Creating immersive media experiences for interactive platforms
The Interactive Media course is a unique multidisciplinary degree that gives you the knowledge and skills to work across a wide range of media and technical disciplines in the creative media sector, including TV and film production, graphic design, animation, storytelling, digital media content production, web design, interactive documentary, and AR and VR experiences.
The course is designed to enable and guide students to discover their own specialism within the creative media sector, while working closely with and understanding the roles of all creative media design and production disciplines.
Interactive media can be found in almost all aspects of life. Mobile apps, websites, games, social media and virtual reality have transformed how we work and interact with each other with huge potential for more change. An exciting time to enter the industry, a degree in Interactive Media will open up many options with potential graduate roles in web design, advertising, content development, videography, digital marketing, multimedia planning or film production working as a successful free lancer or in an agency or production company.
Centred on creative approaches and responses to new media technologies with a focus on emerging media forms and creative and artistic media practices you will receive training in the latest industry standard software. Through a mix of theory and practice you will be encouraged to channel your own creativity and style to produce a range of digital media from motion graphics, animation and film to games, websites and interactive user experiences. Practical skills developed will include coding, drone operation, digital-image-making, web authoring, digital video production and project management.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
In this section
This is a ground-breaking course that delivers graduates who have the production, creative and intellectual skills to undertake and develop careers in the creative digital media. The course centres on creative approaches and responses to new media technologies with a focus on emerging media forms and creative media practices and offers training in the latest industry standard software.
The course content is forward thinking ensuring you are taught future-proofed skills relevant for several industry-based roles and providing you with the knowledge and expertise to help drive the industry forward.
Content covered is varied (see modules for more detailed information) and will include contemporary coding platforms for producing interactive experiences, the use of Adobe After Effects to create motion graphics, the fundamentals of digital design using Adobe Photoshop and InDesign to conceptualise, draft and complete digital designs, the role of narrative in new media and how new platforms and technologies have effected video narratives, how audience responses to narratives can be evaluated and analysed and designing with data. You will construct your own interactive website as part of an Interactive Media Portfolio and work on a major project in your final year planning, researching and executing a significant piece of production work. This will develop your understanding of defined job roles and build a range of resources to help you interface with the media industry more professionally.
After successful completion of Year Two you can opt to undertake a placement year or study abroad (see Careers and Opportunities for more information) gaining a Diploma in Professional Practice (DPP) or Diploma in International Academic Studies (DIAS).
Helping to make your teaching as relevant as possible and get you industry ready, creative, live briefs from industry partners are used in modules, giving you a flavour of real-life working scenarios and what it is like to work for a client.
Taught by award winning staff (International MEDEA Award 2018, for excellence in the production and design of media-rich learning resources; Best Use of Educational Technology / ICT Initiative of the Year 2018; Excellence in Employability /Placement Support 2017, at the Ulster University Students Union Teaching Excellence Awards) we aim to give you the best academic and university experience possible.
Throughout the course a series of visiting professionals from industry will run master classes on specific subject knowledge ensuring you are learning from the experts and gaining a real world insight into what it is like to work in industry and how your skills can be applied.
Diploma in Professional Practice DPP
A full time 3-year course (4 years with optional work placement or study abroad year), students are expected to be in attendance during the normal working week. In line with the University’s attendance policy, attendance at all taught sessions is compulsory. In addition, students working on projects and in independent work may be required occasionally to attend for group meetings/seminars in the evenings and at weekends.
You will be involved in a number of different methods of learning, all of which are designed to prepare you for a career in the creative media industries.
This will include working on live industry briefs and working with community groups and regional agencies in the development of digital media content.
You will be taught in lecture theatres, computer labs, media studios and specially dedicated student spaces.
You will have masterclasses with industry experts, bringing you the most current and in-depth detail about the industry needs and trends.
You will work on projects for social enterprises and also be involved in project pitches that will give your entrepreneurial skills.
