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Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society (ATLAS)
The ATLAS Institute is a center of interdisciplinary research, learning and collaboration in engineering, creative technologies and design. Sharing a common interest in technology, the ATLAS community includes researchers, instructors and students from the arts, sciences, engineering and humanities. Such diversity creates a vibrant culture of innovation and multidisciplinary collaboration that sustains strong connections with the technology sector in Colorado and beyond.
Academic Programs
- Technology, Arts and Media program, offering BS, minor and certificate
- Master of Science in Technology, Media and Society with two tracks: Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) and Creative Technologies and Design (CTD)
- Interdisciplinary PhD program in Technology, Media and Society
- Interactive Robotics and Novel Technologies Lab
- BTU Lab hackerspace
- Laboratory for Playful Computation
- Black Box Experimental Studio and Center for Media, Arts and Performance
- National Center for Women and Information Technology.
Centers and Labs
The ATLAS Institute is affiliated with the University of Colorado Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Graduate School.
Course code for this program is ATLS.
Bachelor's Degree Program(s)
Technology, Arts and Media
Created to equip students with new and adaptable skill sets for the ever-expanding digital landscape, the Technology, Arts and Media (TAM) program offers three undergraduate programs: a bachelor of science and minor for students wishing to pursue research and careers in creative technologies and digital media; and a certificate for students interested in learning the fundamentals.
Bachelor of Science in Technology, Arts and Media
Program Overview
A major in the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) housed at the ATLAS Institute, the Bachelor of Science in Technology, Arts and Media (BS-TAM) offers a broad transdisciplinary curriculum that integrates technical skills with a critical, theoretical and historical understanding of technology, media and the arts. The BS-TAM curriculum infuses creativity into technology, combining a technically rigorous education with critical thinking, problem solving and creative production. This program will attract designers, makers, tinkerers and builders—those with unorthodox perspectives and unconventional approaches to technology. BS-TAM graduates will have diverse and adaptable skillsets, ready to address the opportunities and challenges of the twenty-first century. The BS-TAM comprises a minimum of 128 and a maximum of 133 total credit hours of coursework in several categories.
BS-TAM Goals:
- Prepare engineers, technologists, designers and artists for existing and future careers
- Produce students with a mastery of creative technology who are adept at critical problem finding and solving
- Equip students with technical, theoretical and historical perspectives they need to contribute to developing new functionalities, aesthetics and innovations of creative technology
- Encourage investigation at the intersection of technology with other disciplines and practices
- Enable students to think creatively, critically and conceptually about technology and its impacts
- Most TAM classes are small-studio based courses that encourage group work and collaboration
- TAM classes are 58% female, a percentage well above most engineering and computing programs
- TAM stresses knowledge, skills and expertise in technology development with a foundation in engineering and computational thinking, creative technologies and applications and interdisciplinary perspectives on IT and society
- The TAM faculty comprises technologists, designers and artists from diverse fields who are experts in teaching students with varied backgrounds, abilities and interests
Hallmarks of the TAM Program
Degree Requirements Overview
Total BS-TAM credit hours: 128–133
General Coursework (63–68 credit hours)
- Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Engineering and Computation (37–41 credits);
- Humanities and Social Sciences (21 credits; including 6 credits of upper division courses as well as a college-approved writing course); and
- Free Electives (5–6 credits)
- Foundation and Core courses (32 credits; including a two-semester sequence of capstone projects-based courses);
- Critical Perspectives in Technology Electives (12 credits; including 6 credits of upper division courses); and
- Focus electives within one of the possible areas of specialization in Technology, Arts and Media (21 credits)
BS-TAM Program Coursework (65 credit hours)
- 15 of the 21 credits must be upper division
- At least 12 of the 21 credit hours, and at least four of the seven classes, must be ATLS courses
Graduation Requirements for Completing the BS in Technology, Arts and Media (BS-TAM)
- Completion of the curriculum, consisting of a minimum of 128 and a maximum of 133 total semester credit hours
- A grade of C or better is necessary in all Foundation and Core Technology, Arts and Media courses
- A grade of C- or better is required for all prerequisite courses.
- Cumulative grade point average of 2.250 or higher, along with other CEAS graduation requirements detailed at www.colorado.edu/engineering/academics/policies/graduation-requirements.
