Degree Requirements for the Master of Science
Students must complete 30 credits over three semesters to obtain a Master of Science in Integrated Digital Media. Students typically take a four course load (3 credits per course) in the fall and spring of their first year. Students should enroll in the 3-credit thesis seminars in both the second and third semesters. Below is the distribution of credit requirements.
First Semester, Fall
Required
3 Credits
3 Credits
The first-year seminar provides a dual role as a graduate level course in media studies (complete with a writing-intensive research project) and a forum for students to present creative and technical work for peer review and group critique.
Studio Courses
Students should choose between two studio courses offered in performance, sound, cinema, 3D, interaction design, game design, and web and networked media that will best raise their expertise level in a specialty for which they are well prepared. While the studio courses are broad in scope (they cover a conceptual theme prevalent in digital media rather than a specific sub-topic), courses each require focused production work on a final project, and involve collaboration with colleagues who have complementary skills and interests.
Second Semester, Spring
Required
3 Credits
Variable Credits
Elective Credits
Choose two elective courses (“Specials”), which may include
3 Credits or a 3 credit Internship. “Special” electives, taught by regular and adjunct faculty, are selected each year from a group of possible courses based on the interests of the first-year class. For example, if the entering DM class is specifically interested in machine vision (based on its project work in the first semester seminar), the faculty will “commission” an elective on that topic.
Independent Study enrollment is permitted for DM students interested in specific research areas outside of the electives offered.
Internships are available for students seeking to gain job experience in the commercial or nonprofit sector. To learn more about completing an internship in Integrated Digital Media, contact the instructor for the internship (DM 4033) the semester before you plan to complete the internship. Both undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to complete internships in the field.
Third Semester, Fall
Required
Variable Credits. For the third semester, students choose one elective course and continue with the 3 credit Thesis Seminar to complete the thesis project begun in the second semester, in a group environment supervised by a faculty member. At the end of the seminar, students prepare and defend their thesis projects before a faculty committee.
