The Master of Science in Digital Humanities helps graduates from Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences programmes to develop digital competencies that will allow them to add digital dimensions to their own domain expertise. It aims to explicitly link these competencies to research questions, case studies and applications related to the domain expertise of the students.
Graduates of this programme will be able to bring their own domain expertise to a significantly higher level of functionality, using digital tools and techniques. Building both on the expertise they obtained from the programme and their prior expertise in Humanities, Social or Behavioral Sciences, graduates will be well placed to open many new digital applications to a much wider community. Moreover, those who wish to move to a professional profile involving more advanced digital competencies, are well prepared to do so.
The programme is organized around a number of clusters of course units. The central clusters are the Application Domains cluster and the Tools for the Digital World cluster. Supporting clusters are the Introductory Digitization Components cluster, the Advanced Digitization Components cluster and the Management Component. The heart of the research activities is situated in the Master’s thesis.
The Master’s Programme is conceived as a one year, international and multidisciplinary advanced master programme (master-after-master). The programme is unique in Flanders and one of only a few in Europe. The programme is firmly framed in an explicit collaboration between the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Sciences - Department of Computer Science. As such, it is supported by experts in Digital Humanities applications, who supply research expertise for the programme, as well as by experts in digital techniques and tools, who provide a sound technical basis for the students.
Digitization affects in many ways how future scientists in Humanities and Behavioural Sciences will conduct their research. Also, graduates from Humanities and Behavioural Sciences programs enter a professional world in which digitization becomes the standard, be it in publishing, arts, libraries, teaching and many others.
The Master of Science in Digital Humanities program aims to prepare graduates from Humanities and Behavioural Sciences programs for these challenges. It aims to help such graduates to develop digital competencies that will allow them to add digital dimensions to their own domain expertise. It aims to explicitly link this knowledge and these competencies to case studies and applications related to the domain expertise of the students. It will train them to master information structures and functionalities of data, programming structures and technique to produce scripts for digital applications, tools for improving access and interactive use of data and the development of new digital applications. It will train them how to manage projects related to digitization and introduce them to emerging new digital technologies and their applications.
As an advanced master program (master-after master), it is assumed that the students entering this program have already achieved the general academic competencies defined for any master's program. Nevertheless, it is also within the aims of the program to further strengthen these competencies, within the specific context that Digital Humanities offers.
More specifically, graduates understand the basics of Digital Humanities, databases and query languages, scripting languages, the role of IT in management and of some of the emerging technologies in Digital Humanities. They are able to formulate research goals, determine trajectories that achieve these goals, collect and select information relevant to achieve the research goals and interpret collected information on the basis of a critical research attitude. They are able to communicate scientifically. They are able to model a database and use SQL, to use a scripting language, to apply tools for Digital Humanities and to study applications in Digital Humanities. They have the attitudes of valuing and fostering creative, critical and independent thinking, of applying an interdisciplinary and participative approach in innovative development and of striving towards opening the digital world to a broader society.
Academically, researchers in the Humanities, Social or Behavioral Science are confronted with the need to apply digital tools to facilitate and enhance their research. The program enables graduates to enhance their research in the Humanities, Social or Behavioral Sciences through non-trivial uses of digital tools and techniques. This may include modeling and querying databases, accessing data, interconnecting andquerying web resources, extending tools with scripts to provide extra functionality, text-encoding and e-publishing, mining repositories, data visualization, analyzing social networks, adopting, adapting and enhancing e-learning environments, improvingusability of human-computer interaction. As such, graduates are very well placed to take on the challenges that novel research positions require.
Professionally, graduates of the Humanities, Social of Behavioral Sciences enter professional environments where connecting the company’s business with digital tools and techniques has become standard. Here as well, the program enables its graduates to put to use non-trivial digital techniques in their professional occupations, including e-media, publishing, arts, history, culture, music, libraries, e-education or interactions for end-user applications. Thus, graduates who want to pursue a career in the usual sectors for graduates of the Humanities, Social or Behavioral Sciences will be much better prepared to cope with the digital techniques that are currently applied there.