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
- APPM 1350 Calculus 1 for Engineers (4 credits)
- ATLS 2000 Meaning of Information Technology (3 credits)
- Natural Sciences (4–5 credits)
- COEN 1500 Intro to Engineering (or other CEAS intro-based course) (1 credit)
- APPM 1360 Calculus 2 for Engineers (4 credits)
- Natural Sciences (4–5 credits)
- ATLS 1100 History of Creative Tech (3 credits)
- First-Year Projects course (3 credits)
- CSCI 1300 Intro to Computing (or other CEAS computing-based course) (3–4 credits)
- Mathematics (3-4 credits)
- ATLS 2100 Image (3 credits)
- ATLS 2200 Web (3 credits)
- CSCI 2270 Computer Science 2: Data Structures (4 credits)
- Natural Sciences (3–4 credits)
- Mathematics (3–4 credits)
- ATLS 2300 Text (3 credits)
- ATLS 3300 Object (3 credits)
- Humanities and Social Science (3 credits)
- Humanities and Social Science (3 credits)
- ATLS 3100 Form (3 credits)
- ATLS 3200 Sound (3 credits)
- Free Elective (2–3 credits)
- College-approved writing course (3 credits)
- ATLS Focus (3 credits)
- Humanities and Social Science (3 credits)
- Critical Perspectives in Technology (3 credits)
- Critical Perspectives in Technology (3 credits)
- ATLS Focus (3 credits)
- ATLS Focus (3 credits)
- Free Elective (3 credits)
- Humanities and Social Science (3 credits)
- ATLS 4100 Capstone 1 (4 credits)
- Critical Perspectives in Technology (3 upper division credits)
- ATLS Focus (3 credits)
- ATLS Focus (3 credits)
- Humanities and Social Science (3 upper division credits)
- ATLS 4200, Capstone 2 (4 credits)
- Critical Perspectives in Technology (3 upper division credits)
- ATLS Focus (3 credits)
- ATLS Focus (3 credits)
- Humanities and Social Science (3 upper division credits)
More About the Program
Unorthodox Approaches
TAM is unique. The curriculum offers comprehensive technical instruction that is focused on traditional as well as creative, speculative and unorthodox ends. For example, TAM students learn to be skillful full-stack web developers, but they are also encouraged to use those abilities to produce innovative projects that challenge traditional conceptions of what websites can be. Students who complete the program do so with unique, relevant and highly-transferrable technical and creative skills.
Transdisciplinarity
TAM is discipline-agnostic and encourages students to pursue their interests and passions in ways that conform to, as well as breach traditional disciplinary canons. The TAM faculty helps students discover, explore and expand their tangential and transdisciplinary pursuits. This educational strategy prepares students for rapid shifts and innovations in today’s and tomorrow’s creative technology landscape.
Creative Production and Critical Perspectives
TAM students are prolific creators who learn to critically and conceptually assess the works they create. TAM courses are designed on the studio model that integrates faculty and peer critique at every level. Graduates of the TAM program are savvy and resourceful technicians, equal parts creator and critic, artist and theorist.
A New Type of Student
Students whose interests do not align with traditional degree programs may find the BS-TAM an exciting option, allowing them to simultaneously develop technical and creative abilities while investigating the arts and humanities. The BS-TAM program caters to a new kind of hybrid student—students who might not ordinarily consider an engineering major, but who will eagerly develop technical mastery in service of creative goals.
Industry and Career Paths
Graduates of the BS-TAM will be well prepared to pursue careers in
- Graphic Design and Visual Communication
- 3D Modeling, Gaming and Simulation
- Information Design and Data Visualization
- Motion Graphics and Animation
- Video and Narrative Media
- Robotics and Physical Computing, Internet of Things
- Interactive Environment Design and Development
- Digital Sound, Production and Electronic Music
- Web Design and Development
- Mobile Application Design and Development
Students who complete the program are also well prepared to pursue graduate or advanced degrees in engineering and technological fields, as well as the arts.
Minor in Technology, Arts and Media
Minor Overview
The Minor in Technology, Arts and Media (MTAM) provides a broad multidisciplinary perspective that integrates technological skills with a critical, theoretical and historical understanding of technology, media and the arts. The minor is open to any student at CU-Boulder, though students may not major and minor in TAM. For more information email tamprogram@colorado.edu.
