Coursework & thesis
Learn about coursework and thesis requirements for SIAT graduate students.
SIAT coursework
SIAT fosters dialogue and shared work around its core ideas of design, interactivity, art, computation and technology. The SIAT program, faculty, and facilities enable students to explore, engage, and develop their research methods and focii.
SIAT graduate students aim to:
- Research technology in its contexts, particularly the computation that drives much current technological development
- Understand how people invent, design, make, manage and learn about technology
- Create, demonstrate and use new technology in society and industry, particularly in creative industries
- Develop and refine research methods and designs suitable for interdisciplinary inquiry
Required foundation coursework
All SIAT Graduate students must complete the Research Colloquium (IAT-805) course. As part of the requirement for a SIAT Masters of Arts (MA), Masters of Science (MSc), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program you must attend two terms of the Research Colloquium and do juried presentations. For MA or MSc students one presentation is required. For PhD students two presentations some time over the term of their graduate program are required. This can be done via the Research Colloquium, a paper, a poster or some other type of juried publication.
MA and MSc students must complete all three of the following courses. PhD students must complete two.
Elective coursework requirements
In addition to the required foundation coursework listed above Masters and PhD students must complete an additional 6 credits of elective coursework to achieve their overall coursework requirements of 15 credits (Masters) and 12 credits (PhD). Graduate elective courses, special topics and directed reading course are offered in areas of shared faculty interest and vary each semester.
The following is a sample list of possible elective courses:
- Foundations of Computational Art and Design (IAT-800)
- Qualitative Research Methods and Design (IAT 801)
- Quantitative Research Methods and Design (IAT 802)
- New Media (IAT 810)
- Computational Poetics (IAT 811)
- Cognition, Learning and Collaboration (IAT 812)
- Artificial Intelligence in Computational Art and Design (IAT 813)
- Knowledge Visualization and Communication (IAT 814)
- Exploring Interactivity (IAT 832)
- Embodiment and Electronic Performance (IAT 833)
- Mixed Methods in Design Research (IAT 834)
- Sustainable Interaction Design (IAT 835)
- Models of Networked Practice (IAT 840)
- Game Research (IAT 842)
- Spatial Computing (IAT 844)
- Interactive Systems for Design (IAT 846)
- Metacreation: Endowing Machines with Creative Behaviours (IAT 847)
- Visually Enabled Reasoning (IAT 854)
- Special Topics I - VIII (IAT 881-IAT 888); All special topic courses are per term, by approval of graduate program committee.
- Directed Reading I, II, II (IAT 871); Only one directed reading can be counted towards degree requirements, and directed reading request form must be completed.
MA, MSc Thesis and PhD dissertation
All graduate students must complete a thesis, a major work that conveys and explains their contribution to their field. PhD students must complete a comprehensive examination that tests for depth of inquiry, breadth of knowledge and scholarly skill.
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