More generally, graduates of this program provide society with professionals and researchers who are able to bring their own domain expertise to a higher level of functionality, using digital tools and techniques. Building both on the expertise they obtained from the program and their prior expertise in Humanities, Social or Behavioral Sciences, are well placed to take part in opening the digital world to a larger community.
Graduates of this program who wish to move to a job profile involving more advanced digital competencies, are prepared to do so and will help to close to gap in an IT-focused labor market. This will require extra training at the company and aims at positions such as project analysts, project managers, service managers.
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Digital Humanities at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
Digital Humanities at Swansea has research strengths in innovative digital applications and critical studies of digital culture in several fields, where researchers in Arts, Humanities and Social Science areas are collaborating with Computer Scientists. These fields include applications and devices for the UK and international heritage sector, intellectual and literary history, digital editing, innovative mapping applications, applied linguistics and translation, digital mass media and experimental media, online cultures, digital pedagogy, digital security, war and crime, and societal impacts of digital technologies in both the rich and poor worlds. We are home to the Centre on Digital Arts and Humanities (CODAH), which connects arts and humanities, social science and computing researchers.
An MA by Research in Digital Humanities gives you the chance to pursue a project based around your own passions and interests, leading to a qualification which can open the door to an academic career or boost employment prospects outside academia (typically in the private sector, the Civil Service, or education).
The MA by Research in Digital Humanities will give you the freedom to explore a topic of your choosing and develop a methodology under the close supervision of two experienced academics but without attending regular classes as required in taught programmes.
You will be supervised closely by two experienced academics in your field. Typically, you will meet them fortnightly in the first term and at regular intervals thereafter. Meetings are logged and goals agreed each time.
All research students in Digital Humanities are required to attend skills and training courses at College and Institutional level. They give presentations to other research students and staff at departmental seminars and the annual departmental postgraduate symposium in June and the College of Arts and Humanities conference in October. Advanced research students may have opportunities to teach undergraduate tutorials and seminars. You have a budget (currently £200 per year) to attend conferences outside Swansea.
Digital Humanities boasts a dynamic research and teaching environment which has already won attention and funding from outside bodies such as the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Wellcome Trust and the EU, most recently a multi-million EPSRC grant for “CHERISH-DE”.
COAH staff with relevant expertise are located within all the COAH Departments (Languages, Translation and Communication; English Language and Literature; History and Classics; Political and Cultural Studies). COAH staff work closely on digital research with staff in other Colleges, especially the College of Science (home to Computer Science, Geography), the College of Human and Health Science (Psychology, Public Health, Health Data), the College of Law (Criminology).
Computer Science research at Swansea has particular strengths in human-computer interaction, ubiquitous computing, devices for resource-constrained communities, medical applications and informatics, visual computing, data visualisation, theoretical computer science.
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Digital Media at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The MA in Digital Media offers an innovative interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach to contemporary technology and new media, drawing upon expertise in Media and Communication Studies.
The MA in Digital Media examines some of the key issues confronting twenty-first century global societies through a dynamic programme that combines theoretical and applied perspectives.
Digital Media students will be encouraged to apply media theory, political and social theory and research tools in analysing and understanding digital media. The MA in Digital Media explores key historical, policy and practice dimensions of new media as well as focusing on research methodologies for those undertaking research on digital media and technology.
The Digital Media course is split across the year. Students will take three modules in each academic semester (a total of six modules) and then complete a dissertation over the summer. The dissertation component allows you to write a 16,000 word dissertation, which will draw on issues and themes developed throughout the year.
