Next fall, Bradley will add several new and unique programs to its curriculum, including additions to the dietetics and interactive media programs.
“Bradley will offer academic concentrations in animation and visual effects, game design, and web and application design starting in the fall of 2010,” Senior Director of Public Relations Kath Conver said. “All three programs emphasize, in their unique ways, digital animation, sound design, computer graphics and programming, virtual world building and advanced interactive media scripting.”
The animation and visual effects program will focus on the production of digital character animation and visual effects for film, television, animation and game cinematics, Conver said.
“Game design will focus on the design and media elements of console, computer and mobile games, as well as the production of games,” she said. “The web and application design program will focus on the creation of Internet and mobile applications, experience design and web development.”
Students who decide to take one of these programs will receive a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Interactive Media. Graduates from these programs will find jobs with game design companies, interactive agencies, internal web communications departments, animation studios, motion graphics and design firms, she said.
The dietetics program will also be undergoing some changes for next year.
“The Family and Consumer Sciences Department has proposed housing a Dietetic Internship at Bradley which will lead to a graduate certificate with a concentration in wellness,” said professor Nina Collins of the Family and Consumer Sciences department. “We anticipate the FCS dietetics internship will begin this fall with 10 interns. The internship will follow Bradley’s academic calendar, continuing from fall through spring and summer, with approximately 16 weeks in each semester and 10 weeks in the summer.”
Courses for the dietetics internship consist of four three-credit-hour graduate level classes including a research methods class, nutrition and wellness, advanced food service systems and clinical dietetics, as well as another one-hour graduate research class. Thirteen of the credit hours earned during the internship will be transferable to a master’s program, she said.
“Successfully completing all requirements of the internship at Bradley qualifies interns to take the exam that will qualify them as a registered dietitian,” Collins said.
Becoming a registered dietitian requires the completion of three steps, and students at Bradley have had the opportunity to complete the first step in Bradley’s Family and Consumer Sciences Department for more than 30 years, she said. Now, they are able to complete all three in the internship program.
“Bradley continues to respond to emerging trends by creating new academic programs to prepare today’s students for tomorrow,” Conver said. “Recently, the university established a sports communication concentration, a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and created a Pre-Law center.
This year, Bradley is adding a Pre-Professional Health Advisory Center to provide advising services for students interested in health-related fields, and a job for a director of that program has been posted to the school’s Web site. The criminal justice program is also being overhauled, and will become its own department.
