COM’s Center for Digital Imaging Arts in Waltham expands with demand
Off-campus program operates in the heart of a filmmaking enclave
The College of Communication Center for Digital Imaging Arts (CDIA) has doubled the size of its facility in Waltham to 30,000 square feet to meet the growing demand for the school’s digital arts certificate programs.
CDIA offers two-term (nine months) certificate programs in digital photography, digital filmmaking, 3-D animation, graphic and interactive design, and recording arts. Certificate programs are also offered on a part-time basis during the evening.
Through COM, the center opened its first certificate program in 2004, at 282 Moody St. in Waltham, a building that also contains the offices of several independent filmmakers, says Bob Daniels (COM’70, SED’76, GSM’79), CDIA executive director.
“We wanted to be in the heart of a creative area where this kind of thing is happening,” he says.
The growing demand in the industry has fueled demand for the programs and has led the center to double in size this year, expanding into the adjacent building, at 274 Moody St., for an additional 15,000 square feet.
The added space allows for two new film and photography studios, a recording arts studio, seven classrooms, and a gallery space for student and faculty exhibitions.
“We’re thrilled to announce the opening of our new facility,” says Daniels, who earned degrees in journalism and education as well as an MBA at the University. “The new space lets us respond to the growing interest in CDIA. Each semester we’re enrolling more and more students, and with the addition of our new graphic and interactive design and recording arts certificate programs, we expect the trend to continue.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment in the motion picture and video industries is projected to grow 31 percent between 2002 and 2012, roughly double the 16 percent growth projected for all industries combined, Daniels says.
There will be an increasing need for specialists in all digital imaging arts fields, he says, to accommodate in-home demand for video, DVDs, and films over the Internet.