Entertainment is a fast-growing industry, with increasing demands for strong graduates with relevant skills. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers' Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2004, the U.S. media and entertainment industry is poised to grow at 5.4% annually, and the global market at 6.3% over the next several years. In the Bay Area, the new $350 million Lucasfilm headquarters at the Presidio will usher in a new wave of dynamism for the local entertainment and digital animation industries.
"Our philosophy at ITU is to merge solid theory with practical application," said Mr. Yau-Gene Chan, executive vice president of ITU. "The program is geared to ultimately make each student a 'special agent,' capable of independently conceptualizing and executing a marketing campaign without external resources."
ITU will also expand the Performance Art & Multimedia Marketing program to Guangzhou, specifically designed for the explosive China education market. An artistic renaissance is sweeping over China where there are 78 million minds between the ages of 18-22, only 15 percent of which have the ability and opportunity to attend university. With only a small percentage of China's higher education market tapped, top-performing graduates of the U.S. program will have the opportunity to teach their newly acquired skills to eager students in Guangzhou. ITU graduates will help localize and deliver the university's industry-centered educational model.
"The manner in which media and technology is created, distributed and consumed is evolving rapidly on a global level," said Cedrick Chan, ITU animation and design instructor, and co-founder of Mediabubble, Inc. "ITU's multidisciplinary, project-driven Performance Art & Multimedia Marketing curriculum is well suited for training the digital media workforce of tomorrow."
On June 1, 2005, ITU will have an Open House for all students interested in the program at the ITU campus in Santa Clara, Calif. at 7:30pm PT. Students will meet ITU instructors who have worked for Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and hear a presentation on "Digital FX and Filmmaking." ILM is the division of Lucasfilm that handles the visual effects on all the Star Wars films and many major Hollywood motion pictures.
Historically, ITU students have a 75 percent placement rate within three months after graduation. According to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, public four-year colleges have raised tuition an average of 10.6 percent during the past two years. Yet ITU has not increased its tuition fees over the past eight years. To celebrate the new enrichment of ITU, the first 15 students to enroll in the Performance Art & Multimedia Marketing program will receive 33 percent off the cost of tuition. With the discount, the cost for the new program is $18,000.00 total or $9,000.00 per year.
About ITU's Performance Art & Multimedia Marketing Program
This practical program builds skill sets in five certificate areas that students can choose from: Performance Certificate, Animation Certificate, Filmmaking Certificate, Web Design Certificate, Production Certificate and Business Marketing Certificate. When taken as a whole, students earn 60 units completing the bachelor's degree. Seven real-market projects must be completed as part of each student's graduation requirement. The university is used as a resource and platform for students to execute on marketing projects for the university that are tested in the marketplace, so that they have true working experience in design, production, marketing and analysis before they graduate.
About International Technological University (ITU)
International Technological University, in Santa Clara, Calif., provides state-of-the-art education in hi-tech engineering and business fields. ITU instructors are mid-level working managers, who are experts in their fields and bring relevant training into the classroom, providing students with practical skills that are in high demand in Silicon Valley hi-tech firms. For more information, call Yau-Gene Chan at ITU at 408-556-9010, email info@itu.edu or visit www.itu.edu.
Source: International Technological University
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