The X in BXA is the intersection of disciplines, innovation and curiosity. The X is the variable that changes depending on the academic unit a student integrates with their College of Fine Arts concentration. This intersection is the site of new forms of knowledge created by fusing multiple fields of inquiry. Carnegie Mellon University’s BXA Intercollege Degree Programs was developed to assist students in pursuing these new discoveries and fields that bring together academic rigor and creative training. BXA is the umbrella term for the abbreviations that identify our programs—BCSA, BHA, BSA and EA.
The Bachelor of Humanities and Arts (BHA) program began in 1993 as a response to numerous requests by Carnegie Mellon students to integrate studies in the fine arts with studies in the humanities or social sciences. The deans and faculty of the College of Fine Arts and the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences designed BHA as an innovative interdisciplinary degree-granting program that allows students the freedom to blend their interests between these two colleges.
The Bachelor of Science and Arts (BSA) program was launched in 1999 as a joint venture between the College of Fine Arts and the Mellon College of Science. Based on the successful BHA model, the BSA curriculum is carefully designed to allow students the ability to balance studies in the fine arts with studies in the natural sciences or mathematics.
The Bachelor of Computer Science and Arts (BCSA) program was created in 2008 by the College of Fine Arts and the School of Computer Science. It provides an ideal technical and conceptual foundation for students interested in pursuing fields which comprehensively meld technology and the arts such as game design, computer animation, computer music, interactive stagecraft, robotic art and other emerging media.
The Engineering and Arts (EA) additional major was established in 2018 by the College of Fine Arts with partnership from the College of Engineering. It allows current Engineering majors the ability to incorporate an arts concentration to expand their field of study, while completing BXA’s interdisciplinary core courses. Students graduate with engineering licensure and are also prepared to work in collaborative environments or become entrepreneurial inventors.
Learn more at the BXA’s website