Digital Media
BA
Interested in both tech and creativity? Our Digital Media program is a unique combination of art, science and innovation that prepares you for exciting careers in the gaming and digital world. In this program, you’ll explore the intersection of creative expression and cutting-edge technology, think video game design, sound, virtual reality, data visualization and interactive installations. With access to specialized labs, expert faculty and Toronto’s vibrant digital media scene, you’ll develop the skills to shape the future.
Offered collaboratively by Computational Arts (School of Arts, Media, Performance, and Design) and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Lassonde School of Engineering)
Program Overview
York University’s Digital Media program blends creative expression with technology, preparing you for careers in interactive media, game design, digital arts and the creative technology industries. You’ll start with an 18-month core curriculum that builds essential skills in coding, digital tools, media arts and computational thinking before choosing one of three specialized streams: Game Arts, Digital Media Arts, or Digital Media Development.
Throughout the program, you’ll use code as a creative tool, producing work in areas like game design, immersive and 3D environments, mixed reality, digital performance, physical computing, IoT and data visualization. Upper-year courses include independent and collaborative projects, building adaptability, teamwork, problem-solving and human–machine collaboration. You’ll graduate with strong technical fluency and artistic vision, ready to shape the future of emerging digital industries.
Sample Courses
As a Digital Media student you can take courses like:
- Introduction to Interactive Digital Media I & II
- Game Mechanics
- Digital Fabrication
- Introduction to Virtual Reality
- Simulation and Animation for Computer Games
- Electro-Acoustic Orchestra
Career Opportunities
As a Digital Media student you can become:
- Game Programmer/ Game Designer / Technical artist
- AR/VR Developer
- New Media Artist
- Front End Application Developer
- Web Programmer/Manager/Developer/Designer
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Degrees Offered
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Department
Computational Arts
Duration
4 years
Entry Options
Fall, Winter or Summer
Next Steps
We’re excited that you’re considering applying to York University's School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD). Check out our step-by-step guide to submitting an application.
Student & Alumni Testimonials
The environment here is incredibly supportive. AMPD gives students access to hands-on tools from sensors and programmable hardware to 3D printing at the Makerspace. The community is welcoming and collaborative, and it’s helped me grow both artistically and technically in ways I never expected.
Seila Bak
Fourth-year Digital Media student
York’s Digital Media program allows me to use my love of coding for both creative as well as practical applications, and so much more. I have not only been able to learn and develop new programming skills, but I have also used them to create games, websites and algorithms which I am proud of, as well as many different kinds of art, with beautiful designs, sounds and messages that have been inspired by the wonderful nature of this program.
Robert J. (Fourth-year Digital Media student)
Before Digital Media at York, I had creative ideas rooted in art and design; however, I didn’t always know how to bring them to life. This program gave me the confidence to turn my visions into reality, blending art, code, and storytelling. It’s helped me grow not just as a student, but as a creator.
Luca I. (Fifth-year Digital Media student)
Science and technology make it possible to achieve things that were once beyond our reach. Creating experiences through digital media is shaping a new era, as forms of interactivity continue to diversify. I truly enjoy the moments when I showcase my Digital Media Arts assignments and projects to friends and professors. Their reactions and interactions inspire me to think about what I can create next. By combining art and science, we can craft new types of experiences that expand the boundaries of imagination and storytelling. This is what excites me to continue studying Digital Media.
Hiro Kubayashi (Fourth-Year Digital Media student)
International Student – Japan
One thing I love about the Digital Media program is that it’s at the intersection of art and technology. I’m learning incredible technical skills and I’m using that to create art in so many different forms. I have so much creative freedom.
Prachi Sadhwani
Fourth-year Digital Media student
International Student – India/Jamaica
Learning the technical skills that are part of computer science gave me the backbone to create. I'm able to express my creative ideas in new ways, it's opened many doors for me in academia and personal projects.
Amir B
Digital Media Student
Coming out of the Digital Media program gave me a unique advantage in being a front-end developer who has a creative background and is able to think a bit more creatively about development.
Daniel James (BA ’17)
Front-end Software Engineer – Helium Inc.
Program Highlights
Ontario’s only degree program that integrates art, computer science, and engineering.
Explore creative expression through innovative technology.
Work closely with faculty members on their groundbreaking research in one of numerous digital research labs.
Professional internship opportunities through Lassonde’s Co-op office.
Bring interactive digital installations to life with the Transmedia Lab. A multi-purpose space that is home to events and acts as a makerspace for our Digital Media students.
Streams
First 18 Months
The Common Core
In the first 18 months of the program students in the Digital Media program complete a common core curriculum built from a mix of courses from Computational Arts and Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Topics such as interactive art, programming, and critical studies provide students with the theoretical and practical background needed to succeed in the program and in the field's future.
Years Two to Four
Your choice of three streams
Digital Media Games
If you’re passionate about video games, interactive storytelling and game design, the Games stream offers a forward-looking, interdisciplinary approach to tackle new gaming frontiers. You’ll learn how to take a game from concept to production using professional game engines and tools, creating projects across computer, tabletop, XR and mobile.
In addition to mainstream game development, you’ll explore emerging and experimental areas such as indie games, urban gaming, alternative controllers, and art games. This stream prepares you for roles in game design, game programming, technical art, interactive media, and experimental game creation.
