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Opleiding: MA Design for Interactive Media

Learning purpose

The MA Design for Interactive Media offers a unique opportunity to develop practical skills together with special insights into the nature of interaction design. It has recently absorbed the activities of the related MA Electronic Arts, enabling us to offer an even wider range of experience.

 

We learned a long time ago that Interactive Media are not just about the conventional screens of the PC and the TV. They are everywhere in our pockets, on our wrists, on the walls of an exhibition, embedded in other devices. The way we experience them has expanded too. Interaction design includes websites and services of all kinds, television, virtual environments, installations and kiosk systems, games, CD and DVD, advanced educational technologies, ubiquitous computing, multi-sensory input, intelligent appliances and mobile technologies, interactive artworks and digital performances. Our students learn how to design and build everything that falls within the scope of interactive media.

 

In the seventeen years since we launched this world-leading creative masters programme, we have helped to drive the three phases through which Interactive Media has grown first, CD-ROMs; then the Web; and now media which are ubiquitous, pervasive, physical, multi-modal. Whether you want to know how to design a crystal-clear website that communicates with perfect effectiveness, develop a pervasive game played on mobile phones or simply have an unrivalled opportunity to think about where interactive media are going, we can provide what you need.

 

 

Programme

You take three compulsory modules. Within these you have a great deal of freedom. The first two modules are taken in parallel, while the third and last comprises the final project and dissertation. With the agreement of staff you can develop a programme customised to your needs. The overriding aim is for you to acquire a deep insight into the special characteristics of interactive digital media. Your programme of creative and investigative activity is agreed in consultation with staff. Staff encourage you to identify the connections between the project or projects and theoretical and written work. They also assist you in planning and determining the scale of the project or projects.

 

Creative Practice The core software tools, media and technologies required for interactive media are introduced, refocusing your existing skills and practice in the context of new tools and styles of production. The teaching is designed to support your work on projects, rather than as an end in itself. You study interactive media in both breadth and depth; you are particularly encouraged to look at interactive media beyond conventional displays and interaction devices. You have an open choice between blue-skies and market-ready projects, but in all cases you are helped to identify the benefit of interactivity to the user and the relationships between form, content and interaction. With this in mind you are introduced to usability and other human-computer interface issues and a variety of evaluation technologies and approaches. Opportunities are created for collaborative projects with students from other programmes in Media Arts; this is an option you are encouraged to pursue. You may wish to develop your creative practice projects around employed work, whether contracted or salaried. In this case, staff assist you in determining the relationship between the requirements of work and those of the academic programme.

 

Research and Context You complete a practical assignment with a clear research goal which you document in a report. By research we mean that the emphasis is on discovery, through working on a project, rather than simply on the making in itself. This shared module runs in parallel with the Creative Practice module. Teaching introduces a variety of approaches to research and professional skills. It allows you to integrate theoretical, historical and critical skills with practical work. It also helps you prepare for the final module, the Dissertation Project. As a shared module, it provides the opportunity for students from the three programmes MA Moving Image, MA Design for Interactive Media and MA Sonic Arts to explore interdisciplinary themes, and this kind of cross-over is encouraged. In consultation with staff you plan work to suit your established and emerging special interests. This personal work is supported by a common series of lectures and seminars examining research methodologies; case studies of successful research work; thematic and contextual issues etc. The module culminates in a detailed proposal document for the major project to be pursued in the final Dissertation Project.

 

Dissertation Project There is no formal syllabus for the final module teaching is instead provided in the form of individual and group tutorials to support you in your project work and theoretical investigations. Some students choose to complete the module through theoretical and written work only, which is correspondingly more substantial.

The programme is based at Cat Hill. The MA Design for Interactive Media is available in two modes.

1. Full-time taught. Attendance at all timetabled classes is compulsory. You will need to attend three days most weeks. This is the mode in which most students study.
2. Full-time or part-time flexible. This is for students with existing technical knowledge. Your programme of study is negotiated with the tutors and may include work which is done as part of employment in the UK or elsewhere.

Teaching is structured but informal. Assessment is by projects with related written work; there are no exams. Each semester, you will undertake a major project and written work, in addition to individual minor projects. The dissertation is 6,000 words with the practice project or 15,000 in the theory-only module.

 

 

Entry Requirements

You do not have to be a designer or a programmer; only one third of our students are. If you are curious or excited about the possibilities of interaction design, you should apply for our programme. We normally expect a degree, BA or BSc, but also welcome applicants with significant experience. We offer all suitable applicants an informal interview, by phone or in person. At this stage we can decide whether we need any proof of your competence in English.

English language requirements

You must have competence in English language and we normally require Grade C GCSE or an equivalent qualification. The most common English Language requirements for international students are IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL (paper based) 575 or TOEFL (internet based) 90 with specified minimum scores for each component.

 

 

Professional perspective and employment market

Our graduates go on to work in specialist interactive media companies and in broadcasting, games, publishing, advertising and telecommunications. They are senior designers, creative directors, project leaders, heads of interactive media or run their own businesses. They range from executives to internationally acclaimed artists.

 

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