MA Digital Narratives

Curriculum

The Master’s programme Digital Narratives supports young creatives to strengthen their own artistic, practical, and theoretical skills, as well as their artistic position within digital culture in a collaborative and international environment. Students are encouraged to experiment, think critically and produce digital narratives - from immersive experiences to AI-driven narratives. The central elements of the curriculum are: Digital Culture Critical analysis and research of media ecosystems - as spaces where debates around gender, diversity, social justice, ecology, and colonial histories are at play Understanding how the new possibilities that digital technologies afford can help rethink these structures Investigation of the social responsibility in the arts and media in digital societies Narratives Research and development of immersive narratives based on new storytelling formats, audience engagement strategies, and emerging technologies, such as XR and AI Creative Methods Training in creative and agile methods for ideation, development, prototyping, and production of artistic digital projects Work in creative businesses and in interdisciplinary and collaborative work environments Project Conceptualisation and Development Throughout the programme, students conceptualise, design, and develop a digital narrative project. During the first three semesters, they focus on concept ideation, development and prototyping of their ideas. Combined Master’s Project and Master’s Thesis In the fourth semester, their project becomes part of their Master’s thesis, with the students distributing the project and written thesis in an 80%-20% ratio or vice versa. Their work is supervised and guided by professors, tutors, and the Digital Narratives and Production departments. Project Support To complete their Master’s projects, students have access to the technical equipment of the ifs, support from the Production department, and allocated financial support of max. 4,000 EUR per student. | International guest lecturers | German language courses: No | English language courses: No

Academic Requirements

Minimum Qualification

The programme invites applicants who want to become professionals working at the intersection of practice and critical thinking about media, emerging digital technologies and narratives. The entry requirements for the programme are as follows: a Bachelor’s degree with proof of at least 180 ECTS (or a similar academic or higher degree) at least one year of specialised professional practice or similar professional project experience after the Bachelor’s degree proof of programme related aptitude for the MA Digital Narratives programme Admission follows a two-stage process: submission of application documents a selection interview Applicants must submit past work samples, a CV, and assignments to demonstrate their eligibility to participate in the MA Digital Narratives programme. Applications will be reviewed by a committee, and shortlisted applicants will be invited for an online interview. The selection committee will then invite the selected applicants to participate in the programme. Information for international applicants: To ensure that the education certificates and diplomas acquired abroad comply with the admission requirements of the ifs (higher education qualifications), applicants can consult the following database: https://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html. If your degree does not fulfil the admission requirements of ifs but you have a recognisable talent and previous adequate experience, you may be invited to participate in a separate admission procedure to demonstrate your individual artistic aptitude. Please also check at the German embassy of your home country to determine whether you need to provide an APS certificate issued by the Academic Evaluation Centre for your visa application.

English Language Requirements

When to Apply

This programme has no deadline listed. | Please find more details on this website.

How to Apply

Please check this website.

Other Language Requirements

Other Language Required

German - not required

No minimum language level required

Fees & Contributions

Approx. 340 EUR per semester (payment to TH Köln) The ifs is a cooperation partner of the TH Köln (University of Applied Sciences). Enrolment at the TH Köln is mandatory for all ifs students.

Scholarship

Yes | For financial support to cover tuition fees, students can apply for an interest-free loan from the second semester onwards from the "Friends of the ifs Society". The approval of the interest-free loans depends on the financial situation of the applicant and the amount of funds available. Repayment of the loan begins six months after graduation or completion of studies. For all ifs degree programmes (except the MA 3D Animation for Film and Games), the "Friends of ifs Society" awards scholarships to particularly talented students in need of financial support. The scholarships cover the tuition fees. After successfully passing the entrance exam, interested students can apply for both a scholarship and a loan.