All programs Apply

Dynamic Media Institute

MFA

The Dynamic Media Institute MFA Design program enables students to pursue a thesis through a rigorous practice of research, prototyping, and writing.

As a MassArt DMI student, you will enjoy access to a wide range of facilities – lighting, sound, and green screen studios – and a wide range of resources, including laser cutters, high-definition projectors, professional video cameras, synthesizers, wide format inkjet printers and plotters, and high-resolution digital SLR cameras. In addition to your coursework, you will produce a comprehensive thesis project and thesis book relating to interactive communication design, on a topic of personal interest.

Two Graduate students sit looking at their laptops in an MFA Design classroom

Two grad students looking at a design on a computer monitor

Our DMI MFA Degree Offers Flexible Pathways:

The MFA may be earned in three tracks, offering students flexible pathways through the program:

full-time two-year track in four semesters
three-year track in five semesters
three-year track in six semesters

The only difference between the tracks is the distribution of elective credits.

Fresh Media

Fresh Media, DMI’s annual exhibition at MassArt, showcases MFA candidates’ work in interactive design, AR, projection mapping, video games, and more.

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A Diverse Community

Past and current DMI students come from all over the world and have backgrounds as fine artists, musicians, performers, journalists, photographers, graphic designers, architects, industrial designers, educators, and developers.

Careers After DMI

The DMI program will prepare you and your fellow students for high-level creative positions at innovative agencies, design firms, startups, and digital companies and qualifies you to teach at the university level. Many DMI graduates have gone on to work at leading companies such as Adobe Systems, Amazon, Apple, Bose, Google, IBM, and Microsoft. Other graduates have chosen to pursue careers in academia, teaching at institutions such as Brandeis University, Emmanuel College, MIT, Northeastern University, Rhode Island School of Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, and China Central Academy of Fine Arts.

MFA Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the DMI MFA Design program are expected to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes.

Produce a comprehensive thesis project and thesis book relating to interactive communication design on a topic of personal interest
Apply design thinking to, and conceive of new ways of designing for a wide range of human interaction, communication and multi-sensory experience
Utilize a range of research techniques including text reviews, experimentation and prototyping
Present technical information and data visually and dynamically, and translate non-visual experience into visual forms
Experiment with sound, motion, gesture, narrative, mapping, in design applications
Apply state-of-the-art technology to graphic and dynamic studio work
Understand of the theoretical underpinnings of historical and contemporary communication design, achieving a solid intellectual and historical framework for thinking about the work one creates
Develop skill in communicating with, and learning from, people across disciplines, learning the language of multiple disciplines, and synthesizing multiple points of view
Develop awareness and understanding of the diverse cultural, historical, and experiential issues expressed and inherent in one’s design practice and in the discipline of design
Develop presentation skills including public speaking, visual presentations, and writing
Understand a range of professional pathways for careers in dynamic media, as leaders in the design field, educators, practitioners, and entrepreneurs