MA in Experimental Digital Media

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Click here for more information about the MA in Rhetoric and Communication Design

The Master of Arts in Experimental Digital Media (XDM), is a new program dedicated to exploring the creative and critical processes provided by the new digital media. XDM emphasizes a lab-based and hands-on approach to digital technology; students in the program learn to use the digital media as a critical tool combining theory and practice in the production of objects-to-think-with. The program's rich mix of theoretical and practical study prepares graduates for research in digital media, and/or a variety of careers in the media industries. The program is focused on the Critical Media Lab, a centre for the experimental production of digital objects and exhibitions where students, faculty, and local digital artists interact.

The Critical Media Lab stands at the centre of the XDM program. The lab provides resources to students as follows:

XDM courses are frequently held in the lab, entirely or in part
Project teams meet in the lab to use the equipment and engage other lab researchers
Computing equipment includes five Power Macs and ten MacBooks, all fully equipped with high-end design software
Production equipment includes four high-definition video cameras and five digital cameras, all available for short-term loan
Researchers from English and other disciplines, including visiting researchers, are available for informal and formal consultation and brainstorming

Applications

Applications for all programs are due February 15, 2012. Applications to programs also serve as applications for scholarships and teaching assistantships. A complete application package should be submitted online and include official transcripts/degree certificates; three letters of reference, at least two of which must be from academic sources. If English is not your first language, proof of competency in English is required. A score of at least 600 is required on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) [250 on the computerized version] with a score of 5.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE). (See, Academic Regulations - English Language Proficiency Certification for other acceptable tests of English). Although it is not required for admission to the MA programs, all applicants are advised to include a Statement of Interest of 500 words or less indicating why they would like to go to graduate school, why the program is right for them, and anything particular about their background or aspirations that will contribute to the admission decision. Applications should be submitted online. The admissions committee meets in February, and decisions will be communicated to applicants in March or early April.

**Please Note: The Supplementary Information Form Questions can only be submitted once online. Please be sure to write and proof your answers in Word prior to copying them into the online form. Once you click submit the information you have inputed is permanently saved into the database and cannot be changed**

Admissions

Admitted students will have the equivalent of an Honours BA in English, or an Honours BA that combines English with another discipline. While the minimum average is 78% in English courses and 75% overall, in practice, admitted students will have grade averages equivalent to 80% in both overall and English studies. Prospective applicants who do not have the equivalent of an honours BA in English or in English and another discipline should consult the undergraduate requirements for this department, and know that the equivalent of that education will be required for admission.

Work experience can be a valuable asset to show to the admissions committee. Applicants should remember, however, that our programs are academic programs, and at least two of the three references must be from academic referees.

Funding

Most students admitted to the program will receive some support. Externally-funded candidates will receive a teaching assistantship valued at over $5,000. Other top candidates will receive a university scholarship and a teaching assistantship, for a total of over $11,000. Others will receive one or two teaching assistantships. We can not guarantee funding for all students, but most will receive something. SSHRC and OGS award holders should note that the University presently offers top-up funding of a minimum of $10,000 on top of the SSHRC award, and for OGS a maximum of $10,000 in the form of the President's Graduate Scholarship.

Program of Study

Students enrolled in the MA in Experimental Digital Media will be responsible for completing the following:

ENGL 700 , Rhetorical Theory, with an added “digital bootcamp” element. This course is already available in the RCD program and is being retooled as a compulsory element of both programs.
2 one-term, 0.5 credit courses designated as XDM
1 one-term, 0.5 credit course designated as Literary Studies
2 elective 0.5 credit courses from either within or outside the Department
Master's Research/Creation Project (1.0 credit)
Language Requirement Milestone

Regulations for Major Research/Creation Project:

Students must prepare a proposal for their project and a working bibliography with advice from their planned supervisor. These proposals are approved by the supervisor and a second reader and must be submitted for approval to the Department Graduate Committee before the end of the second academic term.

The Project is the culminating point of the program, in which students demonstrate a mastery of critical theories and theoretical concepts by embodying them in digital artifacts, environments, or practice. Projects will entail the design, conception or production of objects-to-think-with, evocative objects that focus attention on key cultural and theoretical issues in the humanities.

In many cases the project will remain at a design or prototype stage, although the manufacture of the object is by no means ruled out in principle. The design or prototype itself will be accompanied by a commentary of 40 pages in which the student will describe the theoretical and cultural context of the project and its aims, analyse its feasibility and its functioning, describe its cultural and rhetorical significance, and indicate its possible lines of development.

Extra-departmental courses and reading courses for the MA in Experimental Digital Media:

Students may include two extra-departmental graduate courses in their degree requirements, but these courses must be approved by the graduate committee. For a course outside the University of Waterloo, the Ontario Visiting Graduate student (OVGS) form must be completed. For a course inside the University, the department’s graduate studies committee must approve. In either case, the department’s graduate office must be supplied with a syllabus in electronic form and the course must be approved before the beginning of the term in which it is scheduled to run.

Students may also take one directed reading course as part of their programs, in the event that no satisfactory regular course is available. Directed reading courses must be designed and submitted to the graduate committee by the instructor in consultation with the student, and the course outline (with rationale, reading list, assignments and schedule) must be approved by the graduate committee in the term prior to the one in which the course is to be run.

Language Requirement:

Each candidate must attain or demonstrate basic competence subject to feasibility of testing by UW in a language other than English, including all natural languages, ancient and modern, and excluding middle English but not Anglo-Saxon.

Proof of competence may take four forms:

successful completion of two terms of beginning undergraduate study in the language
successful sitting of an exam at the appropriate level set by a department of the University
completion of degree-level study in that language at another university
evidence of other kinds that is deemed sufficient by the departmental Graduate Committee.

Co-op MA:

The MA in Literary Studies, Rhetoric and Communication Design or Experimental Digital Media may be earned in a co-operative work/study program which provides the academic background of a regular MA degree and work experience in such areas as editing, public relations, publishing, advertising, marketing, and administration. The MA (Co-op) requires a minimum of 5 terms of registration, which includes two work terms, usually taken in the spring of the first year and the fall of the second. While away from campus, students register as "Inactive." Students with high averages accepted into the MA (Co-op) program may be offered a teaching assistantship during part of their time on campus. In this way, a graduate of the program would have both academic and non-academic work experience.

Job placements are arranged by the Co-op Education and Career Services department. Students choosing the co-op stream will submit two work reports in addition to the requirements of their program option listed above. Full program information and regulations are available in the Graduate Calendar.