Because the digital media landscape is expanding and evolving rapidly, so, too, must the approach and focus of technology schools. Fields of study which used to address a specialized, niche area of digital arts now are part of billion-dollar industries. Nearly every company in America is looking for ways to incorporate interactivity into its online presence. As a result, the number of students majoring in creative technology fields has skyrocketed in recent years.

In a move compelled by double-digit growth in digital filmmaking and computer gaming fields – disciplines just emerging into full-fledged schools and gaining recognition in higher education – DePaul University will be introducing its newest college this week to replace the former School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems.

On April 15, DePaul will launch the College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM). The college will be organized into two schools: the School of Computing (SoC), which will incorporate traditional information technology majors such as computer science, security, information systems, networking and software engineering; and the School of Cinema and Interactive Media (CIM), which will feature digital arts majors such as digital cinema, computer games development, animation and interactive media.

“This new identity gives the world a more complete picture of who we are and what we offer,” said David Miller, CDM Dean. “The new structure provides a platform for the digital arts majors, which have seen phenomenal growth, while complementing our existing, outstanding computing programs to maintain the robust experience our students have come to expect.”

The rise of new media and the market demands for skilled graduates in digital arts fields have helped fuel tremendous growth in related majors. Digital Cinema, a program just four years old, is now the largest undergraduate major at the college, increasing nearly 30 percent since last year. Meanwhile, the number of computer games development majors has risen nearly 15 percent in that time. DePaul also recently added a degree program in animation, which is rapidly attracting student enrollment.

The increases mirror national employment trends. According to the most recent figures available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs for multimedia artists and animators is expected to increase by more than 47 percent by 2016. Jobs for computer specialists in entertainment and arts fields are expected to increase by nearly 23 percent in that same time frame. Furthermore, “computer specialists, multimedia artists and animators, film and video editors, and others skilled in digital filming, editing and computer-generated imaging should have the best job prospects” among those in the film and entertainment industries, according to the report.

In addition, a 2007 study by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) found that the U.S. computer and video game industry’s annual growth rate from 2003 to 2006 was more than 17 percent, far outpacing the U.S. economy as a whole, which had only four percent growth during that same period. The study also found the industry added $3.8 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product during 2006. The ESA report found that in Illinois alone, the video game industry added a real value of $159 million to the state’s economy in 2006 and directly and indirectly employs over 2,700 people.

The streamlined structure will enable CDM to develop new courses and degree programs more quickly within each school, continuing the responsiveness to technology and media market trends that has been a staple of the college since DePaul elevated it from a department to a school in 1995.

The new structure also delivers additional benefits to students and faculty. By making the name more reflective of the breadth and depth of the college’s programs, CDM will be able to promote the college and schools more effectively to prospective students and guidance counselors, increasing the number of high-caliber students who discover and enroll in its programs. When CDM students graduate, employers and industry professionals will better understand the cross-disciplinary nature of the college’s programs, positioning graduates to demonstrate their versatility and adapt quickly to changes in their fields.

From a faculty standpoint, CDM’s structure will help to recruit, retain and promote outstanding faculty members across the disciplines. Faculty will be assured that they will be working with and evaluated by peers who understand both the artistic and technological aspects of their fields of expertise.

“CDM will continue its legacy of leadership in building cross-disciplinary programs both within the college and across the university,” said the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., DePaul’s president. “And the college’s hallmark will always be a dedication to innovative courses, high-quality teaching, world-class scholarship and leading-edge facilities and labs that provide technology employers with well-prepared graduates.”

With 3,079 students enrolled in its undergraduate and graduate programs, CDM is one of the largest colleges of its kind in the nation. The university has invested more than $1.3 million during the past two years alone in state-of-the-art labs, facilities and specialized equipment for the college. Additionally, the college has received numerous national honors in recent years, including being one of the inaugural six universities selected to participate in the Sony Pictures Imageworks IPAX program. The program develops future artists, designers, animators and engineers who will help the visual effects industry to grow. In addition, the college was named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2005.