Interactive Media Practice MA
London, United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
14 Jul 2027
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2027
TUITION FEES
GBP 18,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international | UK: £10,900
Key Summary
About: This multidisciplinary MA places the user at the center of interactive media practice, combining creative technologies, UX and interaction design, XR, wearables, mobile apps, games, and rich-media websites. You'll work in specialist hack labs, use industry software, follow research-informed practice and entrepreneurship incubator protocols, and build industry-recognised portfolios through briefs, collaboration and project-based production.
Career Outcomes: The course prepares you for roles in interaction design, UX design/development, digital transformation, innovation design and eMarketing. Graduates have joined Arm, Google, Microsoft, Citibank, Deloitte, Critical Techworks, Inmarsat, founded start-ups, moved to management, worked on NGO or government projects, and pursued practice-based PhDs.
This exciting multidisciplinary Master's course is fully designed to reflect the needs of contemporary interactive media industries, bringing together creative technologies, interactivity, design practices and entrepreneurship with the user in mind.
The Interactive Media Practice MA places the user at the centre of the experience and focuses on design and content creation in areas such as mobile app development, wearables, games, rich media websites, interactive guides and installations, immersive XR, next-generation advertising reality systems, to powerful eMarketing and entrepreneurship through innovation protocol and Digital Transformation.
The course embraces a hackathon culture with specialist labs that boast newly designed flexible learning spaces for students to work more collaboratively on innovation protocols fostering cross-pollination of new ideas creatively. Many students will work on industry briefs as well as their own projects independently within and outside our course clusters. This collaborative approach to learning and research often leads to successful projects that are commercially viable and can quickly gain industry recognition and also contribute to students’ portfolios.
You’ll examine the communication of ideas in a networked world through our entrepreneurship incubator programme and consider the many impacts of digital media in everyday life for commercial trajectories through practice-based projects.
Using the leading industry software, you'll be involved in designing and making interactive digital media content for delivery over the Internet, on tablets and mobile devices, and for installations to designing compelling user interfaces creating a great user experience. This also extends to the development of creating content for new emerging environments.
The Interactive Media Practice MA will prepare you for the sector by leveraging and integrating the fine blend between creativity and technical capacities. You'll also benefit from having access to a range of highly regarded industry practitioners who will offer you exceptional insight and working knowledge within the field, both challenging and encouraging your technical and creative flair. In this Master's course, you’ll move towards developing commercial-level interactive media and digital content production skills.
You’ll be encouraged to work with technology experimentally in a creative way, collaboratively, and to apply emerging and existing technology in new and innovative ways via research-informed practice. You'll also have hands-on experience creating content for mobile technologies, wearables, XR and content-rich media websites, RCS Messaging, ChatBot, web production, and UX design with the user in mind.
The course will also prepare and enhance your ability to produce interactive media, methodologies and production workflows, supported by a robust understanding of the technologies and theories involved.
This Master's offers an ideal underpinning for those seeking employment in the digital media industries, which increasingly require people who work with technology from a creative perspective or those seeking to solve a problem by introducing a new digital intervention. This is the course that will create the next generation of interactive media talent who are both enterprising and creative.
Students are encouraged to apply from design, non-programming or non-technical backgrounds as well as technical backgrounds.
Westminster is a leading provider in this academic discipline and is ranked 1st in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2022 for Research Quality in Art and Design. The University is also ranked top 10 among UK institutions for Communication and Media Studies in the QS World University Rankings 2021 and ranked 4th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2022 for Research Quality in Communication and Media Studies.
Top reasons to study with us
- Collaborative working – Our course embraces a hackathon culture with specialist hack labs for you to work more collaboratively on innovation protocols. It will equip you with advanced knowledge of managing and assembling ideas, using a wide variety of creative technologies and advanced programming in a real-world context.
- Learn from experts – You’ll be taught by highly regarded industry practitioners who will offer you exceptional insight and working knowledge within the field, both challenging and encouraging your technical and creative flair.
- Develop in-demand skills – The digital media industries increasingly require people who can work with technology from a creative perspective. This course will equip you with the skills to produce as well as explore future creative technologies.
- Excellent facilities – We have professional recording studios, technology labs, and an array of post-production and multimedia facilities built and equipped to the highest standards.
Why study this course?
- Excellent facilities
We have professional recording studios, technology labs, and an array of post-production and multimedia facilities built and equipped to the highest standards. - Leading provider
We’re ranked 1st in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2022 for Research Quality in Art and Design, ranked top 10 among UK institutions for Communication and Media Studies in the QS World University Rankings 2021, and 4th in the Complete University Guide 2022 for Research Quality in Communication and Media Studies. - Easy access to central London
Based just a 20-minute tube ride away from the heart of the city, you’ll be perfectly placed to access work experience and networking opportunities in London’s media industries.
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible students.
The Interactive Media Practice MA offers an ideal foundation for those seeking employment in the digital media industries, which increasingly require people who can work with technology from a creative perspective.
This course has been designed to help its students attain a high level of employability. On completing the course, previous graduates have gained employment in leading digital agencies. Some have progressed in their existing careers to management positions or have founded their own start-ups, while others have developed solutions for NGOs or have worked on governmental projects in China. Some graduates have gone on to further study and practice-based PhDs.
- Develop in-demand skills
The digital media industries increasingly require people who can work with technology from a creative perspective. This course will equip you with the skills to produce as well as explore future creative technologies. - Learn from experts
You’ll be taught by highly regarded industry practitioners who will offer you exceptional insight and working knowledge within the field, both challenging and encouraging your technical and creative flair. - Employers around the world
The University’s Careers and Employability Service has built up a network of over 3,000 employers around the world, helping all our students explore and connect with exciting opportunities and careers.
Industry links
This course benefits from links with a number of organisations, which have included:
- Arm
- Microsoft
- Mobile UX
- Orange
Job roles
This course will prepare you for roles in:
- Digital transformation
- Innovation design
- Interaction design
- UX design/development
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course have found employment at organisations including:
- Arm
- Citibank
- Critical Techworks
- Deloitte
- Inmarsat
Westminster Employability Award
Employers value graduates who have invested in their personal and professional development – and our Westminster Employability Award gives you the chance to formally document and demonstrate these activities and achievements.
The award is flexible and can be completed in your own time, comprising a set of core and optional extracurricular activities.
Activities might include gaining experience through a part-time job or placement, signing up for a University-run scheme – such as mentoring or teaching in a school – or completing online exercises.
Open days, both online and on campus, are an excellent opportunity to explore study options at Westminster. An open day allows prospective students to visit the facilities, learn more about specific courses and speak directly with academic staff.