ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program)

What ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program) does

ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program) is a two-year graduate program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, founded in 1975 by Red Burns and housed at 370 Jay Street in Brooklyn, New York. The program awards a Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree and concentrates on the imaginative use of communications technologies, with curriculum spanning physical computing, custom hardware fabrication (breadboard through surface-mount PCB), software development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, C++, Python), game and XR/VR environments (Unity, Unreal, Blender), mobile app development, and emerging media arts. Instruction is delivered through seminar-style courses (e.g., Bluetooth LE and Low Power Wireless Interactions, Big LEDs, Culinary Physics, Biomaterials + Multispecies Relations, Mobile App Development Lab) supported by a stack of specialized student-run facilities: The Shop (3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, soft lab, soldering area), Coding Lab, Design Lab, Hyper Lab for XR, Doc Lab, and an Equipment Room stocked with laptops and photography gear.

ITP's pedagogical premise is differentiated — it positions itself as "an art school for engineers and at the same time an engineering school for artists," emphasizing critical thinking, creative exploration, and "learning how to learn" over rote technical skills, and explicitly embraces productive failure. The program is the principal driver of two adjacent offerings: IMA, the undergraduate companion program sharing the same 370 Jay Street facility, and IMA Low Res, a global Master of Arts program operated jointly with NYU Shanghai that combines online curriculum with in-person residencies in New York, Berlin, and Shanghai. Community glue is provided by ITP Camp (an annual June gathering in NYC), thesis and Spring shows, and an Applications course with rotating industry speakers. Notable alumni-founded companies include Runway (AI video generation) and Flora (node-based design, $42M Redpoint raise), underscoring the program's role as a creative-tech talent factory.

As a department inside NYU (a private non-profit), ITP does not publish separate financial figures; revenue is consolidated within NYU's institutional budget and flows through NYU's centralized graduate admissions and financial aid systems. Tuition is set at the NYU Tisch graduate level with financial aid available to qualified applicants. Distribution relies on the NYU Tisch brand and admissions pipeline for top-funnel applicants, with on-campus recruitment events by tech and design firms serving as the bottom-of-funnel placement signal. The program has no venture, PE, or external equity ownership; it is institutionally funded and academically governed by NYU.

Name

ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program)

Legal name

ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program) - NYU Tisch School of the Arts

Website

https://itp.nyu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ITP is a two-year graduate program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, founded in 1975, that trains creative technologists through interdisciplinary coursework spanning hardware fabrication, software development, XR, and emerging media arts at its Brooklyn campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ITP is a two-year, full-time graduate program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts that awards a Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree, focused on the imaginative use of communications technologies. The curriculum spans software development, hardware fabrication, mobile app development, XR/VR, physical computing, and interdisciplinary media arts, supported by on-campus labs including The Shop (3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines), Coding Lab, Design Lab, Hyper Lab, and Doc Lab. Related offerings include the IMA undergraduate program, the global IMA Low Res Master's program (New York, Berlin, Shanghai), and the annual ITP Camp in New York City.

Product overview

ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program) is a two-year graduate program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts offering a Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree focused on the imaginative use of communications technologies. The program provides an integrated educational experience through courses in mobile app development, hardware fabrication, wireless interactions, and digital design, supported by specialized labs including the Design Lab, Coding Lab, Hyper Lab, The Shop (3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines), Doc Lab, and Equipment Room. Related programs include the IMA undergraduate program and the global IMA Low Res Masters program with campuses in New York, Berlin, and Shanghai. The program also runs ITP Camp, an annual summer creative technology gathering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IMA (Interactive Media Arts): Undergraduate program at ITP/IMA offering interactive media arts education.
• IMA Low Res
• ITP Camp
• Design Lab
• Coding Lab
• Doc Lab
• The Shop
• Hyper Lab
• The ER (Equipment Room)