You will work collaboratively with your peers in group projects, and also work on solo projects.
The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.
Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.
Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.
The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study. In Master’s degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures correct for academic year 2022-2023.
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures correct for academic year 2022-2023.
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Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
In this section
Year: 1
Status: C
Media, Culture, Politics is an introduction to media studies that aims to demonstrate the importance and seriousness of the discipline, and to show how it can speak to the most pressing political issues of our time, namely disparities of wealth and power, as well as the question of environmental sustainability. To do this the module draws attention to the role of media and popular culture in reproducing social inequality, and it considers the ecological consequences of a contemporary culture that is dependent upon fossil fuels and driven by capital accumulation.
The objective of the module then is to encourage students to think critically about media production and consumption, and to other ways and forms of making and exchanging culture. To achieve this Media, Culture, Politics introduces students to a selection of thinkers who have contributed to the field. It then invites them to consider the ideas and concepts encountered on the module, and apply or adapt them to their own media practice, cultural experience and democratic participation.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module will introduce students to concepts and techniques surrounding the production of type-based motion graphics used in computer animation, special effects and web video etc. During the lectures students will explore the aesthetic and narrative forms of these types of moving images. During the workshops students will become familiar with Adobe After Effects software through the production of their own motion graphics.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module will help the student to understand the contemporary coding platforms for producing Interactive Experiences. The module will also introduce the student to 'live' Interactive Development Environments (IDE's) and their potential for rapid prototyping and building interactive experiences. As part of the student experience with IDE's they will also engage in contemporary online learning and development practices.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module introduces students to the fundamentals of digital design and aims to develop their creative and technical skills through the production of their own design work. The workshop series will cover visual language, principles and techniques involved in digital design while during workshop sessions, students will undertake digital design challenges using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign software to conceptualise, draft and complete their digital designs.
Year: 1
Status: C
The module interrogates how technologies shape and form production techniques, creating new creative possibilities, and how new and emerging platforms disrupt traditional notions of audiences, form and narrative. This module will develop your understanding and skills in key aspects of cinematic practice: composition, lighting, mise-en-scene and screen aesthetics.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module will introduce you to the history of visual culture in order to equip you with a foundational knowledge of why and how the visual is understood in different ways at specific cultural locations. It will build on this base by introducing you to key theories of visual culture and ways of analysing the visual so that you can begin to develop your appreciation of the significance of visuality across a range of media formats, as well as considering how convergence effects how we can define the visual.
The skills you will acquire on this module will enable you to transfer your learning to future modules on media theory and practice as well as aiding you to integrate theory into your own creative practice.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module will help the student to understand the creative design processes inherent in the design, planning and production of interactive media formats and their subsequent media debates, by examining how technology has facilitated a new exhibition space for the promotion and distribution of creative art and media texts.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module will investigate how narrative operates in online documentary storytelling. Students will respond to these methodologies in the development of a substantial interactive documentary storytelling project that uses innovative forms of audio-visual inquiry to experiment with documentary-based narrative structures.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module draws on a range of disciplines and media forms to deliver a participatory narrative which is delivered through a number of platforms. Students are asked to consider new approaches to story and how audience responses to narratives can be evaluated and analysed. The module engages with forms of story-telling and narrative delivery in which audiences become active and help to shape the story as it unfolds.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module engages students in a 2 week (or 70 hour) work placement in the Media and Creative Industries The module uses work-based learning and reflective practitioner models to help student develop their professional skills and understanding or the media industry alongside addressing core vocational literacies around EDI in the workplace.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module explores how we understand and interpret data, and how we use it to communicate persuasive and compelling narratives -- how data is handled, processed and used to create meaning. Students produce practical outcomes that demonstrate their learned skills in data literacy, data visualisation, visual rhetoric, and information design. The module adopts a 'data storytelling' approach to help communicate complex information within persuasive digital campaigns.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module introduces students to a range of job roles from across the media and creative industries to help them plan and apply for a short placement. The module helps students develop their understanding of defined job roles and build a range of resources to help them interface with the media industry more professionally.
