Centre For Digital Media - Master of Digital Media

Master of Digital Media

The Master of Digital Media (MDM) program is the first jointly credentialed academic program offered at the Center for Digital Media on the Great Northern Way Campus. It is the first professional graduate program in digital media to be offered in Canada.

This full-time graduate degree program was launched in September 2007 with an initial cohort of 21 students. The 5th cohort of students graduated in September 2012, bringing the total number of graduates to date to 131. Approximately 60% of the graduates have been international students.

The 16-month MDM program is accredited by all four GNWC partners, and the certificates earned upon graduation bear the seals of The University of British Columbia, The British Columbia Institute of Technology, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and Simon Fraser University.

The Master of Digital Media (MDM) program was designed and established to develop work-ready, professional talent for Vancouver’s digital media industry. The curriculum, facilities and structure of the courses were developed with input from industry partners throughout Vancouver’s digital media sector, such as Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Disney Interactive Studios, Annex Pro, Autodesk, Zynga, Relic Entertainment, Rainmaker Entertainment Inc., Nokia, Microsoft, IBM Canada, GRAND NCE, Clark Wilson LLP, Blast Radius. The goal of the curriculum is to produce graduates with a flexible repertoire of skills, rather than a single specialization.

The curriculum includes a combination of supervised project coursework for the first 12 months and internships for the final four months. Students work in interdisciplinary groups with both faculty members and industry professionals. Courses include Foundations of Digital Media, Foundations of Game Design, The Visual Story, and ‘Projects’ courses of increasing scope and complexity. Professionals from Vancouver’s digital media industry serve as guest speakers and mentors, and industry partners offer internships, scholarships, and practical project opportunities for students.

The program is backed by a 2006 grant of CAD$40.5 million from the Province of British Columbia and by a 2007 commitment of CAD$1 million from the US computer game firm Electronic Arts. It also charges students $10,000 per semester ($15,000 for non-Canadians). Justifying this expense, the Trusts's first CEO, Bruce Clayman, described it as "premium tuition for a premium program." To defray such costs, the Centre for Digital Media offers student scholarships valued at $5000 and $10,000 each, as well as a variety of awards that grant students rent-free accommodations on the Great Northern Way Campus.

The program won some media attention in 2007 for using Second Life as a recruiting tool.

The MDM program is housed in the Centre for Digital Media, a multimedia facility located in a former office building. As of September 20, 2012, the program will move into the New Centre for Digital Media building to be known as CDM 685 after its 685 Great Northern Way address. In addition to 76 student housing units, this 49,000 square foot building includes a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) filming area and green screen, editing and filmmaking labs, and classrooms equipped with "full Dolby 5.1 capabilities, high-end wall projectors, Blu-ray playback.”