Modules on the MA in Digital Media typically include:
• Thinking About Digital Media
• The Digital Edge
• PR Branding and Promotion
• The Business and Politics of Digital Media
• Global Media
• Professional and Promotional Writing
• Digital Skills and Defence
• Online Journalism
Students interested in digital media and new media technologies, from a media studies, politics and international relations, humanities, social science, computer science or related background. Professionals interested in the challenge of digital media both in terms of their professional practice, but also related to fields in policy research and public administration. Students interested in
preparation for postgraduate research, MPhil or PhD, or who wish to develop skills and knowledge related to digital media.
-To enable you to develop an advanced understanding of digital media, through contemporary theories and advanced research work.
-To help you to understand the development of digital media and technology historically, through a number of theoretical perspectives, which give a context to contemporary discussions and controversies in the field.
-To appreciate the role of digital media technology within wider social, political and economic contexts, including the implications for policy formation.
-To enable you to acquire research skills enabling you to conduct thorough research into digital media; also to enhance your critical, theoretical and analytical abilities, and your written and oral communication.
Career expectations are excellent for Digital Media graduates. Companies, nonprofit organisations, government and the public sector value the fact that our students have developed a range of critical abilities, a creative and innovative approach to problem solving, and skills in detailed analysis and presentation of research. Our Digital Media Graduates go on to work in journalism, broadcasting, web-design, advertising, publicity, arts and cultural bodies, or even to go on to study a PhD.
“I thoroughly enjoyed studying the MA in Digital Media. The course and its faculty have broadened my horizon not only in new media but other subjects, such as computer science and politics. If I haven’t yet succeeded in making the reader envious and inspired to take this course, I would only conclude by mentioning that you would miss out on lectures worth experiencing.”
Tejeswini Krishnan, Digital Media, MA
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Digital Media at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
Digital Media at Swansea has research strengths in media and cultural theory, the history and philosophy of media technology, and contemporary developments in digital media in the UK, the European mainland, the USA and China.
The Digital Media programme is part of the Department of Languages, Translation and Communication which boasts a dynamic research and teaching environment which has already won attention and funding from outside bodies such as the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Wellcome Trust and the EU. We are home to the Centre on Digital Arts and Humanities (CODAH), which connects researchers in Arts and Humanities, Computer Science, and other fields.
An MA by Research in Digital Media gives you the chance to pursue a project based around your own passions and interests in Digital Media, leading to a qualification which can open the door to an academic career or boost employment prospects outside academia (typically in the private sector, the Civil Service, or education).
The Digital Media MA by Research programme will give you the freedom to explore a topic of your choosing and develop a methodology under the close supervision of two experienced academics but without attending regular classes as required in taught programmes.
As a student on the MA by Research Digital Media programme you will be supervised closely by two experienced academics in your field. Typically, you will meet them fortnightly in the first term and at regular intervals thereafter. Meetings are logged and goals agreed each time.
All research students in Digital Media are required to attend skills and training courses at College and Institutional level. They give presentations to other research students and staff at departmental seminars and the annual departmental postgraduate symposium in June and the College of Arts and Humanities conference in October. Advanced research students in Digital Media may have opportunities to teach undergraduate tutorials and seminars. You have a budget (currently £200 per year) to attend conferences outside Swansea.
MA by Research in Digital Media typically lasts from one year (full-time study) to two years (part-time study).
Research proposals on Digital Media are invited on any topic on which staff can provide supervision. It is advisable to email a member of academic staff in the appropriate area before applying. For informal enquiries regarding the MA by Research in Digital Media please contact Professor Julian Preece ([email protected]).
Staff expertise in Digital Media lies in the following areas, among others: media history; media pedagogy; media ethics; war and media; mass media and identity in small nations; Welsh-language digital media; media and health; digital and data journalism; computational media; post-broadcast digital media ecology; gender and media; transnationalism and media; international journalism; European comparative media. In addition, there is expertise in media and digital culture among research staff in Languages and Translation as well as in other COAH departments: History, Political and Cultural Studies and English Language and Literature.
