Level up your career with a Digital Media MA!

The Digital Media M.A. prepares you with a theory-and-practice to design, research, and build interactive experiences across emerging platforms, from web and mobile to VR/AR and AI-driven interfaces. This 36-credit, two-year program combines UX and interaction design principles with hands-on programming, interactive storytelling, and media theory, so you can create experiences grounded in both creative vision and evidence-based research.

Choose the Thesis track to pursue original research and prepare for a Ph.D., or the Studio Production track to build a professional portfolio of exhibition-ready interactive works. Either way, you will graduate ready for careers in UX design, AR/VR development, game design, interactive media, or doctoral study. Evening courses at UCF Downtown make it possible to advance your career without putting it on hold.

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In the News

Digital Media Student Prepares Presentation for Prominent Conference

Digital Media and IST M&S MS student Christopher Webb completed research with Dr. Maria Harrington, defended a MS thesis last Spring, and is publishing and presenting at ITSEC 2024.

NSCM Master’s Student Discusses Virtual Blue Springs Project

NSCM Master’s student, Erica Winfrey, shares information about her exciting project titled, “VR Blue Springs.” VR Blue Springs is a digital twin of Blue Springs Federal Park in Florida.

GaIM Professor Becomes a Board Member to Games for a Change Local Chapter

Assistant Professor of Games and Interactive Media, Sercan Sengun, has recently been appointed as an Executive Board member for G4C Türkiye chapter.

Student Testimonial

Erica Winfrey

“I really enjoyed my experience in the Digital Media MA program. It was very self-guided, so if you’re used to a structure that lays out the entire path then it’s probably not for you, but being able to pick where I wanted to guide my project was great. I also had the opportunity to teach as a Graduate student for undergrad and it was nice to try and help guide where I remembered struggling a couple years ago. More than anything the smaller classes in the masters meant getting to know everyone much better and I felt like I had a lot of support from my professors who were willing to help out with projects whether they were directly in the purview of the class or not.
A few professors that I really can’t thank enough are Dr. Maria C. R. Harrington, Dr. John T. Murray, Dr. Natalie Underberg-Goode and Dr. Peter Smith, all encouraged me to push projects further and submit my work at conferences or to reach out to other peers in my field, or suggested and supported Club events for the VR Knights club that I started up at the beginning of my masters. Everyone I met from the Digital Media staff was rather kind. Getting encouraged to reach out to people and attend events in my field is honestly probably what led me to getting my Tech Artist job.” — Erica Winfrey

You can visit the Virtual Blue Springs here: https://aquarica.itch.io/vr-blue-springs

Maker Space

This interdisciplinary Maker Space fosters creativity and collaboration through the practice of critical making. This practice will not only offer students alternative modes of knowledge production through critical experiments with technology, but also inform ways to engage the community through peer-based collaboration, prototyping, and entrepreneurship. GaIM Graduate students have access to all Maker Space equipment and resources, most of which can be found on the Full Equipment List page. Everything from our 3D printers, laser cutters, to the OptiTrack motion capture system is available for research and project use. If there is any equipment, consumable, or software not available, the GaIM program and Maker Space will work with the student to bring their project to fruition. While the hours of operation tend to be normal business hours, where the Maker Space Manager or assistant is available, graduate students can register for 24/7 access, by having a faculty sponsor.

A modern office space with people working at desks, featuring transparent glass walls, yellow chairs, and computer stations. Bright lighting and ceiling fixtures are visible.

Selected Courses

Curriculum
Please visit the Graduate Catalog to see the current curriculum for our program. Designed for working professionals, evening courses offered. Grain the skills you need. Combine arts, science and technology in a highly individualized program to develop your skills and knowledge in digital media.

Year One (18 hours)

Year Two (18 hours)

Fall

DIG 6647 History & Theory of Interactive Media (3 hours)
DIG 5487 Media Aesthetics (3 hours)
DIG 5508 Programming