KTH Royal Institute of Technology
MSc Interactive Media Technology
Stockholm, Sweden
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2027
TUITION FEES
SEK 360,000 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for non-EU/EEA/Swiss | no tuition fee for citizens of EU/EEA country or Switzerland
Key Summary
About: The MSc Interactive Media Technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology develops skills to design, develop and evaluate interactive products and media, spanning human‑computer interaction, interaction design, user experience and sound computing. You’ll study research methods, media technology and human perception. It’s a two-year (120 ECTS credits) Master taught in English at Stockholm campus.
Career Outcomes: Graduates work as developers, technical leads, interaction designers, UX engineers, product or project managers, enter industrial research or doctoral studies, or found companies. Employers include Spotify, DICE, Skype, Netlight, Tobii, Voddler. You're positioned for roles in immersive VR/AR, AI-assisted creativity and multimodal interaction.
The master's programme in Interactive Media Technology provides skills and knowledge in designing, developing and evaluating interactive products and media. You will explore topics related to human-computer interaction, user experience, and sonic and visual media. We encourage students to work on projects that matter to them and respond to societal challenges. Graduates are experts in industry and academia, and some start their own companies.
Interactive Media Technology at KTH
Interactive Media Technology is fundamental to almost all of our experiences in the world. We use interactive media technology to support play, create and maintain social relationships, express ourselves, and coordinate and complete work tasks.
The programme teaches knowledge and skills from computer science, media technology, human-computer interaction and interaction design. You will take mandatory courses in research methods, foundations in media technology and interaction design, and human perception. These courses provide a broad base of knowledge and skills that you can then deepen by focusing on, for example, user experience, sound and music computing, interaction design, or user-centred software development.
Throughout the programme, you develop a toolbox of methods to support you in designing, developing and evaluating interactive media technologies in all settings. You gain expertise in theoretical perspectives that can inform how you shape interactive media technology and learn critical perspectives that allow you to ask the right questions at the right time to ensure that your work positively impacts the world around you.
Studying this programme at KTH will put you in a unique position. You will have developed excellent technical and design skills while becoming proficient in applying critical perspectives on technology development and use. KTH is one of Europe's best venues for interaction design and sound and computing research. Studying in this programme allows you to learn from and interact with these research leaders.
This is a two-year programme (120 ECTS credits) given in English. Graduates are awarded the degree of Master of Science. The programme is given mainly at KTH Campus in Stockholm by the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (at KTH).
The courses in the programme cover topics such as Interaction design, physical computing, sound and music computing, graphics and visualisation, social and collaborative computing, multimodal interaction, haptic and tangible interaction, evaluation of interactive systems, and sustainable and critical approaches to technology development.
Year 1
Mandatory Courses
- Interactive Data Visualisation (DH2322) 7.5 credits
- Human-Computer Interaction, Research Seminars (DH2632) 3 credits
- Sustainability and Media Technology (DM2573) 7.5 credits
- Program Integrating Course in Interactive Media Technology (DM2679) 2 credits
- Human Perception for Information Technology (DM2350) 7.5 credits
- Media Technology and Interaction Design (DM2601) 7.5 credits
- Research Methods in Interactive Media Technology (DM2713) 7.5 credits
Conditionally Elective Courses
- Introduction to Visualisation, Computer Graphics and Image/Video Processing (DD2258) 7.5 credits
- Software Engineering Fundamentals (DD2480) 7.5 credits
- Extended Reality in Theory and Practice (DH2310) 7.5 credits
- Computer Graphics and Interaction (DH2323) 6 credits
- Physical Interaction Design and Realisation (DH2400) 7.5 credits
- Interaction Programming and the Dynamic Web (DH2642) 7.5 credits
