Performance & Interactive Media Arts, Advanced Certificate
School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts
Program Overview
Unlock your creative potential with a Performance and Interactive Media Arts (PIMA), Advanced Certificate, a dynamic, part-time program designed for artists ready to push boundaries. This program empowers you to transform ideas into immersive, multidisciplinary experiences that captivate audiences. Join a vibrant community who share your passion for experimentation and artistic growth. Whether you’re an established artist or looking to elevate your practice, this program will give you the tools, mentorship, and network to thrive in today’s evolving arts landscape—all without the time commitment of a full M.F.A.
Program Details
The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2026–27 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.
Program Description
NYSED Program Code: 27812
PIMA is a two- or three-semester, part-time, nondegree advanced certificate program providing students with training in theoretical, technical, and practical experience in the conceptualization and production of collaborative, multidisciplinary artworks presented in performance settings.
Specifically, students learn to use technology as a means of extending their personal artistic practice and facilitating cross-disciplinary artistic collaborations. Students with diverse academic, artistic, professional, and cultural backgrounds enter the program and work individually and in collaborative groups throughout the course of study, with close mentoring by faculty members.
Most students come to the program with an established career or career goal in an arts field, and generally seek to continue in that field after completing the certificate, utilizing the program for advancement and skills development.
The advanced certificate is primarily intended for students already holding the highest degree available in an art-related field who wish to supplement their studies, or students who wish to continue their studies without making the time commitment required by a full-time program, such as the PIMA M.F.A.
All applicants holding a graduate or undergraduate degree, however, are welcome. The program is offered cooperatively by the Brooklyn College departments of Art; Computer and Information Science; Television, Radio & Emerging Media; Theater; and the Conservatory of Music. The faculty is drawn from all its contributing departments.
Matriculation Requirements
Applicants must offer a graduate or undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university completed with a grade point average of 3.00 or higher.
Applicants must also offer a portfolio of creative work (which may consist of work in any medium, including computer software), letters of recommendation, and TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test or 79 on the internet-based test, if required.
An interview with a member of the selection committee is strongly recommended. Matriculation is contingent upon admission to Brooklyn College.
Applicants must obtain and file an application form with the program director in addition to the regular college admission form.
Selection of applicants is based on a faculty committee review of the following: the applicant’s creative portfolio, evidence of the applicant’s interest in collaborative creative production, letters of reference indicating significant artistic promise, artistic background and experience, and the applicant’s interview (if conducted).
Program Requirements (18 Credits)
Eighteen credits are required for this certificate.
- The following courses are required: PIMA 7010G, 7020G, and 7741G.
- A minimum of six additional credits shall be chosen from selected courses offered by the PIMA program.
- A minimum of three additional credits shall be chosen from selected courses offered by the departments of Art; Computer and Information Science; Television, Radio & Emerging Media; Theater; the Conservatory of Music; and the PIMA program. Permission of the PIMA director is required.
To receive the Advanced Certificate in Performance and Interactive Media Arts, students will be required to complete the program with a grade point average of 3.00 or better and have completed no more than three credits (one course) with a grade lower than B.
Admissions Requirements
- Fall Application Deadline: July 15. Applications after this date may be accepted on a rolling basis until all places are filled.
- Spring Application Deadline: Although priority is given to fall admission, spring admission is granted in some cases. Email the director for more information.
Supporting Documents for Matriculation
Submit the following documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions:
- Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (Applicants who earned a bachelor’s degree outside the United States need to submit a course-by-course international transcript evaluation. See Graduate Admissions for more information.)
- Two letters of recommendation
- Supplemental program application form
- Résumé
- Portfolio (to program adviser, 304 Whitehead Hall)
Required Tests
- F-1 or J-1 international students must submit English Proficiency Exam. TOEFL—79, IELTS—6.5, PTE—58–63, Duolingo—105–160.
Refer to the instructions at Graduate Admissions.
Contact
Jennifer McCoy
5307 Boylan Hall
E:
P: 718.951.5183
John Jannone, Co-Director
505s Whitehead Hall
E:
P: 718.951.5000 ext. 1188
Learn More About the PIMA Program
Or contact:
Office of Graduate Admissions
222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210
E:
P: 718.951.4536
Office Hours
Mondays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Schedule an appointment with a graduate admissions counselor.
Internships and Employers
Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the PIMA Advanced Certificate program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:
- Brooklyn Museum
- Freiburg Festival
- HERE Arts Center
- La MaMa ETC’s Galapagos Art Space
- Lincoln Center Theater
- The Living Theatre
- Studio Museum in Harlem
- Terra Incognita Theater
