Multimedia (M.A) 52 units
Program Description
The Multimedia master’s degree is a unique interdisciplinary program that focuses on the creative and technical aspects of new technology to create, control, deliver, and present meaningful content in a variety of interactive forms. This degree draws upon elements from a number of fields, including art, computer science, education, business, and telecommunications.
The Multimedia graduate program mirrors real-world conditions by emphasizing teamwork and project oriented goals. Students learn the skills needed to adapt quickly to new environments, a valuable asset for any profession. Because multimedia is a rapidly developing and rapidly changing field, the program focuses as much on the enduring creative processes as on the transient technology.
The Multimedia master’s is a two-year degree program. Most coursework is offered in the evening. During the first year, students develop a theoretical foundation in multimedia technology, enhance their creative skills and learn to work effectively in teams. During the second year, small teams of students with various backgrounds and talents create innovative, professional-quality, interactive multimedia projects. Ideas for group projects can originate from students, faculty, or external sources. Many of our student projects have won national and international awards.
Students in the Multimedia graduate program enjoy a number of benefits including small student-teacher ratios and a dedicated interdisciplinary faculty. Thesis project students have 24-hour access to their own professional quality multimedia production studio. These facilities are well equipped and maintained with the latest technology.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with an M.A. in Multimedia from Cal State East Bay will be able to:
- Demonstrate competency in digital imaging, and interactive, web, video, and audio production;
- Research and critically assess new developments in the field of multimedia at both the cultural and the technical level;
- Show an understanding of the effects of media and the evolution of information across a variety of media types; and
- Produce an interactive thesis project that demonstrates a novel and/or creative use of a single or combination of interactive technologies, with written documentation of a professional standard, by working within a collaborative team.
Career Opportunities
The Multimedia graduate program prepares students for successful careers in the new and thriving multimedia industry. As the only multimedia master’s program in the state, it leads the way in training future multimedia producers and artists. Graduates can seek employment in positions where they work in teams or individually to produce artistic and commercial multimedia materials. Potential places of employment include film and video studios, graphic and exhibition design studios, production and post-production houses, publishers, corporate training and communication groups, support groups for scientific visualization, support groups for business presentation, and support groups for educational institutions.
Added career-oriented features of the Multimedia graduate program are its location in the San Francisco Bay Area, home to the hottest interactive digital media industry in the world.
Faculty
The Multimedia Graduate Program is administered by a committee comprised of faculty members from the Departments of Art and Music from within the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences.
Admission
Applicants are individually evaluated for admission to the Multimedia graduate program using the following criteria:
- A minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 90 units of undergraduate work
- A portfolio of work reflecting the applicant’s talents and abilities in digital and interactive media
- Evidence of professional experience in related fields
In addition to submitting a university application and application fee to the Admissions Office, applicants must complete a departmental application and submit it along with a statement of purpose, resume, work sample, two reference letters, and copies of academic transcripts. Applicants are selected by an admissions panel of the Multimedia Program Committee.
Students are admitted for the Fall quarter only. See the Multimedia Graduate Program website at multimedia.csueastbay.edu for the application deadline. No entrance exam is required for admission; however, international students must take the TOEFL exam and pass with a score of 213 or better.
Applicants who have not completed all prerequisite requirements may be placed in “Conditionally Classified Graduate” status if they can demonstrate the ability to complete these requirements.
Requirements for Continuation
Once admitted to the program, students must satisfy further requirements, e.g., they must satisfy the University Writing Skills Requirement. Students who have completed all the prerequisite requirements and the University Writing Skills Requirement are given “Classified Graduate” status. For information on meeting the University Writing Skills Requirement, see the Testing Office website at www.csueastbay.edu/testing or call 510.885.3661. Advancement to Candidacy is a university requirement for graduation. A student with “Classified Graduate” status may apply for Advancement to Candidacy after completing at least 20 quarter units towards the master’s degree with a grade of “B” or higher in all classes. Before being Advanced to Candidacy, a student’s complete course of study and progress must be approved by the Multimedia Program Committee.
Required Courses
The following 44 units are required:
Elective Courses
Select eight (8) units of electives under advisement of graduate coordinator.
