“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
– Arthur C Clarke
The graduate program in Digital Futures responds to the increasingly important and sophisticated role of digital technology as a "magical catalyst" for integrating societal, cultural and economic change. Students in the program essentially participate in and prepare for Renaissance 2.0 — the global digital revolution that fuses together disruptive technology and new thought leadership. This revolution is catalyzing our innovation in digital applications, products, media content, practices and services.
The graduate program is deeply international in terms of the student cohort and faculty, our collaborative overseas eGlobal courses and our industry partners. Fostering a global perspective is key to securing our graduates’ futures in the eclectic international creative digital industries — the United Nations definition of these encompasses design, arts, culture, creative services, media and new media.
The focus of the program is to develop “X-shaped innovators” for the creative digital industries. Each point of the X is an expertise: in art, design, science and enterprise. Students acquire practical knowledge in these areas but also learn to collaborate brilliantly with industry and experts across the fields. Students at the heart of the X work with faculty to develop their own unique creativity and solver engine. Industry is now demanding X-shaped innovators to lead the Renaissance 2.0 into the future.
Our student-centered learning approach applies to both research and practice. This allows participants to gain core foundation knowledge and also to explore specific areas of interest through electives that include access to courses across the whole of OCAD U, internships or independent study. There is an emphasis on projects and prototyping and an enterprise component is personalized through collaborations with industry to help students build a career runway in advance of graduating. Masters and Diploma students are encouraged to work with industry on an individual basis during their studies. Additionally, Master’s students can collaborate with industry during their 12-month project-based research thesis.
Most students have backgrounds in design, technology or enterprise. The program is open to designers, artists, marketing, media and cultural industry participants, entrepreneurs, technologists, educators, social scientists, scientists and engineers. This diversity drives peer learning, collaboration and group working across numerous parts of the program.
The program is situated within the Digital Futures Initiative (DFI) at OCAD U. This initiative is a set of cross-disciplinary programs in practice, research and innovation that are related to creative digital industries. The graduate program also features an industry partnership with the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) Media Lab.
The graduate program in Digital Futures offers both a part-time Graduate Diploma and full-time Master’s (MA, MFA or MDes).
Objectives
The objectives of the Graduate Diploma in Digital Futures are:
• To educate innovators from industry wishing to establish or enhance their knowledge of digital technologies for application in the digital creative industries.
• To help students engage with industry on projects with a view to enhancing enterprise opportunities.
• To educate and train students from a diversity of professional backgrounds to innovate digital applications, products, media content, practices and services.
• To encourage students to develop strategic and creative digital projects that create sustainable value, and address pressing societal, cultural and economic issues.
• To provide collaborative multidisciplinary digital learning experiences in combinations of art, design, science and enterprise through applied projects, industry engagement and peer activities.
• To use a project-based approach to nurture creativity and problem solving through reflection, discovery and experimentation.
• To promote an ethical and sustainable approach to design and the innovative uses of technology.
The objectives of the Master’s in Digital Futures are:
• To provide systematic and conceptual understanding and the research competence needed to research, frame, critique, explore, make and test approaches to technological innovation, creation and production.
• To help students engage with industry with a view to enhancing enterprise skills and to build a career runway in advance of graduating.
• To educate and train students from a diversity of backgrounds to innovate digital applications, products, media content, practices and services.
• To encourage students to develop strategic and creative digital projects that create sustainable value, and address pressing societal, cultural and economic issues.
• To provide collaborative multidisciplinary digital learning experiences in combinations of art, design, science and enterprise through applied projects, industry engagement and peer activities.
• To use a project-based approach to nurture creativity and problem solving through reflection, discovery and experimentation.
• To promote an ethical and sustainable approach to design and the innovative uses of technology.
In a world that demands multidisciplinary innovation at a fast pace, the program helps to shape and nurture a new breed of innovator. Graduates of the program will contribute to the development and application of new knowledge in creative digital technology practices, content and experiences, providing insights into human needs and desires in a technologically dependent world.
Diploma - One year (full-time)
(24-27 credits, 24 credits required)
| Fall (10.5 credits) | Winter (7.5 credits) |
Summer (9 - 12 credits) | |
|
DIGF 6L01 Trans-Media (1.5) Creation and Computation (6) 3 credits from the following: -DIGF 6A07 Affect and Emotion in Practice (1.5) OR, recommended elective (3 credits) |
DIGF 6B04 Business and Leadership (3) 3 credits from the following: OR, recommended elective (3)1.5 credits from the following: DIGF 6A08 |
DIGF 6C01
Optional 1.5 or 3 credits from the following: -Internship (1.5 - 3) OR |
|
Core (required) courses
• Transmedia
• Creation and Computation
• Business and Leadership
• Digital Theory
• CFC Media Lab Prototyping
Electives (not all courses are offered each year)
• Creative Techniques
• Digital Theory
• Information Visualization
• Mobile and Social Media
• Digital Games 1
• Affect and Emotion in Practice
• eGlobal
• Digital Games 2
• Ubiquitous Computing
• Bio Articulation: Machines that Interrogate
• Body-Centric Technologies
• Special Topics in Digital Futures: Dialogues in Feminism and Technology
Alternatively, students may choose from:
a) Approved graduate level courses in other OCAD U graduate programs. . Approved elective choices will be published annually in the Academic Calendar, which is available on the OCAD U website at
www.ocadu.ca/students/records_registration/course_calendar
b) A 300- or 400-level undergraduate course in any discipline, with the approval of the instructor and Graduate Program Director (supplementary readings and a graduate level research project or essay are to be arranged with the instructor). Students should consult the Academic Calendar for undergraduate course offerings and must complete a “Request to Enroll in an Undergraduate Course as an Elective” form and secure the appropriate permissions before they will be allowed to register. Please see “Courses and Registration” in this handbook for more information.