Minor Goals
- To prepare the next generation of artists, designers and media producers for the future
- To give students theoretical and historical backgrounds needed to contribute to developing new functionalities and aesthetics for computer media
- To facilitate exploration at the intersection of technology and other fields and disciplines
- To produce active and critically aware producers of creative technology
- To enable students to think critically and conceptually about creative technology
- A minimum of 21 credit hours including the following:
Minor Requirements
A minimum of 21 credit hours including the following:
- ATLS 2000 The Meaning of Information Technology
- ATLS 2100 Image
- ATLS 2200 Web
- ATLS 2300 Text
- TAM Core Elective: Choose from ATLS 2400 Code, ATLS 3100 Form, ATLS 3200 Sound or ATLS 3300 Object
- TAM Upper Division Focus Elective (need not be an ATLS course)*
- Upper Division Critical Perspectives in Technology Elective (need not be an ATLS course)*
Courses may be taken concurrently, although some courses may have recommended and/or required pre-requisites. Students must have 2.50 cumulative GPA to be admitted to the TAM Minor. Students must earn a minimum grade of “C” in all courses counted for the minor or certificate. Coursework used to satisfy the minor requirements cannot be taken Pass/Fail. A minimum of 15 credit hours must be taken on the Boulder campus. Failing to meet the minimum grade for any individual ATLS core course twice will result in automatic removal from the TAM program.
Graduate Degree Program(s)
Graduate Degree Program
MS in Technology, Media and Society (TMS)
The ATLAS Master of Science in Technology, Media and Society (MS-TMS) includes two program tracks: Information and Communication Technology for Development and Creative Technologies and Design.
Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD)
The Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) track prepares students for careers that leverage technology for human need. Students take an interdisciplinary approach to tackling real-world problems in developing nations and underserved or impoverished regions. Tackling issues such as access, social equity, sustainability, public policy, appropriate design and distribution, students make an impact on people and communities while still working on their degrees.
The two-year program includes three semesters in residence and a one-semester practicum: an internship or service project with a relevant organization. Organizations participating in the practicum may be public or private sector, international development agencies, foundations and/or non-governmental organizations.
Creative Technologies and Design (CTD)
The Creative Technologies and Design (CTD) track offers artists and designers (of all kinds) opportunities to gain strong technical skills to realize their creative vision. It also offers technologists (of all kinds) opportunities to gain experience in the creative disciplines. By bringing together individuals with vastly different backgrounds and expertise, the program forges a new anti-disciplinary synthesis, preparing graduates for a wide gamut of careers in design, technologies, and the creative arts.
Learning in the Creative Technologies and Design track is studio-based. Throughout the program, students devise personal portfolios of project work. In keeping with the self-directed spirit of the ATLAS Institute, students build their own curriculum, choosing from courses across CU-Boulder’s campus that best match their interests. Those with an arts background may select courses to build technical strength. Those with a technical background may select courses that develop more creative, conceptual, and speculative expertise.
PhD in Technology, Media and Society
The interdisciplinary ATLAS PhD program in Technology, Media and Society attracts highly motivated inventors and investigators whose interests at the intersections of technology, media and society are not met by traditional disciplinary PhD programs. Students come from all fields, including electrical engineering, education, journalism, music, computer science, art history, physics and library science. The ATLAS PhD program is research based: each student must pass a qualifying examination, propose a field of study and carry out a research project and defend the resulting dissertation.
Students in the PhD program select an advisory committee from among the university faculty, chaired by an ATLAS faculty member or faculty fellow. Students work with their committees to devise a program of study appropriate to their research interests. The program has no specific required courses other than a seminar each semester that brings together all PhD students, and a requirement that each student learn the methods of investigation needed to conduct their research. This varies; for example, students working in human-computer interaction may need qualitative and quantitative methods, whereas students working on robotics hardware and software will need more engineering-oriented methods.
The program emphasizes out-of-the-box invention and radical investigation. We are looking for people who want to improve the world through technology, who aren’t afraid to think beyond conventional wisdom, and who have or are prepared to gain the technical expertise to carry out their vision.
Certificate Program(s)
Certificate in Technology, Arts and Media
Certificate Overview
The Certificate in Technology, Arts and Media (CTAM) provides a fundamental understanding of information technology and digital media production. The program motivates students to think critically about technology and its impacts upon society. The certificate program is open to any student at CU-Boulder, though students may not earn the certificate in TAM along with either the TAM major or minor. For more information email tamprogram@colorado.edu.
Certificate Goals
- To equip students with a basic digital media skill-set
- To transform students from passive users of technology into active producers of technology
- To introduce students to critical thinking and theories relevant to digital media
- A minimum of 12 credit hours including:
Certificate Requirements
- ATLS 2000 The Meaning of Information Technology
- ATLS 2100 Image
- ATLS 2200 Web
- ATLS 2300 Text
Students must have 2.50 cumulative GPA to be admitted to the TAM Certificate program. Students must earn a minimum grade of “C” in all courses counted for the certificate. Coursework used to satisfy CTAM requirements cannot be taken Pass/Fail. Failing to meet the minimum grade for any individual ATLS core course twice will result in automatic removal from the TAM program.