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the Erasmus Plus area such as the Americas, Australia or China. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline of Media whilst generating educational and cultural networks.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module provides students the opportunity to experience life as a professional media practitioner. They will be expected to conduct themselves professionally being an employee of a company and an ambassador for the University during this period. They will be supported by an academic coordinator.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module provides an opportunity to undertake an additional academic year of study which is spent outside the UK. Those who successfully complete it get an extra qualification - the Diploma in Academic Studies (DIAS). Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the media and engage with it first-hand in international contexts. The opportunity to generate educational and cultural networks will be available to the student.
Year: 4
Status: C
This module will explore a range of cultural issues that have arisen from the production and consumption of interactive media in contemporary society, and create situated knowledge of these emerging discourses by deploying a range of research methodologies and activities.
Year: 4
Status: C
This module enables the student to plan, research, execute and exhibit a significant piece of production work, demonstrating both technical and conceptual excellence in the area of Interactive Media and a capacity to innovate within an agreed intellectual framework.
Year: 4
Status: C
Located at the end point of the Interactive Media programme this module will integrate to an advanced level the knowledge and skills acquired to that point around a group project of some complexity for a 'live' Social Enterprise client. The module will have a supporting series of tutorials designed to support the students develop their interactive project to a complex and innovative level. This is an opportunity for the learner to evaluate their own work in a reflective manner, with reference to the academic and/or professional issues and debates explored in the degree programme as a whole.
Year: 4
Status: C
The module provides students with the opportunity to investigate and experience the processes involved in creativity, alongside the generation, evaluation and pitching of entrepreneurial ideas for the Creative Media sector.
We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.
In this section
Grades BCC
Applicants may satisfy the requirement for an A level C grade by substituting a combination of alternative qualifications to the same standard as defined by the University.
RQF Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/ OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma
Award profile of DMM
We will also accept smaller BTEC/OCR qualifications (i.e. Diploma or Extended Certificate / Introductory Diploma / Subsidiary Diploma) in combination with A Levels or other acceptable level 3 qualifications.
To find out if the qualification you are applying with is a qualification we accept for entry, please check our Qualification Checker - https://www.ulster.ac.uk/stud-y/entrance-requirements/equivalence
We will also continue to accept QCF versions of these qualifications although grades asked for may differ. Check what grades you will be asked for by comparing the requirements above with the information under QCF in the Applied General and Tech Level Qualifications section of our Entry Requirements - https://www.ulster.ac.uk/study/entrance-requirements/undergraduate-entry-requirements
104 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be at higher level) to include English at H6 if studied at Higher level or O4 if studied at Ordinary Level.
The Scottish Highers requirement for this course is grades
BCCCC
Applicants may satisfy the requirement for an element of the offer grade profiles (equating to the final A-level grade stated in the standard 3A level offer profile - Grade C) by substituting a combination of alternative qualifications to the same standard as defined by the University.
The Scottish Advanced Highers requirement for this course is grades
CDD
Applicants may satisfy the requirement for an element of the offer grade profiles (equating to the final A-level grade stated in the standard 3A level offer profile - Grade C) by substituting a combination of alternative qualifications to the same standard as defined by the University.
Overall International Baccalaureate profile minimum of
24 points to include 12 at higher level.
Overall profile of 60% (120 credit Access Course) (NI Access course)
Overall profile of 12 credits at distinction, 30 credits at merit and 3 credits at pass (60 credit Access course) (GB Access course)
For full-time study, you must satisfy the General Entrance Requirements for admission to a first degree course and hold a GCSE pass at Grade C/4 or above English Language.
Level 2 Certificate in Essential Skills - Communication will be accepted as equivalent to GCSE English.
English language requirements for international applicants
The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.
Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.
