Digital Narrative and Interactive Design Major
www.DNID.Pitt.edu
Revised: 06/2022
The Digital Narrative and Interactive Design major (DNID) harnesses the narrative, world-building, and media studies strengths of the
English department and the coding, software development, and human computer interface strengths of the School of Computing and
Information. It draws upon existing initiatives in game design at SCI and critical game studies, making, and media production within the
English department. Students will learn how to build interactive narrative systems such as games, interactive literature, virtual reality
environments and other interactive media experiences in a variety of fields. They will learn to creatively combine design with narrative,
code with story. This uniquely positions majors in today's workforce: game and interactive media design is booming in nearly every field
and sector. What these positions require, and what is currently in short supply, are individuals capable of both understanding the intricacies
of narrative and implementing that knowledge in the form of computational media (coded interactive systems).
The DNID major is managed jointly by the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Computing and Information. This program
offers training that builds a solid foundation in English (Writing, Composition, Film and Media Studies, and Literature), Computer Science,
and Information Science.
Required courses for the Digital Narrative and Interactive
Design major
The Digital Narrative and Interactive Design major requires the
completion of at least 40 credits distributed as follows.
Gateway course; choose one course
ENGCMP 0425 or HAA 0425 Digital Humanity
ENGLIT 0512 Narrative and Technology
Composition; choose one course
ENGCMP 1201 or ENGLIT 1201 or CMPINF 1201 Digital Narrative and
Interactive Design
Programming basis; choose one course
CS 0010 Introduction to Computing for Systems Engineers
CS 0011 Introduction to Computing for Scientists
CS 0012 Introduction to Computing for the Humanities
INFSCI 0510 Data Analysis
Intermediate programming; choose one course
CS 0401 Intermediate Programming Using Java
Interaction and narrative; choose one course
ENGLIT 0512 Narrative and Technology*
ENGLIT 0702 Introduction to Game Studies
ENGLIT 1001 Interactive Literature
ENGLIT 1002 Game, Story, Play
* If not used as the Gateway course.
Media literacy; choose one course
ENGFLM 0355 or FMST 0100 Visual Literacy
ENGFLM 0401 Introduction to Visual Culture
ENGFLM 0570 or FMST 0505 Introduction to New Media
ENGFLM 1680 or FMST 1510 Animation Studies
Data literacy; choose one course
CS 0445 Algorithms and Data Structures 1
INFSCI 1500 Database Management Concepts and Applications
Electives
The departments recommend that students pursuing this major
choose one of the following tracks. Complete two School of
Computing and Information courses and two Dietrich School of Arts
and Sciences courses in the chosen track.
Online Media track
The Online Media track skills will range from developing digital
format narrative to communicate on behalf of organizations (for-
profit or non-profit) and innovating online interactions to creating
and critically analyzing content and data across the variety of
specific digital formats. Students completing this track will be able to
design distribution vectors for digital content, propose solutions to
design and implementation challenges, and ultimately design media-
rich web and mobile app content and implement their use.
School of Computing and Information courses; choose two courses
CS 0590 Social Implications of Computing Technology
CS 1520 Programming Languages for Web Applications
INFSCI 0410 Human-Centered Systems
INFSCI 1400 Analysis of Information Systems
INFSCI 1420 User-Centered Design
INFSCI 1550 Spatial Information Systems
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences courses; choose two courses
ENGCMP 0520 Integrating Writing and Design
ENGCMP 0610 Composing Digital Media
ENGCMP 1112 Professional Uses of Social Media
ENGCMP 1130 Projects in Digital Composition
ENGCMP 1430 Usability Testing in Professional and Technical
Writing Environments
ENGFLM 0570 or FMST 0505 Introduction to New Media *
ENGFLM 0812 or ENGLIT 0812 or FMST 0762 Media/Ecology
ENGLIT 1001 Interactive Literature
ENGLIT 1412 Secret Pittsburgh
ENGWRT 0710 Introduction to Audio
Storytelling
ENGWRT 1377 Media Literacy
ENGWRT 1501 Topics in Creative Writing
(with permission from advisor)
GSWS 1210 Gender and the Digital
*If not used as the Media Literacy course.
ENGWRT 1403 Topics in Electronic Media
ENGWRT 1501 Topics Creative Writing
GSWS 1210 Gender and the Digital
Game Design track
The Game Design track focuses on situating
game production, advertising, and playing
into current and historical social and
cultural contexts. Coursework analyzes and
evaluates the relationship between
narrative and gameplay and articulates
critical facets of game design such as
gameplay mechanics, balance, fairness,
narrative, pacing, character, and aesthetics.
