LM113 - Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Design
Course Details Course Code: LM113 Level: Honours Bachelor Degree Length: 4 Years CAO Minimum Points Entry 2011: 335 Course Leader: Dr Gabriela Avram Phone: 00 353 61 202782 Email: dmd@ul.ie Share	The Student Experience		Course Description

About You

This programme might suit you: if you are interested in media technology from the point of view of how it is used and how it can make a difference in people’s lives; if you are interested in learning how to develop creative ideas into new interactive products; if you are interested in learning technical expertise in digital media development, but want to integrate technical knowledge with social and design understanding.

Why Study Digital Media Design at UL?

Think about an average day: checking messages on your mobile phone; buying a game on line; using wireless connection to update your social networking profile. People’s lives are continuously shaped by interaction with a variety of media. More recently, interactive digital media have increasingly become a support to work, study, travel, entertainment and other daily activities. The knowledge, skills and sensitivity to design interactive media technologies are key skills in contemporary society.

The B.Sc. in Digital Media Design develops the technical, creative and analytical skills needed to be successful media practitioners in both the Irish and global digital media industries. The design of digital media for human use is a crucial skill in contemporary society: How to design the content and interaction for websites? How to improve the usability and usefulness of portable devices? How to design a new killer app for smart phones? How to create new ways to engage and connect people through the use of interactive technologies?

The aim of the programme in Digital Media Design is to equip you with degree level compentence in new interactive media technologies. On graduation, you will be capable of making a significant contribution to the development of the Digital Media industry.

The specific objectives of the programme are:

• To provide you with the expertise in the use of a variety of audio, video and interactive digital media
• To provide you with an understanding of the human and social issues surrounding the use of digital media
• To introduce you to a range of design disciplines relevant for interactive digital media design
• To support you in developing the knowledge and professional skills you will need for an active role in the diverse field of digital media

Course Structure

The unique feature of this course is that it focuses on training a new type of interdisciplinary graduate who combines technological competence with design expertise and an understanding of human and social activity.

This Digital Media Design course is offered full time, over four years, and investigates digital media at the intersection between technology, creative design and the human sciences. Topics include:

• The technical and mathematical basis of electronic media.
• The principles and practice of digital media including audio and video.
• The psychological and sociological context and understanding of media
• Research methods and analysis
• Creative DesignTechniques

Entry Requirements

Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with at least Grade C3 in two Higher Level subjects and Grade D3 in four Ordinary or Higher Level subjects (including Mathematics; Irish or another language; and English).

In addition:
Applicants will be required to hold at least the following in the Leaving Certificate or an approved equivalent: Grade B3 in Ordinary Level or D3 in Higher Level Mathematics.

A Special Mathematics Examination will be offered at UL following the Leaving Certificate results for those students who did not achieve the Mathematics requirement.

Career Prospects

Graduates from this course will be equipped to create and develop interactive multimedia projects. They will have acquired a sophisticated understanding of the aesthetic and technical issues involved. There is an increasing need for graduates with the ability to cross social and technical boundaries, in order to exploit the opportunities offered by computer technology in a range of industries and services such as recording, general media, broadcasting and education.

Specific Careers:

• Interaction
• User Interface Designer
• Usability Specialist
• Web Designer
• Radio and Television Broadcasting
• Sound and Audio Engineer
• Video Engineer
• Multimedia Project Coordinator
• Video Editing, Direction and Production
• Human Computer Interaction Specialist
• Media, Music,Audio and Video Research
• Multimedia Artist
• Multimedia Developer
• Design Consultant
• Interaction Design Research

Want to find out more about possible careers with this degree? Click Here

Student Profile

Karen Kiely I chose Digital Media Design because I was originally very interested in film editing, having done it as a hobby while I was in school. I got to pursue this a little further with my coursework but what was great about the course was how broad it was, and how it opened up a lot of new opportunities and interests that I didn’t know I had. There’s a broad range of subjects, so I got to dip into lots of different areas, like digital audio and video, interaction design, social research methods, the effects of technology on society and more. For my co-op, I worked with the company that produced the TV series Killinaskully, and got some great experience working on the set and working with the producers on website ideas, developing some skills in graphic and web design too.