The Bachelor of Science in Creative Technology and Design is a degree for makers, tinkerers and builders—creatives with a passion for inventing, who learn best by doing. Through project-based courses, you develop engineering, design and critical thinking skills, providing the versatility and breadth of knowledge to tackle complex projects that span multiple disciplines. During freshman and sophomore years, you mainly concentrate on College of Engineering and CTD core courses; in junior and senior years, you dedicate more time to electives in your focus area.
Application deadlines: Fall 2024 admission
Early action: November 15
Regular decision: January 15
“I decided to attend CU Boulder because of the uniqueness of the program that ATLAS offers. I was inspired by my
instructors’ undying curiosity and true passion for the importance of interdisciplinary innovation.
As an individual who has never fit into one box, I felt perfectly at home in the ATLAS Institute.”
Cassandra Goodby
Senior Design Technologist, Amazon; BS & MS CTD alum
Program Benefits
Unique Student Experience
Small class sizes offer hands-on project-based learning with mentoring and collaboration. Core classes empower you to build a strong foundation in design, technology and leadership. Elective options in ATLAS and across campus allow you to deepen your focus in many future-foward disciplines.
Highest Retention Rate Among Engineering Majors
If you make the choice to study Creative Technology and Design, you're likely to stick with it. The CTD major has the highest retention rate of any major in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder: Almost 90% of those who start the degree graduate from the program.
Be Creative and Technical
CTD allows you to be both technical and creative. You don't have to choose just one! By the time you graduate, you'll feel comfortable working with many kinds of technologies and, thanks to a strong background in design, you'll be able to implement them with sensitivity and finesse.
Integrated Community
CTD students identify strongly with their ATLAS community. Wherever you find yourself gravitating—the BTU Lab, the Sound Lab, the Helio Lab, B2 or one of the eight research labs—you'll have many opportunities to find your tribe and build lasting relationships in ATLAS.
Project Portfolio
Having a resumé listing your technical skills and competencies is valuable for all job seekers; if you can also share links to projects that show how you've put those skills to work, it's so much more powerful. Since most CTD classes are project-based, you'll graduate with a portfolio of work to share with future employers. It's how many of our students land their first jobs.
Future-Forward Careers
When you graduate with a degree in Creative Technology and Design, you'll be uniquely prepared to participate in the rapidly evolving job markets of the future. Rather than learning a set list of specific skills, you'll have a flexible technical toolset and powerful creative problem-solving skills that will be applicable to a wide range of careers.
Student Capstone Projects
During senior year, you'll complete a capstone project where you'll bring together the wide range of skills learned from Creative Technology and Design courses. These three short videos feature capstone projects by CTD alumni.
Companies Employing CTD Grads
Careers
CTD can prepare you for a wide range of careers in existing and emerging fields. When you choose a focus area and then select projects that relate to that field, you develop specialized knowledge. Here is a small sampling of careers alumni have pursued:
- Motion graphics and animation
- Human-computer interaction
- User interface/user experience (UI/UX)
- Augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR)
- Digital content production
- Product design
- Video production
- Web design and development
- Graphic design & visual communication
- Gaming design and development
- Digital sound and electronic music
- Mobile app design and development
BS-CTD Curriculum
During freshman and sophomore years, you complete the College of Engineering core curriculum alongside CTD core courses. During junior and senior years, your coursework consists of electives in your focus area. This might be user interface and user-experience (UI/UX), sound design, interactive computing, robotics, internet of things, physical computing, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), game design, or any other field where having technical knowledge and design skills gives you an edge. In your final year, your will participate in a two-semester Senior Capstone sequence which involves a culminating project that brings together the diverse skills learned during your undergraduate career.
To complete the major, students must maintain a C-grade or higher in all required courses.
As a CTD student, you will have access to regular professional development opportunities, workshops and guest speakers. Many students also secure internships with industry partners and/or work in research and student labs.