- Computer Game Design (DH2650) 6 credits
- Haptics, Tactile and Tangible Interaction (DH2670) 7.5 credits
- Intercultural communication (DM2556) 7.5 credits
- Artificial Intelligence in Society (DM2585) 9 credits
- Human Centred Technology for Disabilities (DM2624) 7.5 credits
- Sustainable Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Practice (DM2720) 7.5 credits
- AI for Learning (DM2731) 7.5 credits
- Music Acoustics (DT2212) 7.5 credits
- Musical Communication and Music Technology (DT2213) 7.5 credits
- Generative AI for Media Technology and Interaction Design (DM2588) 7.5 credits
- Social Robotics (DD2413) 7.5 credits
- Image Analysis and Computer Vision (DD2423) 7.5 credits
- Evaluation Methods in Human-Computer Interaction (DH2408) 6 credits
- Multimodal Interaction and Interfaces (DT2140) 7.5 credits
- Image and Video Processing (EQ2330) 7.5 credits
- Technology Enhanced Learning (DM2730) 7.5 credits
- Sound in Interaction (DT2300) 7.5 credits
Recommended Courses
- Advanced Topics in Visualisation and Computer Graphics (DD2470) 6 credits
- Individual Course in Media Technology (DM2904) 6 credits
- Individual Course in Media Technology (DM2905) 7.5 credits
- Project in Conversational Systems (DT2151) 7.5 credits
- Advanced Individual Course in Music Communication (DT2215) 6 credits
- Advanced Individual Course in Music Communication (DT2216) 9 credits
- Programming for Data Science (ID2214) 7.5 credits
- Mechatronic in Product Design (MF2104) 6 credits
- Communicating Science Through Art and Art Through Science (DM2602) 7.5 credits
- Engineering Training Course (DM1999) 15 credits
- Speech Technology (DT2112) 7.5 credits
- Speech and Speaker Recognition (DT2119) 7.5 credits
- Rhetoric - the Art of Persuasion (LS1464) 7.5 credits
- Interactive Visualisation of Virtual Urban Environments and Computational Urban Design (DD2364) 7.5 credits
- Photography advanced course (SK2304) 3.5 credits
Year 2
Mandatory Courses
- Program Integrating Course in Interactive Media Technology (DM2679) 2 credits
- Degree Project in Computer Science and Engineering, specialising in Interactive Media Technology, Second Cycle (DA232X) 30 credits
Conditionally Elective Courses
- Visualization (DD2257) 7.5 credits
- Artificial Intelligence (DD2380) 6 credits
- Social Robotics (DD2413) 7.5 credits
- Image Analysis and Computer Vision (DD2423) 7.5 credits
- Extended Reality in Theory and Practice (DH2310) 7.5 credits
- Physical Interaction Design and Realisation (DH2400) 7.5 credits
- Evaluation Methods in Human-Computer Interaction (DH2408) 6 credits
- Advanced Graphics and Interaction (DH2413) 9 credits
- Interaction Programming and the Dynamic Web (DH2642) 7.5 credits
- Advanced Interaction Programming (DH2643) 7.5 credits
- Cooperative IT-design (DH2655) 9 credits
- Big Data in Media Technology (DM2583) 7.5 credits
- User Experience Design and Evaluation (DM2630) 9 credits
- Technology Enhanced Learning (DM2730) 7.5 credits
- AI for Learning (DM2731) 7.5 credits
- Leading Complex Change Processes (DM2800) 7.5 credits
- Multimodal Interaction and Interfaces (DT2140) 7.5 credits
- Music Acoustics (DT2212) 7.5 credits
- Music Informatics (DT2470) 7.5 credits
- Image and Video Processing (EQ2330) 7.5 credits
Recommended Courses
- Media, Technology and Culture (AK2203) 7.5 credits
- Advanced Topics in Visualisation and Computer Graphics (DD2470) 6 credits
- Individual Course in Media Technology (DM2904) 6 credits
- Individual Course in Media Technology (DM2905) 7.5 credits
- Speech and Speaker Recognition (DT2119) 7.5 credits
- Project in Conversational Systems (DT2151) 7.5 credits
- Advanced Individual Course in Music Communication (DT2215) 6 credits
- Advanced Individual Course in Music Communication (DT2216) 9 credits
- Audio Technology (DT2410) 7.5 credits
- Programming for Data Science (ID2214) 7.5 credits
- Embedded Systems (IL2206) 7.5 credits
- Rhetoric - the Art of Persuasion (LS1464) 7.5 credits
- Entrepreneurship for Engineers (ME2072) 6 credits
- Knowledge Management (ME2039) 6 credits
- Mechatronic in Product Design (MF2104) 6 credits
- Communicating Science Through Art and Art Through Science (DM2602) 7.5 credits
- Interactive Visualisation of Virtual Urban Environments and Computational Urban Design (DD2364) 7.5 credits
This master's programme equips you with the necessary skills and knowledge to participate in this digital economy. It emphasises developing future designers and engineers in theories, processes, and techniques central to designing, developing, and evaluating interactive media technologies within society.