Products and services

• Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) Degree Two-year full-time graduate program leading to a Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree, emphasizing critical thinking, creative exploration, and learning how to learn across communications technologies.
• IMA Low Res (Global Master of Arts in Interactive Media Arts)
• IMA (Interactive Media Arts) Undergraduate Program
• ITP Camp Annual June event in New York City serving as a playground, lab, and classroom for makers, artists, musicians, programmers, fabricators, and creatives featuring speakers and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Notable alumni-founded companies including Flora (node-based design tool raising $42M from Redpoint Ventures) and Runway (AI video generation company)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NYU Tisch School of the ArtscoreOthersITP is a department within NYU Tisch School of the Arts. The program leverages NYU's institutional infrastructure, admissions systems, financial aid resources, and broader university resources for its operations.
• IMA (Interactive Media Arts)coreOthersIMA is an undergraduate companion program to ITP, sharing the same facilities at 370 Jay Street in Brooklyn. Both programs collaborate on student projects, exhibitions, and events including the combined ITP/IMA/LowRes Spring Show.
• IMA Low RescoreOthersA global Masters of Arts Program in Interactive Media Arts offered jointly by NYU's Tisch School and NYU Shanghai. Features in-person residencies in New York, Berlin, and Shanghai combined with online curriculum.
• NYU ShanghaiminorOthersNYU Shanghai partners with ITP through the IMA Low Res program, providing a summer residency site at their award-winning New Bund Campus with state-of-the-art facilities.
• Tech Companies and Design FirmsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeading tech companies and design firms conduct recruitment events at the Tisch ITP/IMA space, providing career opportunities for graduating students.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD): RISD is a leading art and design college offering graduate programs with significant technology integration (Digital + Media). It is comparable to ITP because both award graduate credentials and emphasize hands-on making, though RISD is broader and more art-centric.
• California Institute of the Arts (CalArts): CalArts is a graduate-level art school offering MFA programs that integrate emerging technologies and experimental media. It is comparable to ITP as a specialized graduate institution where students work across digital, interactive, and physical media.
• MIT Media Lab: MIT Media Lab is an interdisciplinary research lab at MIT that, like ITP, sits at the intersection of technology, art, and design. It is a much larger and broader institution that grants graduate degrees and shares ITP's commitment to imaginative and exploratory research in communications technologies.
• Stanford d.school: Stanford's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) is a university-based program that blends design thinking with technology and engineering, similar to ITP's interdisciplinary approach. It operates within Stanford and serves graduate-level students and industry partners.
• UCLA Design Media Arts: UCLA's Design Media Arts department offers an MFA program combining art, design, and technology with strong emphasis on new media. It is comparable to ITP in serving graduate students exploring the intersection of creative practice and emerging technology.

Regional players

• Royal College of Art (RCA): RCA in London offers graduate programs in design, communication, and digital media with strong industry integration. It is comparable to ITP as a globally-recognized graduate art/design/tech institution, though it primarily serves a European student base.
• Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture: Aalto University's Department of Design and its Media Lab offer graduate programs integrating art, technology, and research, comparable to ITP's interdisciplinary mission. It serves primarily a Nordic/European audience with comparable experimental culture.

Direct peers

• Parsons School of Design: Parsons is The New School's design school in New York City offering graduate programs that combine technology, design, and creative practice. It is the most direct NYC-based peer to ITP, sharing the same city and a similar positioning between art and technology disciplines.
• Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center (ETC): CMU's ETC is a two-year graduate program at the intersection of technology, art, and interactive entertainment, with strong industry partnerships. It is directly comparable to ITP in scale, graduate-level focus, and blending of software/hardware creative practice.

Emerging players

• Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID): CIID is a specialized design school focused on interaction design, combining technology, design thinking, and physical computing. It is comparable to ITP in its small, experimental, interdisciplinary graduate program model serving an international student body.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ITP_NYU
• YouTubevimeo.com/itpred
• Facebookfacebook.com/itp.nyu.edu
• Instagraminstagram.com/itp_nyu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/itp-nyu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program)