Digital Media Arts

Overview

Why choose this course

 The fast changing world of digital media means this study is more relevant than ever, with the video game and interactive entertainment industries expected to be larger than the film and television industries combined before the year 2020. 

Our Guildford home is one of the largest creative communities in Europe, with the Guardian referring to Guildford as the ‘Hollywood of video games’. The area is home to video game developers such as EA/Criterion, Epic, Supermassive, Media Molecule, nDreams and Hello Games, as well as Pinewood’s Shepperton film studios. We’re also less than an hour from video effects houses in London, and home to many music, audio and video production studios. As a digital media arts researcher you’ll have the opportunity to meet and work with local companies like these through the local G3 Futures Symposia and our 5G Digital Gaming Initiative.

What you will study

The PhD in Digital Media Arts programme at the University of Surrey draws together the study of contemporary film-making and game design, as well as film history and games studies into the broader study of culture and mass media. We also consider a wider context of contemporary screen and digital media related activity, including digital culture and multimedia production. 

As a student of our PhD in Digital Media Arts you will develop the ability to conceive, design, implement and adapt a substantial process of research with scholarly integrity. You will develop a substantial body of work through original research, which could potentially be published, exhibited, and/or performed nationally and internationally. You will engage with major developments in current and emerging media and technologies and demonstrate an awareness of the significance of work in digital media arts. 

As a student studying for a PhD in Digital Media Arts you will have two supervisors, who will guide you through your PhD. Your supervisors will be experienced with creative visual media and at least one will be a researcher in digital media arts. As a cross-disciplinary programme, the PhD in Digital Media Arts allows you to have a mixed supervisory team, with one supervisor from outside the Department of Music and Media. Your second supervisor could come from engineering, computer science, life sciences, or another part of the University. Your supervisor will help you refine your research, assist with your methodology, and be able to read your work.