You will obtain the knowledge and skills to respond to the crucial challenges facing our future society.
KTH Scholarships
KTH offers four different scholarship opportunities for master's studies. The KTH Scholarship covers the tuition fee of a one or two-year master’s programme. The KTH One-Year Scholarship is aimed at current KTH master's programme students and covers the tuition fee of the second year of studies. The KTH Joint Programme Scholarship is aimed at students in certain joint programmes and covers the tuition fee for the study period spent at KTH. The KTH India Scholarship is aimed specifically at students from India.
- KTH Scholarship
- KTH One-Year Scholarship
- KTH Joint Programme Scholarship
- KTH India Scholarship
Swedish Institute
SI Scholarship for Global Professionals
The SI Scholarship for Global Professionals covers the tuition fee for a master's programme and also includes living costs. It is open to students from 33 countries with previous work and leadership experience. You apply directly to SI after completing your application to KTH.
SI Scholarship Pioneering Women in STEM
The SI Scholarship Pioneering Women in STEM covers the tuition fee of a selection of master's programmes at KTH and also includes living costs. It is open to female students from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand or Vietnam. You apply directly to SI after completing your application to KTH.
KTH associated scholarship organisations
KTH cooperates with the following organisations, providing scholarship opportunities for prospective KTH students.
- COLFUTURO (Programa Crédito Beca) for students from Colombia
- LPDP (Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education) for students from Indonesia
- FUNED for students from Mexico
- MESCYT for students from the Dominican Republic
- ANII for students from Uruguay
Scholarship portals
- IEFA database: The IEFA database offers a comprehensive scholarship search, grant listing, and international student loan programmes.
- Studyportals: The Studyportals scholarship database lists over 1,000 scholarships and grants for students worldwide applying for studies in the EU.
- Scholars4dev: Scholarships for Development is a database of scholarships open to students from developing countries.
- WeMakeScholars: WeMakeScholars helps students from India secure education loans from banks and NBFCs. They also list more than 26,000 international scholarships from different trusts, foundations, and the government. Bodies.
Deferment of student loans in the United States
KTH is an accredited institution at the US Department of Education and holds a Title IV 'Deferment Only' status (OPE ID 03274300). US students may defer payments on existing federal student loan accounts while enrolled in a master’s programme at KTH. The 'Deferment Only' status does not allow students to take out federal student loans for enrollment at KTH. However, the accreditation facilitates grant and loan opportunities for US students, as many private student loan institutions in the US use this designation as a requirement to grant new loans. Students who wish to defer payments must contact their lending institution in the US.
After graduation, you can pursue a career as a developer, technical lead, interaction designer, UX engineer, product or project manager in the IT and media industries. You can also pursue a career in industrial research or continue your studies toward a doctoral degree. Some recent graduates have pursued doctoral studies internationally at Université Paris-Saclay and IT University of Copenhagen, or in Sweden at Stockholm University and Umeå University.
Former students have found work at companies such as Spotify, DICE, Skype, Netlight Consulting, Tobii, and Voddler. Among our graduates, we also have several founders of companies within the media and IT sector, including Prezi and SoundCloud, and several successful consultancy firms such as Prototyp and Ocean Observations. Graduates will also be well-positioned to work in emerging fields such as immersive VR/AR experiences, AI-assisted creativity, or multimodal interaction in smart environments.
Teaching methods vary across the programme, but there is a strong emphasis on developing and refining practical skills through project work. Courses have strong connections to research to help you prepare for the future of interactive media technology in society.
The programme engages with the industry through study visits, guest lectures, and dissertation projects. Recent industrial collaborators in our teaching include Spotify, Scania, Google and Epic Games. For example, one industrial collaborator asked students to creatively design new workflows and design patterns that would use AI and explicit and implicit signals of use to better serve content to customers. Students then spent five hours working on this challenge before presenting their work back to the industrial collaborator to get feedback on their designs. Activities like these help students to build networks with industry in Sweden, understand more about what work looks like in different industries, and learn how to improve their design skills.