Graduate Studies

The Digital Media Program

Digital Media students will focus on areas dealing with the development of content and technology for entertainment, education and communication.

The DM program is research-based and students will produce a thesis as a requirement of the program.

DM program is research‐based which means a major component is working on a research project and preparing/defending a thesis based on it. This should involve novel ideas and significant work.

This master's program is expected to take 2 full years (6 consecutive terms). The breakdown of these two years depends on the students. The most common pattern though is fall/winter of the first year to take courses, the rest working on thesis research. Students may or may not register in the summer of their first year. Most students finish in 2 years.

The program allows you to learn new concepts and develop new skills, or improve your existing ones. It also allows you to work on novel ideas. Together these should make you more competitive in industry. Hopefully, you will also make new connections as many research projects have industry partners.

Program Requirements

Masters of Information Technology (MIT): Digital Media

  • ITEC5002 [0.5 credit] Fundamentals of Information Technology Research
  • ITEC5001 [0.0 credits] Information Technology Seminar 1
  • ITEC5909 [2.5 credits] Master's Thesis
  • 1.5 credits in core courses
  • 0.5 credits in Electives (which may include other ITEC courses) selected in consultation with the supervisor

Masters of Information Technology (MIT): Digital Media specialization in Data Science

  • DATA5000 [0.5 credit] Data Science Seminar
  • ITEC5002 [0.5 credit] Fundamentals of Information Technology Research
  • ITEC5909 [2.5 credits] Master's Thesis in Digital Media
  • 1.0 credits in core courses
  • 0.5 credits in Electives (which may include other ITEC courses) selected in consultation with the supervisor

Masters of Information Technology (MIT): Digital Media Specialization in Cybersecurity

  • CYBR5000 [1.0 credit] Science and Social Science of Cybersecurity
  • ITEC5002 [0.5 credit] Fundamentals of Information Technology Research
  • ITEC5001 [0.0 credits] Information Technology Seminar 1
  • ITEC5909 [2.5 credits] Master's Thesis in Digital Media
  • 1.0 credits in core courses

1ITEC 5001 is a series of seminars. All MIT and PhD students are required to attend and successfully present at least once. On occasion, the seminar series will also feature speakers from Carleton as well as from the IT community at large, both academic and industrial, exposing students to cutting edge research. At the same time, the series also has an important community-building function by bringing together faculty, students and industry professionals, providing an informal setting of mutual interaction.

Coursework

The coursework is generally done in university. The rest depends on students and their research supervisor. Keep in mind that 2-year program assumes full-time status. Working on your thesis takes time and outside employment will make it longer.

Core Courses

  • ITEC5200 [0.5 credit] Entertainment Technologies
  • ITEC5201 [0.5 credit] Computer Animation Technologies
  • ITEC5202 [0.5 credit] Visual Effects Technologies
  • ITEC5203 [0.5 credit] Game Design and Development Technologies
  • ITEC5204 [0.5 credit] Emerging Interaction Techniques (also listed as HCIN5300)
  • ITEC5205 [0.5 credit] Design and Development of Data-Intensive Applications
  • ITEC5206 [0.5 credit] Data Protection and Rights Management
  • ITEC5207 [0.5 credit] Data Interaction Techniques
  • ITEC5208 [0.5 credit] Topics in Virtual Reality
  • ITEC5920 [0.5 credit] Special Topics in Digital Media - Applied Deep Learning
  • ITEC5920 [0.5 credit] Special Topics in Digital Media - Generative Media and Computational Creativity
  • ITEC5920 [0.5 credit] Special Topics in Digital Media - Advanced Technologies for Film Production
  • ITEC5010 [0.5 credit] Applied Programming

Research

Research in the Carleton School of Information Technology has direct application to industry and has led to many achievements:

  • Media productions such as movies and commercials
  • Natural human-computer interaction methods
  • New educational technologies
  • Guidance and direction to the gaming industry
  • Exhibitions for national museums

Your Career

Ontario has more than 950 interactive digital media firms. The digital games sector alone is growing at a rate of 30 percent per year. The need for new digital media and network solutions is rapidly growing in both public and private sectors. Many of our DM graduates will go on to work with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which have strong research activities in the entertainment, media and communication industries, and also for government agencies and organizations who require digital media content and technologies.

The PhD graduates will be ideal for private sector companies with strong R&D departments, government agencies in need of advanced Digital Media solutions and strategies, and also universities that offer digital media-related programs.

Applying

Admission to DM program requires a research/thesis supervisor. It is strongly advised that you look up the list of research areas covered by the School's faculty members, contact individual faculty members you may be interested in working with, and get the approval of your potential thesis supervisor prior to applying.

For more details on applying to this program, please visit our admissions section.