileges normally available to non-matriculated students.

When does it start?
You can enroll in classes for the spring semester, 2007.

How do I sign up?
Contact Professor Mignon Adams (m.adams@usip.edu), Room 101 in the East Building. 

Is there any fine print?
Here’s one catch: each participating student may take no more than 18 credits of course work at UArts over six semesters and no more than one course each semester.  (Credits earned by USP students paying for musical instruction are not included in this provision.)   

How do I get to UArts?
It’s easy. Take the trolley to City Hall and walk a few short blocks south on Broad Street. It’s about 15-minutes one way to 320 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. Check them out on their Web site at www.uarts.edu.

Courses

MMDI 111
Introduction to Interface Design
3 credits, 3 hours

The software interface represents the focal point of user interaction with the various modes of multimedia communication. Readings by interface theorists will inform discussions on the evolution of the software interface, conceptual models, prototypes, interaction design, deliverables and basic concepts of human-computer interaction. Avenues for pursuing interactive media design in entertainment, publishing, and education will also be addressed. Current technologies, including the trend from soft to hard interfaces are studies, in terms of their potential short- and long-term influence on communication and multimedia. Basic methods for rapid prototyping and testing are considered.

MMDI 131
Introduction to Interactive Programming
3 credits, 3 hours

This course is an introductory programming class, appropriate for students with no programming experience. Traditionally, introductory programming teaches algorithmic problem solving, where a sequence of instructions describe the steps necessary to achieve a desired result.
In this course, students will be trained to go beyond this sequential thinking - to think concurrently and modularly. By its end, students are empowered to write and read code for even-driven graphical user interfaces, client server chat programs, networked video games and user interfaces.

MMDI 141
Collaboration and Spontaneity
3 credits, 3 hours

Through a series of exercises, class discussions and readings, students explore what it means to work as part of a team. Students learn to develop environments in which the creative process is encouraged to unfold. The basic assumptions that affect the foundation of collaborative groups, such as personal responsibility, authority relations, leadership issues, individual differences, competition, the development of norms, and the generation and uses of power, are experienced, explicated, and examined.
Students work within this collaborative environment to explore the connections between spontaneous verbal and nonverbal communication.

MMDI 220
Documentation and Presentation
1 credit, 2 hours

In this course, students will learn how to document their work for professional presentation. It will focus on issues relating to digital documentation and include skills such as saving projects, cross platform presentation, making digital skills, editing trailers of videos and using a copy stand. Students will document previously completed multimedia work and then present that work. Guest speakers will augment classroom lectures and activities.

MMDI 250
Survey of Multimedia
3 credits, 3 hours

Examines the chronological evolution of digital technology and its inevitable application by the aesthetic community. Beginning with the development of digital technology in the mid-1940s the course discusses the convergence of the scientific, military, and political environments that spawned the employment of digital technology, including the path that led to the digital dominance over analog. Includes the enhancement, exploitation, and embracing of digital technology by the corporate and aesthetic communicates, the invention of the personal computer and its ancillary products, and the application of digital technologies in fields as diverse as medicine, communications, manufacturing, cognitive psychology, and in particular the arts.
Pioneers in all fields will be identified and examined.

MMDI 354
Game Play
3 credits, 3 hours

A lecture-based focus on the human behavior in the how and why of play and creativity. Course material examines the relationship between creativity and play, the effects of reward and punishment, cultural notions of play, and the integration of play with design play. Students examine the differences between informed and uninformed play as well as the phenomenon of flow.

MMDI 425
Special Projects in Multimedia
3 credits, 6 hours

This seminar is designed to give students direct contact with their soon-to-be peers in the various multimedia industries. The multimedia industries that may be covered include but are not limited to: fine art, interface design, installation art, game design, and electronic music.
Timely and relevant issues concerning the craft, thought, and professional expectations of a multimedia artist/designer will be the content of this course. Topics related to the multimedia industries in general and the instructor's specific industry experiences are discussed. Readings, discussion, and a practical presentation or project make up the body of this course. Open to students with status
U3 or above.

Applied Non-Major Lessons

MUNM*101
MUNM*102
Private instruction in all instrumental, vocal, and composition areas
1.5 credits, 0.5 hours

MUNM*111
MUNM*112
Guitar Class for Non-Majors
1 credit, 1 hour

One-hour class of guitar instruction in contemporary guitar. Course covers basic technique including fingering, scales, chords, and chord melodies.

MUNM*113
MUNM*114
Drum Class for Non-Majors
1 credit, 1 hour

Drum set instruction in basic technique and contemporary styles including rock, jazz, and Brazilian.

MUNM*123
MUNM*124
Piano Class for Non-Majors
1 credit, 1 hour

One-hour class of piano instruction in traditional beginning piano.
Coursework includes basic technique including scales, chords, and chord melodies.

MUNM*131
MUNM*132
Composition Class for Non-Majors
1 credit, 1 hour

Students develop basic skills in various aspects of composition, including form, melody, harmony, rhythm, color, texture, notation, improvisation, and orchestration. Voice Class for Non-Majors

MUNM*141
MUNM*142
One-hour class of voice instruction in the classical training of voice.
1 credit, 1 hour

Course covers proper technique of breathing, support, focus of tone, production of clear, vocal line, and some musical interpretation of literature.

MUSC*460
Intro to MIDI and Electronic Technology
3 credits, 3 hours

A detailed hands-on examination of the use of computers in the present-day composition environment. The course includes the uses of a computer, the language of MIDI, sequencing, audio sampling, analog, digital, and other forms of synthesis, and a survey of currently available music software.
Strategies and technology of scoring and synchronizing to the visual image is emphasized through a final project.
No prior computer of synthesis experience is needed.

MUSC*461
Recording
2 credits, 2 hours

A study of the recording process and the many facets of the recording studio. Designed to familiarize the student with conventional and creative recording techniques through practical experience in the studio.

MUSC*481
Business of Music
2 credits, 2 hours

Examination of the legal, practical, and procedural problems encountered by the practicing musician. Specific course content includes the study of music publishing, recording contracts, and copyright and intellectual property rights issues.

University of the Arts