c) A graduate course at another university through the Ontario Visiting Graduate Student Plan (OVGS), or the Canadian University Graduate Transfer Agreement (CUGTA). Information on this process is available in this handbook under “Courses and Registration” and on the OCAD U website at www.ocadu.ca/gradstudies.
Summer Options
Students must make their summer plans with the written approval of the Graduate Program Director. Any elective credits are evaluated by an OCAD U faculty member. Summer options available to students in the
Graduate Diploma program are:
• Internship: Internships provide graduate students with opportunities to gain experience in the professional worlds of digital creative industries: design, arts, culture, creative services, media and new media. On-site work is performed under the guidance of the internship sponsor and the internship credit is supervised and evaluated by an OCAD U faculty member.
• Independent Study: Independent Study courses provide graduate students with the opportunity to undertake studies of significance to their educational objectives, where otherwise not available through the regular university curriculum. Independent studies are supervised and evaluated by OCAD U faculty members. The Independent Study proposal must be approved in writing by the supervising faculty member, the student’s Principal Advisor (if applicable), and the Graduate Program Director.
Transmedia Immersion
For all students, an introductory, two-week, cohort-based Transmedia course provides a program and peer introduction. This prepares students by helping to facilitate collaborative ties across both the Masters and Diploma cohort.
Diploma - Two years (part-time)
(24-27 credits, 24 credits required)
| Fall (4.5-7.5 credits) | Winter (1.5-4.5 credits) |
Summer (6-9 credits) | |
|
DIGF 6B01 OR DIGF 6K04 -Creation and Computation (3)
|
DIGF 6B12 Digital Theory (3) OR 1.5 credits from the following: DIGF 6A08 OR OR |
DIGF 6C01 *Optional* 1.5 - 3 credits from the following: Internship AND/OR |
|
| Fall (3 credits) | Winter (6 credits) | ||
|
3 credits from the following: DIGF 6A07 Affect and Emotion in Practice (1.5) OR, recommended elective (3 credits) |
|||
Core (required) courses
• Transmedia
• Creation and Computation
• CFC Media Lab Prototyping
• Business and Leadership
• Interactive Exhibition
Electives (not all courses are offered each year)
• Creative Techniques
• Digital Theory
• Information Visualization
• Mobile and Social Media
• Digital Games 1
• Affect and Emotion in Practice
• eGlobal
• Digital Games 2
• Ubiquitous Computing
• Bio Articulation: Machines that Interrogate
• Body-Centric Technologies
• Special Topics in Digital Futures: Dialogues in Feminism and Technology
Alternatively, students may choose from:
a) Approved graduate level courses in other OCAD U graduate programs. . Approved elective choices will be published annually in the Academic Calendar, which is available on the OCAD U website at
www.ocadu.ca/students/records_registration/course_calendar
b) A 300- or 400-level undergraduate course in any discipline, with the approval of the instructor and Graduate Program Director (supplementary readings and a graduate level research project or essay are to be arranged with the instructor). Students should consult the Academic Calendar for undergraduate course offerings and must complete a “Request to Enroll in an Undergraduate Course as an Elective” form and secure the appropriate permissions before they will be allowed to register. Please see “Courses and Registration” in this handbook for more information.
c) A graduate course at another university through the Ontario Visiting Graduate Student Plan (OVGS), or the Canadian University Graduate Transfer Agreement (CUGTA). Information on this process is available in this handbook under “Courses and Registration” and on the OCAD U website at www.ocadu.ca/gradstudies.
Summer Options
Students must make their summer plans with the written approval of the Graduate Program Director. Any elective credits are evaluated by an OCAD U faculty member. Summer options available to students in the Graduate Diploma program are:
• Internship: Internships provide graduate students with opportunities to gain experience in the professional worlds of digital creative industries: design, arts, culture, creative services, media and new media. On-site work is performed under the guidance of the internship sponsor and the internship credit is supervised and evaluated by an OCAD U faculty member.
• Independent Study: Independent Study courses provide graduate students with the opportunity to undertake studies of significance to their educational objectives, where otherwise not available through the regular university curriculum. Independent studies are supervised and evaluated by OCAD U faculty members. The Independent Study proposal must be approved in writing by the supervising faculty member, the student’s Principal Advisor (if applicable), and the Graduate Program Director.
Transmedia Immersion
For all students, an introductory, two-week, cohort-based Transmedia course provides a program and peer introduction. This prepares students by helping to facilitate collaborative ties across both the Masters and Diploma cohort.