Digital Media Arts
The Digital Media Arts stream focuses on creative expression through technology. With its blend of offerings in digital performance, physical computing and fabrication, and mixed reality, the program encourages a seamless continuum between virtual reality and the physical world. With the most flexibility of all three streams, this pathway allows you to pursue a wide range of interests across new media art, immersive installation, digital sculpture, virtual environments, interactive performance, and emerging contemporary art forms.
If you’re drawn to blending art, design and cutting-edge digital tools, this stream helps you build an innovative, interdisciplinary practice.
Digital Media Development
Ideal for students who want a more technical path, the Digital Media Development stream emphasizes Electrical Engineering and Computer Science alongside digital media creation. You’ll gain specialized training in low-level game development, human–computer interaction, signal processing, virtual reality and machine learning simulation.
This stream prepares you for high-demand roles in creative industries and emerging technology sectors. You’ll graduate with the ability to adopt new technologies and paradigms as they arise, staying current in the fast-moving world of digital innovation.
Learning Outcomes
Throughout the program student will:
- Develop a computational basis for the creation of digital media imagery and sound, using cutting edge technology in the creation of games, new forms of art, and the simulation of 3D environments.
- Explore the theoretical, artistic, aesthetic and experiential ideas that provide a comprehensive understanding of digital media creation.
- Get hands-on experience creating digital media works and investigate the ways in which culture is, and can be, produced through technology.
- Examine the broad socio-cultural effects of digital media, and contemporary theory and research on the uses of, and responses to, digital media.
- Build a foundation of skills for the future, including new media literacy, design mindset, transdisciplinarity, computational thinking, sensemaking, enterprise, resilience, and human-machine collaboration.
Foundation
- Gain the theoretical and practical background needed to succeed in the program and the future of the field.
Specialization
- Specialize in one of the three streams: Digital Media Game Arts, Digital Media Arts, Digital Media Development.
Ambitious Large-Scale Projects and Team Building
- Work on large-scale projects in a classroom that functions as a studio-office environment with real-world clients and collaborators.
- Learn role assignment, task management, multi-stakeholder engagement and project frameworks needed to develop large projects.
Your Independent Creative Voice and Professional Practice
- Develop self-directed, ambition projects that explore cutting edge topics in the domain of Digital Media.
How to Apply
Digital Media Course Clusters
Courses in Digital Media are organized into six thematic clusters, providing students with flexibility of personal direction they can pursue in the program, regardless of the stream they choose. These clusters have been carefully curated so that students can build strong foundations in the area(s) that interest them most, building a trajectory to their future careers.
- CORE
- GAMES
- INTERACTIVE PERFORMANCE
- MIXED REALITY
- 3D FABRICATION AND PHYSICAL COMPUTING
- SONIC ARTS
CORE
- Introduction to Interactive Digital Media
- Fundamentals of Digital Media Studies
- Media Signal Processing
- Publishing in Digital Media
- Net-Centric Computing
- Programming for Digital Media
- Building Interactive Systems
- Collaborative Project Development
- Digital Media Capstone Project
GAMES
- Game Development I
- Game Development II
- Game History, Genre, and New Direction
- Game Mechanics
- Introduction to 3D Modelling
- Introduction to 3D Animation
- Simulation and Animation for Computer Games
- Artificial Life, Generative Art and Creative Code
INTERACTIVE PERFORMANCE
- Introduction to Interactive Digital Media
- Fundamentals of Digital Media Studies
- Media Signal Processing
- Publishing in Digital Media
- Net-Centric Computing
- Programming for Digital Media
- Building Interactive Systems
- Collaborative Project Development
- Digital Media Capstone Project
MIXED REALITY
- Introduction to Interactive Digital Media
- Fundamentals of Digital Media Studies
- Media Signal Processing
- Publishing in Digital Media
- Net-Centric Computing
- Programming for Digital Media
- Building Interactive Systems
- Collaborative Project Development
- Digital Media Capstone Project
3D FABRICATION AND PHYSICAL COMPUTING
- Introduction to Interactive Digital Media
- Fundamentals of Digital Media Studies
- Media Signal Processing
- Publishing in Digital Media
- Net-Centric Computing
- Programming for Digital Media
- Building Interactive Systems
- Collaborative Project Development
- Digital Media Capstone Project
SONIC ARTS
- Introduction to Interactive Digital Media
- Fundamentals of Digital Media Studies
- Media Signal Processing
- Publishing in Digital Media
- Net-Centric Computing
- Programming for Digital Media
- Building Interactive Systems
- Collaborative Project Development
- Digital Media Capstone Project
Get Ready to Apply
Make sure you have all the information in hands
Important dates
Stay informed about all the key dates and deadlines for applying. Make sure to submit your application by the specified deadline to ensure guaranteed consideration. Note that some programs require a supplementary application, so be sure to check the deadlines for those as well
TUITION FEES & FUNDING
Tuition and Fees will be paid to York University. For information on Undergraduate Tuition and Fees, please see the Future Students Website. Entrance Awards, Scholarships and Bursaries are available each year to support your education.
REQUIREMENTS
Our programs are open to students directly from high school, those with previous post-secondary studies, international students, exchange students, and mature applicants.
Get in Touch
Reach out to us for more information on our programs, upcoming events, open houses, and applying to AMPD. We're here to assist you with any questions you may have and to help guide you through the application process.
Need More Information?
If you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to connect with us. Our team is here to help! You can also schedule a visit to see our campus in person.