HND - Overall Merit with distinctions in 30 Level 5 credits for Year 1 entry. Those applicants holding a subject-related HND with an overall merit may be considered for entry to Year 2.
HNC – Overall Merit with distinctions in 60 Level 4 credits for Year 1 entry.
You may also meet the course entry requirements with combinations of different qualifications to the same standard as recognised by the University (provided subject requirements as noted above are met).
Foundation Degree - An overall mark of 45% in Level 5 modules for Year 1 entry. Those applicants holding a subject-related Foundation Degree may be considered for entry to Year 2.
APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning)
The University will consider applications on the basis of experiential learning for those who do not hold the normal entry qualifications.
Transfer from degree level study at other institutions
Those applicants seeking entry with advanced standing, (eg. Transfer from another institution or year 2 entry) will be considered on an individual basis.
Those who wish to transfer from other institutions should apply via UCAS and will be assessed on an individual basis.
In this section
Graduates from this course are now working for:
With this degree you could become:
The Interactive Media degree offers the broad base of skills that the creative industry sector needs.
As a career path you might become a Designer or Developer creating digital media content.
Your interest through the course might be more developed in relation to project management skills, and you embark on a career where you manage a creative design team as a Creative Media Manager.
You might be involved in developing media content for the web as a Web Content Developer, or be involved in creating media content for a social media campaign, as a Social Media Officer.
An interest in video production may take you to a career as a Videographer, creating visual content for television, or even the video games industry.
However is not only the media industries that need these skills. Demand for these unique skills range from broadcasters, photographers, marketing and web-development companies, to the communications departments of private companies, public sector organisations and education.
Work Placement:
All students are required to complete no less than two weeks work placement throughout the degree programme. There are opportunities for longer placement and full year placements. The year long placement generates the extra award of Diploma in Professional Practice (DPP).
Study Abroad:
StudyUSA, Erasmus scheme, International Student Exchange Programme. Students from the programme can study a year in a number of different countries including China, America and across Europe. It is advised that students undertake this between years 2 and 3 of the programme. Studying abroad for a year generates the extra award of Diploma in International Academic Studies (DIAS).
2024/25 Fees
Fees for entry in 2024/25 have not yet been set. See our tuition fees page for the current fees for 2023/24 entry.
SMARTS Interactive Media Prize is awarded for the best final year Major Project.
SMARTS is a public relations and marketing campaign consultancy firm with office locations in Belfast, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. They provide expertise on strategic planning, media relations, content creation, digital, social, design and brand partnerships.
Rapid Interactive Media Graduate of the Year
Rapid Agency is a digital marketing agency providing cutting edge Social Media marketing, SEO and Web Design to businesses across Northern Ireland.
Students will be required to purchase the following items for the studies:
A 1TB (or bigger) USB Hard Drive: £45
A pair of over ear headphones: £20
A domain name: £15 per year
There are also printing costs associated with the course at about £60 per year
It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.
Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.
There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.
See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Interactive Media graduate Lucy Fleming, class of 2022, has been appointed by the BBC in the role of ‘Creative’.
Describing the role Lucy said:
“When I read the job description I was like “this is literally word for word my degree, I couldn’t believe it! The role is basically if Interactive Media were a job as it includes video editing, graphic design, audio work and the odd bit of motion graphics and/or illustration. It’s mainly promotion of programmes on social media but with a bit of BBC Sounds and BBC Online as well.”
Lucy also nominated the Interactive Media Course Team for “Team of the Year” at the UUSU Learning and Teaching Awards 2022.
Jack Morrow, Chief technology Officer, RETìníZE describing Interactive Media graduates:
“Their expertise and unique knowledge allow them to sit between and across all workflows associated with immersive technology production. They are the link between the disciplines (TV, film, storytelling, content development, pre-productions, postproduction, techies etc.). Their real strength is in that they have a wide skill bases that often reveals it strengths within management, management of workflows and peoples in large project teams.”
