Introducing SMU’s M.A. in Creative Technology.

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SMU’s New M.A. in Creative Technology

SMU’s Master of Arts in Creative Technology is a 100% virtual graduate program launching in the Fall of 2023. This unique graduate program combines creative and design disciplines with core and emerging digital technologies to generate innovative solutions that are growing in demand across industries.

Throughout this 30 credit-hour creative technology master’s degree program, you will be taught a wide spectrum of topics that will help prepare both creative and technical-oriented individuals to combine skill sets across interactive mediums, design, programming, blockchain and generative AI applications.

Upon graduation, you can gain the skills and knowledge to advance your career potential in graphic design, experience design, animation, augmented and virtual reality development, and more. 

Application Deadline: August 1, 2023

Please fill out the form below to receive updates and more information about this new and innovative program.

Degree Program promo cover

Course Outline

Complete this master’s degree in as few as two years!

Two students working together at a computerThe MACT curriculum includes 10 required courses, each 15 weeks long, with each course being three credit hours. The average class size is 18 students but can range between 12-24 students. Students take two courses per term, three terms per year, in the sequence listed below.

Year 1, Fall

Introduction to Creative Coding - Students explore computation as a powerful generative medium while learning fundamentals of coding and computational thinking.

Principles of Digital Design - Students learn principles of design theory, as applied to screen-based and other technical applications and systems.

Year 1, Spring

3D Modeling/Animation - Students learn 3D modeling and animation using leading software packages, such as Maya and Blender.

Creative Coding for the Web - Students learn the fundamentals of Web development, including an introduction to front-end, back-end and full-stack development.

Year 1, Summer

Creative Coding for Application Development - Students learn advanced creative coding principles, across multiple programming languages and platforms, with an emphasis on Web3 technology.

Interactive and Experiential Design - Students explore holistic system design for innovative audience engagement and experience of places, environments, ideas and products.

Year 2, Fall

Artificial Intelligence in the Metaverse - Students explore VR and immersive solutions across various platforms, systems and software stacks.

Mobile Computing and Augmented Reality - Utilizing multiple frameworks, students focus on mobile and AR application development and operating system integration for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Year 2, Spring

Data Expression - Students are introduced to data as a motif for creative expression and storytelling with topics including visualization, sonification, social media data scraping and more.

Creative Technology Capstone - In consultation with a faculty advisor and approved capstone committee, students propose, design and implement an independent creative computing project.

Who Should Apply?

This program is ideal for students who have training in either the arts or technology, and who want to enhance their knowledge in new technical tools and creative processes.

  • Individuals looking to transition into a new career in creative or technology-related fields
  • Creative professionals who desire a deeper understanding of emerging technologies like AI, AR/VR and data visualization
  • Designers who want to augment their skill set with a greater understanding of programming languages and concepts
  • Software developers who are interested in design and the creative process
  • Individuals who have a passion for innovation and the creative application of technologies

$75 Application Fee Waived for Fall 2023 Applicants Apply Now

Meet the Program Director

Photo of Ira Greenberg

Ira Greenberg
Professor and Director
Painting, Drawing and Creative Computation

With an eclectic background combining studio arts and computer science, Ira Greenberg has been a painter, 2D and 3D animator, print designer, web and interactive designer/developer, programmer, art director, creative director, managing director, art and computer science professor, and author. He wrote the first major language reference on the Processing programming language, Processing: Creative Coding and Computational Art (Berkeley, CA: friends of ED, 2007) and two subsequent creative coding texts. Greenberg holds a B.F.A. from Cornell University and an M.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Read more about Ira in the spotlight interview here.

Creative Technology News

Campus

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have emerged in recent years as a way of owning an original digital image, including photos, videos, audio files and other digital formats. It’s especially popular in the digital art world but has expanded into other collectibles such as trading cards, comic books, games and more.

Campus

Creative computing and creative technology are related but different disciplines. Creative computing centers on the use of computer science to create digital art and expression, while creative technology centers on leveraging technology to enhance and augment traditional forms of creative expression or to create new forms of physical art.

March 08, 2023

What are NFTs?

Faculty

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have emerged in recent years as a way of owning an original digital image, including photos, videos, audio files and other digital formats. It’s especially popular in the digital art world but has expanded into other collectibles such as trading cards, comic books, games and more.

More News

Ira Greenberg discusses his extraordinary career with Anika Meier.

Expanded.Art

Ira Greenberg is a featured artist in Chain Reaction, an exhibition of inventive experimental gestures that set into motion a course of action. Curated by Christiane Paul, curator of digital art at the Whitney Museum.

Chain Reaction

Ira Greenberg is one of the speakers on the panel for "How to get started in Web3," hosted by Secret Africa.

Secret Africa

The Oracles is a generative AI PFP collection. The project brings together some of my creative explorations over the past 25 years, in portrait painting, creative coding, automatic drawing, generative NFTs and AI.

The Oracles

Ira Greenberg was featured on the Waiting To Be Signed podcast, which is dedicated to fx(hash), the generative art NFT platform on the Tezos blockchain.

Waiting To Be Signed podcast