Students will analyze both the narrative and
design implementation challenges of game
design and propose strategies for meeting
those challenges, particularly in the case of
social, medical, environmental, and
educational problems (serious games).
School of Computing and Information
courses; choose two courses
CS 1566 Intro to Computer Graphics
CS 1666 Principles of Game Design and
Implementation
CS 1674 Intro to Computer Vision
INFSCI 0410 Human-Centered Systems
INFSCI 1450 Game Design
INFSCI 1470 Immersive Media Technologies
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
courses; choose two courses
ENGCMP 1130 Projects in Digital
Composition
ENGFLM 0570 or FMST 0505 Introduction to
New Media *
ENGFLM 0585 or FMST 0790 Technologies
of the Body
ENGFLM 0812 or ENGLIT 0812 or FMST
0762 Media/Ecology
ENGFLM 1760 or FMST 1412 Cinema and
Video Games
ENGLIT 0702 Introduction to Game Studies
ENGLIT 1001 Interactive Literature
ENGLIT 1002 Game, Story, Play
ENGLIT 1355 Virtual Reality
ENGWRT 0520 Introduction to Fiction
Writing
*If not used as the Media Literacy course.
Critical Making track
The Critical Making track focuses on
understanding code as creative and
expressive of social relationships. The
coursework addresses human interfaces
within cultural and social contexts,
particularly the historical and contemporary
relationship between social interaction and
platform design. Students will innovate new
forms of human-machine interaction, apply
or develop new tools to analyze cultural
works (texts, images, moving images, etc.),
express code in the creation and
functioning of material objects or
assemblages (haptic feedback systems,
robotics, etc.), and analyze ways that
gender, race, and other social categories
and assumptions are "hard-coded" into
both hardware and software.
School of Computing and Information
courses; choose two courses
CS 1520 Programming Languages for Web
Applications
CS 1567 Programming Systems Design on a
Mobile Robot Platform
CS 1571 Intro to Artificial Intelligence
INFSCI 0410 Human-Centered Systems
INFSCI 1059 Web Programing
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
courses; choose two courses
ENGCMP 0520 Integrating Writing and
Design
ENGCMP 0610 Composing Digital Media
ENGCMP 0712 or ENGFLM 0712 or ENGLIT
0712 or FMST 0760 Critical Making
ENGCMP 1200 Advanced Topics in
Composition
ENGCMP 1430 Usability Testing in
Professional and Technical Writing
Environments
ENGFLM 0585 or FMST 0790 Technologies
of the Body
ENGFLM 0590 or FMST 0710 Filmmaking:
Production and Criticism
ENGFLM 0812 or ENGLIT 0812 or FMST
0762 Media/Ecology
ENGLIT 0521 Scan Culture: Surveillance and
the Digital
ENGLIT 1355 Virtual Reality
ENGWRT 0710 Introduction to Audio
Storytelling
ENGWRT 1501 Topics in Creative Writing
(with permission from advisor)
Capstone sequence
The Capstone sequence allows students to
design and implement a signature project
to complete the major. Students start with
the design project (Project 1) and complete
the sequence with the implementation
project (Project 2) in consultation with their
advisors. Students seeking Independent
Study or Directed Study options for the
capstone sequence should work with their
advisors to ensure that the work done in
these courses will complete the sequence.
Project 1; choose one of the following
courses
ENGCMP 1910 Bridge Seminar
ENGLIT 1900 Project Seminar
ENGLIT 1901 Independent Study (by special
arrangement only)
Project 2; choose one of the following
courses
CMPINF 1981 Project Studio (course in
development)
CS 1902 Directed Study (by special
arrangement only)
INFSCI 1730 Independent Study (by special
arrangement only)
INFSCI 1740 Team-Based Capstone Project
Writing (W) requirement
Students must complete at least one W-
course in the major.
Grade requirements
Students must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA
in all courses that apply toward the major.
Satisfactory/No Credit option
There is no limit to the number of English
(ENGCMP, ENGFLM, ENGLIT, ENGWRT, FMST)
courses that can be taken on the S/NC basis
for this major. No School of Computing and
Information courses (CMPINF, CS, INFSCI)
courses may be taken on an S/NC basis.
Advising
Digital Narrative and Interactive Design is a
joint undergraduate degree between the
Department of English in the Dietrich School
of Arts and Sciences and the School of
Computing and Information. Students
enrolled in each school are advised by faculty
advisors within that school.
English Advising
Jeff Aziz
CL 501C
412-624-2228
JeffAziz@Pitt.edu
Lori Campbell
CL 501C
412-624-6559
Amy Flick
CL 501C
412-624-6656
SCI Advising
SCI Advising Center
412-624-5230
SCIAdvisin[email protected]
