New degrees
We believe that through the study of design and the arts, you gain the knowledge and skills to become the change-makers of the world.
New degrees
BFA in Art (Animation)
The BFA program in art with a concentration in animation prepares students to excel in the field of animation. Animation students are provided an education that simultaneously sustains tradition and fosters innovation through embracing new visualization methodologies and tools with the potential to advance discoveries and insights across disciplines.Upon completion of the program, graduates are able to demonstrate the technical and artistic abilities to create animations for exhibition in arts venues (galleries, museums, festivals, etc.) and in entertainment media-arts industries. They also are prepared to pursue advanced research in graduate animation programs.
BA in Digital Culture, general (Online)
The Bachelor of Arts in Digital Culture is a broad-based liberal arts degree program designed for students who are interested in new media-based cultural practice. The Digital Culture initiative is recognizing the transformative role of digital technology in cultural practice and our day-to-day lives overall. The degree emphasizes the strongest emerging trend in cultural media: systems and processes that integrate digital technology with the everyday physical human experience. Much of cultural practice is now mediated through digital technology. We believe it is imperative to train the next generation of creative practitioners, scholars and educators to engage new media in a thoughtful manner, connect new technologies to established knowledge and expertise on creative practice and develop new paradigms for advancing humanist societies.
BA in Music (Popular Music)
The popular music concentration within the BA program in music at Arizona State University welcomes and accommodates 21st century musicians interested in careers in the popular music industry. This program is for, but is not limited to, singers and songwriters, laptop performers, producers, composers, instrumentalists, vocalists and musicians whose practices and playing styles are representative of varied popular music idioms.
Students in this concentration develop general musicianship and are invited to specialize in areas of study which include songwriting, production, composition, performance, engineering, sound design, events, music business, education and advocacy work. Students participate in individual applied study in chosen specializations, as well as a variety of extended programing opportunities both on and off campus. All students gain a working knowledge of the music industry and music business, and the entrepreneurial skills necessary to gain meaningful employment upon graduation.
BSD in Graphic Design (Online)
The online BSD (Bachelor of Science in Design) in Graphic Design program was developed from the success of the on-ground program established in the early 1980’s. The online program places an emphasis on strategic communication, developed through a design process that includes research, analysis, conceptualization, planning and application. The process leads to innovative visual communication design solutions for contemporary design problems that are local to global in scope. The curriculum acknowledges the need for creative environments that address ecological concerns and encourages students to develop sustainable trans-disciplinary works sensitive to cultural aesthetics. Students are exposed to various methodologies, develop critical thinking skills, and produce work that adds cultural and economic value. Upper-division studio courses provide opportunities for students to work in collaborative teams addressing professional projects in information design, interaction design, exhibition design, animation, motion graphics, branding, publication design, web design, interface design and multiple contemporary facets of sensorial design. The final year culminates with a capstone project exhibited in a public forum.
Master of Architecture (Online)
The master’s in architecture degree covers all aspects of architecture from theory and research to practice and design. The program focuses on developing your professional skills and social awareness. This knowledge will enable you to design buildings that improve contemporary life and remain an enduring expression of society. As an online student at ASU, you’ll learn from the same award-winning faculty and earn the same degree as in-person students.
Master of Science in Innovation and Venture Development
The Master of Science in Innovation and Venture Development is a one-year, transdisciplinary partnership between three leading schools at ASU: the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, and W. P. Carey School of Business. Students will be part of a small founding team expected to create and develop a start-up venture and defend it, supported by the MSIVD ecosystem of faculty, like-minded peers, and mentors. This is an experience-based program that prepares students to lead cross-disciplinary teams, identify needs and evaluate opportunities, and create and launch scalable business models that provide value to all stakeholders. Students leave with a road map for successful ventures, whether they’re looking to start something on their own or lead innovation inside a large organization.
Master of Science in Digital Culture
The MS in Digital Culture program is designed for practitioners, makers, and theorists in design, arts, and humanities who have an interest in software and system development and seek to enhance their practice through expanded engagement with interactive, embodied media design in an interdisciplinary environment. Digital Culture MS students research experiential media, studying the integration of the human physical experience with the computational arts.
The program allows students to explore new avenues for real-time media creation that seek to go beyond current paradigms. Students of the program will use relevant technology, programming, and media, with the intent to better studies in the arts, sciences, and humanities. Coursework also explores current practices in various contexts (performance environments, health and wellbeing, social media and communication) as well as engineering-based approaches, such as in electronics, fabrication, and programming, to develop experiential systems with social impact.
New certificates
Music Entrepreneurship (Certificate) undergraduate and graduate
Music entrepreneurship is a discipline that intersects the traditional music disciplines. Music entrepreneurship harnesses the skills and mindset of the entrepreneur to empower musicians to create work that is meaningful, sustainable and oriented to community and market need.
Students in a music degree program and non-music degree students with a background in music benefit from the business, marketing and organizational skills they develop through the certificate courses as applied specifically to and within the arts.
New minors
Minor in Music Theatre
The minor program in music theatre allows students with a background, interest or passion in music theatre to continue their studies and further explore the craft.
Students develop skills through performance-based small group classes and private instruction, and coursework also includes the study of theoretical and historical elements of music and theatre.

Are you interested in one of our new degrees?
Contact Herberger Admissions
Our admission representatives in the Herberger Institute specialize in all design and arts disciplines and can help you find the perfect degree program.
Call the Herberger Admissions and Recruitment Office at 480-727-4757 or email HerbergerAdmissions@asu.edu.