Master's Programs

Master's Programs

Digital Media/Arts/Visualization

M.A. Graphic Design
Cranbrook Academy of Art – Bloomfield Hills, MI
http://www.cranbrookart.edu/index2.html
The Cranbrook Academy is a large art school located outside of Detroit, MI. It offers a variety of degree programs, including architecture, ceramics, 3D art, and print media. Students are prepared for entry into the entertainment technology industry as artists.

M.F.A in Computer Art
School of Visual Arts – NYC
http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/grad/index.jsp?sid0=2&sid1=28
The MFA in Computer Art is one of many master’s degrees offered at the School of Visual Arts. Students interested in the art side of entertainment technology may be drawn to this, or other technology related programs, at the school.

M.F.A. in Electronic Arts
Rensselear Polytechnic Institute – Troy, NY
http://www.arts.rpi.edu/index.php?siteid=3&pageid=39
RPI’s electronic arts program offers a strong curriculum for those students interested in careers in electronic media. Students must complete a master’s thesis and 60 credit hours of work, some of which takes place in the iEAR studios.
*A Ph.D. is offered as well and can be found in more detail through the Ph.D. link.

M.F.A. in Integrated Media Arts
Hunter College - NYC
http://fm.hunter.cuny.edu/ima_wordpress/
A master’s program that provides a curriculum that focuses on educating its students on contemporary media technologies through the study of nonfiction media. Students much complete 48 credit hours of graduate level coursework.

M.F.A in Interactive Media Division
School of Cinematic Arts, USC – Los Angeles, CA
http://cinema.usc.edu/programs/interactive-media/graduate-requirements.htm
Interactive entertainment is a core part of the curriculum offered in the MFA program. Students gather digital production skills through their classroom courses and partake in a self-designed advanced interactive project during their three years in the program.

M.F.A. in Media Design
Art Center College of Design – Pasadena, CA
http://www.artcenter.edu/mdp/
Students can follow a 2-year or 3-year track when entering the program. The curriculum centers around three key concepts: discovery, hybridity, and emergence. Students are challenged to invent new designs that keep up the world’s technological changes.

M.F.A. in Media Study
University of Buffalo – Buffalo, NY
http://mediastudy.buffalo.edu/grad_mfa.php
Buffalo’s media study program focuses its curricula on experimental and independent media. The department conducts research in robotics, digital art, virtual reality/interactive fiction, and independent film and video. 60 credit hours are required of the degree, and students must complete a final thesis and a final project/exhibit.

M.P.S. in Interactive Telecommunications
New York University – NYC
http://itp.nyu.edu/itp/
This is a two-year graduate program that discovers new ways to combine technology and communication. Students are granted a Masters of Professional Studies upon their completion of 60 graduate credits.

M.S. in Comparative Media Studies
MIT – Cambridge, MA
http://cms.mit.edu/academics/graduate_program.php
The graduate program in comparative media studies is a small program that emphasizes research projects that focus on the studies of communication, media, and its corporation with technology. Research opportunities are available and classes are centered on media theory and media transitions.

M.S. in Digital Media
Georgia Tech – Atlanta, GA
http://dm.lcc.gatech.edu/idt/faqs.php
Formerly known as the M.S. program in Information Design and Technology, the M.S. in Digital Media is found within the School of Literature, Communication, and Culture. It is a diverse program that focuses on human-computer interaction.
*A Ph.D. is offered as well and can be found in more detail through the Ph.D. link.

M.S. in Immersive Mediated Environments “MIME”
Indiana University – Bloomington, IN
http://www.mime.indiana.edu/
MIME is a master’s program that hones in on new media. Students are immersed in rigorous classroom courses that explore computer science, communication, business, and the fine arts. Students are required to complete an internship and they have the ability to design their own program.

M.S. in Media Arts and Science
MIT – Cambridge, MA
http://www.media.mit.edu/
This program is apart of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning. Undergraduate courses and an alternative freshman year program are available for interested undergrads, but no bachelor’s degree is offered.
*A Ph.D. is offered as well and can be found in more detail through the Ph.D. link.

M.S. in Multimedia Engineering, M.S. in Visual and Spatial Arts, & M.A. in Electronic Music and Sound Design
University of California, Santa Barbara – Santa Barbara, CA
http://www.mat.ucsb.edu/masters.php
All three programs are two years in length and consist of a rigorous interdisciplinary academic program. Classes deal with the emerging trends in the arts and technology. Students can either complete a project or a thesis during their second year.
*A Ph.D. is offered as well and can be found in more detail through the Ph.D. link.
M.S. in Visualization Sciences
Texas A&M University – College Station, TX
http://www-viz.tamu.edu/about/masters.html
This program is ideal for students interested in pursing a career path in the world of visualization. 50 students are typically enrolled in the program and take courses concentrated in animation, modeling, simulation, image generation, and design communication.

Game Design and Development

M.S. in Computer Games Technology
University of Abertay Dundee – Dundee, UK
http://www.abertay.ac.uk/Courses/CDetails.cfm?CID=186&Key=004.003
The School of Computing and Creative Technologies has developed a Masters of Science program in Computer Games Technology. It prepares students for jobs such as game programmers, graphic programmers, and console programmers. The program courses center on game development and design.

Master of Design, Master of Design Methods, Master of Design w/ MBA
Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute of Design – Chicago, IL
http://www.id.iit.edu/
Three master programs are offered within the Institute of Design. All program concentrate on developing new, innovative designs that incorporate technology.

M.S. in Entertainment Business & M.S. in Game Design
Full Sail University – Winter Park, FL
http://www.fullsail.com/
Full Sail’s entertainment business and game design programs provide a comprehensive education for those students wishing to enter the field of entertainment technology. Additional Master’s program are available online in Internet marketing, media design, and education media design & technology.

M.S. in Interactive Entertainment
University of Central Florida, FIEA (Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy) – Orlando, FL
http://www.fiea.ucf.edu/shield/showpage.php?page_id=31
The FIEA program offers a hands-on education for students interested in game design. The project-based curriculum closely mimics the game design process. Students are broken into three specialties: producer, programmer, or artist. They are combined into groups and work on a large project during semester’s 2 & 3. The program is completed with either a capstone project or an internship during semester 4.

Computer Science/Human-Computer Interaction

M.S. in Computer Science w/ a HCI Concentration & M.S. in Learning, Design, & Technology
Stanford University – Palo Alto, CA
http://hci.stanford.edu/
The computer science master’s program at Stanford has the option for students to take classes offered by the HCI group and develop a concentration area in human-computer interaction. LDT students have the same option within their program.

M.S. in Computer Science
DigiPen Institute of Technology – Redmond, WA
https://www.digipen.edu/academics/degree-programs/computer-science/
The computer science program at DigiPen explores the following areas: “3D computer graphics, animation & modeling techniques, artificial intelligence algorithms, image processing, and real-time rendering.” These areas are combined with more traditional computer science courses, which results in an engaging curriculum for students.

M.S. in Arts, Computation, and Engineering
University of California, Irvine – Irvine, Ca
http://ace.uci.edu/
ACE is a unique masters program that combines multiple disciplines and works with three schools at UC Irvine. The curriculum is based on the development of real-timeperformance, artificial life, online interaction, gaming, and design.