The launch of the new Computer Science program at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) marks a transformative and timely step in the college’s mission to empower Indigenous creativity and leadership.

The Computer Science program encompasses Certificate, Associate of Science, and Bachelor of Science degrees. “By integrating technology with a rich artistic and cultural heritage, IAIA will now help equip students with the skills to navigate and shape the world with the help of digital tools. This initiative not only broadens academic opportunities for students but also reinforces IAIA’s commitment to innovation and community engagement,” said Drew Trujillo (Mexico Mestizo) Computer Science Program Developer and IAIA Visiting Faculty.

The new department has been designed to use computational tools as a form of empowerment through means of expanding creative expression, fostering innovative applications in digital art, interactive media, and the studio arts including printmaking, sculpture, and more. By blending technical knowledge with artistic exploration, students develop creative works across multiple disciplines, unlocking the potential of digital tools, crafting new methods of artistic production with code, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in art. This approach honors Indigenous storytelling and contemporary cultural expression, ensuring that technology serves as a means of creative and cultural enrichment.

“Our new Computer Science Department is uniquely poised to bridge the worlds of Indigenous Cultures and Traditions and Computer Science disciplines,” says IAIA President, Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation). “Students who graduate from this program will have a distinct advantage in the shifting marketplace of media, arts, and other professions. We are preparing a generation of artists and creatives to function and thrive using their own digital and physical tools to enhance creativity.”

Unlike traditional computer science programs, the new department’s approach emphasizes hands-on, project-based learning in artistic contexts. Students engage with coding as both a technical skill and an artistic medium, exploring the interdisciplinary potential of programming with ceramics, photography, metalwork, and sculpture. Programming for Physical Computing, Sound Art, Video Art, Dome and Spatial Audio, and Performing Arts courses allow students to experiment with real-time visual and sound effects, creative coding, and computational design, equipping them with tools to expand their artistic practice.

Graduates of the program will be uniquely positioned to contribute to the fields of studio arts, digital arts, museum curation, cinematic storytelling, and interactive design, using technology to elevate artistic and cultural narratives. Whether creating a hybrid of traditional and generative sculptures or designing interactive performances, students will leave IAIA with a deep understanding of how computer science can serve as a powerful tool for creative innovation.

Download and view the 2025–2026 IAIA College Catalog to learn more about the Computer Science program.