Master in Digital Futures
Toronto, Canada
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
CAD 52,000
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
About: The Master in Digital Futures at OCAD University blends studio-based art, design and media practice with emerging technologies. You'll join an international cohort and study with faculty and the Canadian Film Centre Media Lab. The curriculum centers on practice-based learning, prototyping, enterprise and thesis research and offers electives, internships, residencies and independent study. Industry partnerships and mentorships help you build a career runway while you gain skills in digital technology, creative industries, transmedia, innovation and research and development.
Career Outcomes: As a graduate you'll qualify for: designers, project leaders, producers, managers bridging art and IT, startup founders, strategists, educators.
Participate in the creation of a digital revolution that integrates thought leadership and inclusive cultural change with disruptive technologies and new approaches to programs of local and global significance.
The graduate program in Digital Futures responds to the increasingly important and sophisticated role of digital technology as a catalyst for change.
Digital Futures has an international student cohort and faculty. A global perspective is key to securing our graduates’ futures in the eclectic international creative digital industries, encompassing design, arts, creative services, entertainment, media, and cultural industries. The Digital Futures program is offered in partnership with the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) Media Lab.
The Digital Futures student-centered learning approach applies to both research and practice. The curriculum ensures that you gain core digital knowledge and skills as you explore your specific areas of interest through electives, industry internships, residencies, and independent study.
The program focuses on practice-based learning and prototyping, with an enterprise component and supporting thesis research. Industry partnerships help students to build a career runway in advance of graduating. You are encouraged to work with industry partners in internships which lead to mentorship for your thesis research.
What You’ll Do in the Program
The master's in Digital Futures is a two-year full-time program. In the program, you will develop practice-based and scholarly research in technologically advanced design, art, and media through the following:
- Critical thinking
- Research and practice
- Business and innovation studies
- Computing and emerging digital methodologies
This is a full-time, 8-credit program comprising:
- Foundational courses in computation, business creation, innovation and leadership
- Core courses in digital methods, research, theory and practice
- Intensive digital project and prototyping courses
- Individual research and creation, overseen by a principal advisor and supervisory committee
- Summer internship and/or study abroad
- Elective choices
- Creative digital thesis project and supporting paper (MFA/MDes) or a written thesis and supporting creative project (MA)
Students declare their intention to pursue the Master of Design (MDes), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), or Master of Arts (MA) at the time of application. The outcomes of the chosen degree are distinctive. The MDes and MFA focus on practice-based research-creation with a supporting thesis. The MA flips that focus, with an emphasis on a scholarly research thesis and a supporting creative project.
Elective choices
New elective courses are continuously created in response to trends and emerging technologies. These cutting-edge courses cover theory and practice in design, art, media, technology, and enterprise. Some examples include:
Winter 2020 Elective Courses
- DIGF-5002 From Data to Perception (0.5 Credits)
- DIGF-5004 Interactive Exhibition: Part 2 (0.25 Credits)
- DIGF-6042 Possible Futures (0.5 Credits)
- DIGF-5008 Interactive Documentary (0.5 Credits)
Graduate students in full-time studies are eligible for funding opportunities in the form of merit-based entrance scholarships, teaching and research assistantships, and funding to support conference travel.
Students are also able to apply for bursaries, which are non-repayable awards given primarily based on financial need. For more information and application instructions, please see OCAD U's page on bursaries.
Where might your graduate degree in the Digital Futures program lead you?
As a Digital Futures graduate, you’ll be qualified to work in positions such as:
- App, web, and games designers and developers
- Digital project leaders
- Cultural industry producers
- Managers and coordinators between art and design departments and IT
- Creators and developers of your own start-ups
- Film, television and digital transmedia producers
- Digital strategists and educators
Graduates of the Digital Futures program will be poised to play leadership roles in research and development in the media, arts, technology, entertainment, and education sectors.
Who should apply?
You should have a background in design, technology, culture, and/or enterprise as demonstrated by an undergraduate degree and relevant work experience. Our students are designers and artists, filmmakers, architects, journalists, and media specialists, scientists, engineers, and business people. This diversity drives peer learning and collaboration across disciplines in the program.