[This programme is on hold until 2021-22. For similar content consider the MSc in Design and Digital Media, an MSc by Research or a PhD.]
The shape of things to come
If you are interested in some of the themes developed in this blog then you may be interested in an MSc by Research in Digital Media and Culture. This degree can be undertaken full time over a year, or part time over two years.
A Masters degree by Research is a great way to start a career in research, test your appetite for a PhD, or simply to crank up your critical faculties and intellectual erudition. It includes core coursework, options, and opportunity for original research, packaged in reasonable work units. You will be researching in proximity to students studying more technical courses, and can elect to take some of these courses if you wish.
The programme of study examines theories and philosophies of digital media, technological change, the mass media, computation, artificial intelligence, and the social, cultural and political contexts in which such developments take place. The course content can constitute a primer for PhD study.
A dynamic community
Students of this programme are part of a dynamic community of researchers exploring many aspects of computing: its social ramifications, social and mobile media, the world of e-commerce, e-entrepreneurship, e-learning, project-based design, composition and artistic works, digital architecture and urbanism, new media consumption practices, the co-creation of media, changes to the household and public space, links between vision and sound, branded places, non-places, and more. There are currently over 50 coursework students, researchers, PhD students and staff researching in these areas.
This degree programme provides an opportunity to study contemporary philosophies of ideas as they influence, and in turn are impacted by, computers, networked communications and ubiquitous media.

Career Opportunities
This is a dynamic field and opportunities are developing all the time. Some graduates have gone on to further study and research careers, or worked for research organisations. Here are some examples from our alumni who have sites on LinkedIn.
- PhD researcher at a leading London-based university undertaking spatial analysis in architecture and urbanism
- Office manager for a German firm specialising in social sound platforms, scaling alongside a rapidly growing global user base and pushing the boundaries of modern browsers
- Consultant to a Scandinavian media group that aims to be the best and leading provider of business news
- Working on research for an Eastern European country incorporating robotics into concrete construction technology, along with the design of single-family houses
Further Information
- Programme description
- Programme Handbook
- Application information
- Lecture content for the core course: Media and Culture course description
- Related programmes: MSc in Design and Digital Media, MSc in Sound Design, MSc by Research in Digital Studio Practice.
- You can also find out more by emailing Richard.Coyne@ed.ac.uk
