Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII) and Creative Intelligence and Innovation Minor (CII)

students sitting outside of the poetry center

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BOUNDARIES

The Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation, inspired by the University of Technology Sydney, is a dual degree program that compliments the knowledge and ways of thinking within your primary major and prepares you to face society’s present and future challenges through experiential learning, engaged critical thinking, and transdisciplinary study. Students who don't have room in their plans for a dual degree can also earn a minor in Creative Intelligence and Innovation. 

Declare Now 

Gain critical skills that will position you for success after graduation, whether you plan to enter the workforce or pursue a postgraduate degree.

Why Creative Intelligence and Innovation?

"BCII is designed for Franke Honors students who are interested in developing their creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills. It equips them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a wide range of careers, including in the creative industries, technology, entrepreneurship, and social innovation, all of which are highly valued by employers and graduate program admissions."
John Pollard, Franke Dean, W.A. Franke Honors College 

 

“People become caught up in the repetition and monotony of their work and cannot think innovatively or progress. This is why I love BCII: to be constantly reminded that you must 'think different' in order to excel creatively within any field.”
Olivia Kirk, BCII Student, UTS

"We were challenged to see the possibilities out there; to think of our own speculative proposals, what-if scenarios, and thought experiments; to act on our own ideas and inspirations.” 
Jessica Schilling, BCII Student, UTS

"Facing real world problems in a place so close to home, really shows how powerful and useful this degree is going to be in the upcoming years as a catalyst for change in the following generations.” 
Edward Poropat, BCII Student, UTS

 

Fall 2024 BCII Courses

HNRS 270-001: Problems to Possibilities

Instructor: Kristy Doran
Mon/Wed/Fri | 2:00 - 4:00 PM | Hybrid
First seven weeks (August 26 - October 16)

Evaluate and analyze complex problems through a variety of lenses and present solutions to them.

HNRS 370-001: Past, Present, and Future of Innovation

Instructor: Jacqueline Melvold
Mon/Wed/Fri | 2:00 - 4:00 PM | Hybrid 
Second seven weeks (October 17 - December 11)

To enroll, you must have taken HNRS 270 or HNRS 271 already. There is an HNRS 270 offering for Fall 2024 for the first seven-week session.

Explore the history, pattern and potential of innovation in your specific major of study.

HNRS 314-101: Ideas Into Action

Instructor: Jacqueline Melvold
Fully Online

Be part of this community and civic engagement course and learn to seek, evolve, and come up creative solutions to different social issues.

BCII GRADUATES ARE READY FOR WHAT'S NEXT

The BCll degree is designed to give graduates an innovative edge in their chosen profession. With a focus on developing unique projects and solutions to a wide range of challenges, BCll students are encouraged to create jobs and opportunities for the future, as well as meet the demands from industry for a more creative and innovative workforce.

Futureproof

• Foster adaptability and critical thinking, essential for tackling the grand challenges ahead.
• Maintain employability and relevancy regardless of discipline.

Comprehensive

• Projects address systemic change from a transdisciplinary perspective.
• Prepare students for roles as leaders and changemakers.

Transformational

• Redefine the potential of your undergrad experience through applied learning and collaboration with students, faculty, and industry partners. 

The Learning Experience

Franke Honors students can pair the BCII degree with any other major from the University of Arizona and explore transdisciplinary perspectives alongside diverse faculty from multiple disciplines. The curriculum consists of several core courses, an internship, and a capstone project that aligns with the existing Honors Thesis requirement. Courses are taught in a way that empowers you to innovate and experience rather than observe and absorb; they favor hackathons, think tanks, and creative labs over lectures and tutorials.

Students who are interested in the coursework but don't have room for another degree in their plans can complete the Creative Intelligence and Innovation Minor (CII). 

Course Examples

Problems to Possibilities

Tackle complex, dynamic, and networked problems. Analyze challenges from multiple perspectives and discover new possibilities. Develop and hone skills in team collaboration, visualization, modeling, representation, and presentation.

Creative Practice and Methods

Collaboratively explore problems, generate solutions, develop visual literacy in dealing with complexity, and create frameworks for critiquing proposals. Built on values such as risk-taking and inquisitiveness, students challenge their own ideas for building and running a creative practice through undertaking a central project for an external partner.

Envisioning Futures

Explore emerging ideas and articulate original future visions. Examine assumptions and research agendas to optimize future innovation approaches from a range of perspectives. Culminates in a public event where audiences interact with student-envisioned futures.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before you officially enroll in the degree program, you will need to take one of the two introductory courses, HNRS 270: Problems to Possibilities or HNRS 271: Creative Practice and Methods. Once you have completed one of those courses, you will be able to officially enroll in the degree and take upper level classes. 

Yes, you can take HNRS 270: Problems to Possibilities and HNRS 271: Creative Practice and Methods prior to officially enrolling in the degree. 

Students can choose between completing the BCII capstone OR completing their Honors Thesis in BCII. If you want to graduate with Honors in your primary major, you will need to complete your Honors Thesis in that major, and complete the BCII capstone to earn your BCII degree.

For example, if you are a Communications major and double majoring in BCII, you will only graduate with Honors in Communications if you complete your Thesis in Communications. 

The courses required to earn a BCII degree total 33-36 units (depending on whether or not you choose to do your honors thesis in BCII). Students will still need to take the units required for their other major and general education classes in order to graduate.

Questions about how this all works? Contact your Franke Honors Advisor.

The Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation is inspired by the University of Technology Sydney.