|
Media Arts and Technology |
Master of Arts and Master of Science
The Master of Science and Master of Arts programs provide advanced training in Media Arts and Technology with three areas of emphasis:
- Electronic Music and Sound Design (MA)
- Visual and Spatial Arts (MA)
- Multimedia Engineering (MS)
The master's programs typically take two full-time academic years to complete. The goal of the first year of MAT's intensive interdisciplinary curriculum is to provide a common foundation of aesthetics, history, and technology. The second year electives allow students to focus on either their area of emphasis or on a complementary discipline. All candidates are expected to complete an advanced project or thesis in the second year, an artistic production or media research project supervised by MAT faculty.
Unit Requirements
In addition to the submission of an acceptable thesis or project, both the M.A. and the M.S degrees require completion of a minimum of 60 units, of which at least 48 units is upper-division or graduate coursework, apart from those credited to the project or thesis, and apart from units gained for teaching assistant duties or training, or units for service as a graduate researcher. Under the thesis option, 20 of the 48 units must be in graduate-level coursework (excluding units for internships, TA and/or GSR practica, and independent study courses numbered 500-599). Under the project option, 24 of the 48 units must be in graduate-level coursework (excluding units for internships, TA and/or GSR practica and independent study courses numbered 500-599).
Required Courses
Students in the first year of the program must take two parallel three-quarter courses in Media Art and Technology, designated MAT 200 and MAT 201. These courses focus on the history, theory, and practice of media arts and technology, and are designed to ensure breadth in the field:
MAT 200A - Art and Technology
MAT 200B - Music and Technology
MAT 200C - Digital Media Technology and Engineering
MAT 201A - Media Signal Processing
MAT 201B - Computing with Media Data
Degree Requirements
Each student's area of emphasis and course list is determined in consultation with a MAT faculty committee, consisting of three UC ladder-rank faculty members (i.e., Assistant, Associate, or full Professor). Two of these members, including the chair of the committee, must be MAT faculty. Optionally, a fourth member can also serve at the discretion of the degree committee chair. This person can be a Lecturer or anyone from inside or outside UCSB. The committee is nominated by the degree committee chair in consultation with the student and is approved by the graduate dean.
Thesis or Project Plan
A master's degree may be earned in each of the three areas of emphasis according to two plans; thesis or project.
- Plan 1 (thesis)
- Under the thesis plan, a student must submit an acceptable thesis, completed under the supervision of an MAT faculty member and approved by the student's committee. A thesis is a substantial work of research or production that is a novel contribution to the field. The thesis must meet the filing requirements of Graduate Division. The student will give a public lecture based on the thesis.
- Plan 2 (project)
- Under the project plan, a student must submit an acceptable project, completed under the supervision of an MAT faculty member and approved by the student's committee. The project will consist of a digital media work resulting in a prototype, installation, or performance. An academic paper will describe the project, and the student will make a public presentation of the work. The project and documentation will be evaluated by the student's committee.