Transmedia Immersion
For all students, an introductory, two-week, cohort-based Transmedia course provides a program and peer introduction. This prepares students by helping to facilitate collaborative ties across both the Masters and Diploma cohort.
Exhibitions
Masters students exhibit their projects in two exhibitions. These are online and in an appropriate physical venue and are a mandatory component of the program. The Interim Exhibition takes place on completion of the CFC Media Lab prototyping course in the first year and showcases both Masters and Diploma work from that course. The Final Exhibition showcases the demonstration component of the Masters students’ thesis work in the second year, alongside selected work by the Diploma students. All work to be shown at each exhibition requires the written approval of the Graduate Program Director.
Master’s (48- 51 credits, 48 credits required)
Core (required) courses
• Transmedia
• Creation and Computation
• Creative Techniques
• Digital Theory
• Discovery
• CFC Media Lab Prototyping
• Business and Leadership
• Digital Futures MDes/MFA Thesis, or Digital Futures MA Thesis (Course runs in 3 stages)
Electives (not all courses are offered each year)
• Information Visualization
• Mobile and Social Media
• Digital Games 1
• Affect and Emotion in Practice
• eGlobal
• Digital Games 2
• Ubiquitous Computing
• Bio Articulation: Machines that Interrogate
• Body-Centric Technologies
• Special Topics in Digital Futures: Dialogues in Feminism and Technology
Alternatively, students may choose from:
a) Approved graduate level courses in other OCAD U graduate programs. Approved elective choices will be published annually in the Academic Calendar, which is available on the OCAD U website at
www.ocadu.ca/students/records_registration/course_calendar
b) A 300- or 400-level undergraduate course in any discipline, with the approval of the instructor and Graduate Program Director (supplementary readings and a graduate level research project or essay are to be arranged with the instructor). Students should consult the Academic Calendar for undergraduate course offerings and must complete a “Request to Enroll in an Undergraduate Course as an Elective” form and secure the appropriate permissions before they will be allowed to register. Please see “Courses and Registration” in this handbook for more information.
The following undergraduate courses are recommended electives for Digital Futures students:
BUSI 4B02 Understanding Trends [NOT OFFERED IN 2013/2014]
DIGF 3B04 Digital Business: Monetising [NOT OFFERED IN 2013/2014]
INTM 4B14 Sound Interactions
INTM 4B16 Art, Science and Nature
INTM 4B21 Documentation Practices
INTM 4B22 Narrative Practices
CROS 4B01 Witness: History, Memory and Creative Response [NOT OFFERED IN 2013/2014]
VISM 3B02 Visual Analytics + Data Visualization
VISM 4B03 Contemporary Documentary Media
VISM 4B05 Future Cinema: Digital Narratives
VISM 4B06 Global Mesh: Internet, Networks, Globalization and Digital Resistance
VISM 4B07 Images and Practices of Technology
VISM 4B90 Looking and Motion: Mobile Practices & Technologies
c) A graduate course at another university through the Ontario Visiting Graduate Student Plan (OVGS), or the Canadian University Graduate Transfer Agreement (CUGTA). Information on this process is available in this handbook under “Courses and Registration” and on the OCAD U website at www.ocadu.ca/gradstudies.
Degree Choice
Students will declare their intention to pursue the Master of Design (MDes), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), or the Master of Arts (MA) at the time of application. The outcomes of the chosen degree are distinctive, with a focus on scholarly practice-based research creation with a supporting thesis in the MDes/MFA; and the scholarly research thesis with a supporting creative project in the MA.
Summer Options
Students must make their summer plans with the written approval of the Graduate Program Director. Any elective credits are evaluated by an OCAD U faculty member. Summer options must be relevant to a student’s thesis area of study. The options available to students in the Master’s program are:
• Internship
Internships provide graduate students with opportunities to gain experience in the professional worlds of digital creative industries: design, arts, culture, creative services, media and new media. On-site work is performed under the guidance of the internship sponsor and the internship credit is supervised and evaluated by an OCAD U faculty member.
• Independent Study/Research
Independent Study courses provide graduate students with the opportunity to undertake studies of significance to their educational objectives, where otherwise not available through the regular university curriculum. Independent studies are supervised and evaluated by OCAD U faculty members. The Independent Study proposal must be approved in writing by the supervising faculty member, the student’s Principal Advisor (if applicable), and the Graduate Program Director.
Transmedia Immersion
For all students, an introductory, two-week, cohort-based Transmedia course provides students a program and peer introduction. This prepares students by helping to facilitate collaborative ties across both the Masters and Diploma cohort.
Exhibitions
Masters students exhibit their projects in two exhibitions. These are online and in an appropriate physical venue and are a mandatory component of the program. The Interim Exhibition takes place on completion of the CFC Media Lab prototyping course in the first year and showcases both Masters and Diploma work from that course. The Final Exhibition showcases the demonstration component of the Masters students’ thesis work in the second year, alongside selected work by the Diploma students. All work to be shown at each exhibition requires the written approval of the Graduate Program Director.
Last Modified:10/18/2013 11:40:38 AM