M.A. OVERVIEW

Basic Facts:

4 semesters (2 years)
Combinable with part-time job (required attendance: Mondays all day and Wednesday evenings)
Language of instruction: English
Start: late September
Number of students per year: 20
Tuition Fee (on top of semester fees): 1.500€ (EU-citizens) / 2.500€ (non EU-citizens)
Semester Fee: about 300€ (for details, please see here)
Registration Fee: 200€

Approach: Strongly project-oriented, the continuing education program focuses on the close integration of research, teaching and industry. Parallel to the project work, lectures and seminars form the platform for a future-oriented scientific discourse and research into non-linear audio-visuality. In addition to a successful Bachelor’s degree or a comparable academic degree, admission to the program requires at least twelve months of practical experience in a relevant field. The Master’s program thus gains its specific profile in the targeted interweaving of science, art and craft, of tradition and innovation, of practice and future orientation. Approximately 20 students will be accepted. They graduate with a “Master of Arts” (M.A.).

The study focuses on scientific research and artistic development of interactive content. Particular emphasis is placed on the creative exploration of game development on the levels of audiovisual design of content and interfaces as well as non-linear narration. The learning goals and competences to be conveyed can be divided into three groups.

Occupation-related learning goals and competencies: At the beginning of their studies, students have at least one year of experience in a profession relevant to the gaming industry. The project-centered course builds on these experiences and deepens them. Continuous industry feedback is an integral part of teaching. In the sequence, the students acquire a rich set of methodological, theoretical and design-practical skills in order to be able to independently supervise and manage artistic-scientific as well as artistic-economic projects.

(Inter-) Cultural learning goals and competences: Game developers have to come to terms with the values and consequences of their productions. The CGL encourages students to take on this responsibility as creators of culture by training them to critical judgement. Non-linear audio visions and especially games are distributed globally as digital products. They therefore have an even greater impact than traditional art and entertainment far beyond the boundaries of the culture in which they were originally created. Increasingly, non-linear audio visions are designed and realized in intercultural teams. The course therefore focuses on intercultural and transnational aspects of game development as well as on dealing with different corporate cultures and hierarchy models.

Scientific learning goals and competencies: The research of non-linear audio visions and especially digital games is in a dynamic development at international level. Students are familiarized with central aspects of current scientific questions on the production, use and impact of non-linear audio visions. In lectures and seminars methods of theory formation – research, analysis, criticism, synthesis – are imparted and the gained media-historical and media-theoretical insights are experimentally tested and applied in the entire range of courses. The Master’s programme thus enables students to conduct independent scientific and artistic research. The concluding Master’s thesis gives the opportunity to prove the acquired competences on a selected topic. It also lays the foundation for an academic career. Graduates of the program can solve complex tasks in the fields of AV design and non-linear narration as well as work internationally independently or in an intercultural team in a goal-oriented manner. Thanks to their context knowledge, they also have the ability to develop strategic concepts and implement them in practice. Through the combination of complex content production with theoretical-perspective teaching independent creative personalities are trained, who are able to react to technological, aesthetic and economic changes in the area of non-linear audio visions and particularly in the gaming industry trend-setting.

Module Handbook:
The module handbook for the MA GDR can be downloaded following the links below:
– Module Handbook (PO2 | Begin of studies before winter term 2023/24)
– Module Handbook (PO3 | Begin of studies as of winter term 2023/24)

Examination Regulations (PO3):
The examination regulations (in German) can be downloaded here.
The examination regulations (in English) can be downloaded here.
The corresponding phase-out regulation can be downloaded here.