Media Design

In the master’s programme in Media Design you will deal with time-based design possibilities such as live-action film, 2D and 3D animation, motion graphics, AR, VR and their possible applications in various media formats and channels. You will learn in and from interdisciplinary teams, which will also open possibilities and links to other fields of design such as game design or interaction design.

The focus of the program is on practical project work, often in cooperation with cultural institutions or businesses as external partners. You will go through all the steps of professional media production: from initial briefing, script development, previz and studio shooting to animation, VFX, compositing, color grading and final export. We teach you the necessary know-how and technical skills in seminars and workshops. This also includes dealing with uncommon or new and emerging technical possibilities, such as AI-assisted design, projection mapping or motion capture.

Lectures and workshops by international and diverse professionals also provide invaluable insight into current topics. Business skills and soft skills prepare our students for a complex and comprehensive work environment.

In the Media Design programme you will be able to delve into specialized design fields of live-action and animated film, motion design, game design and the resulting hybrid forms. You will focus on new narrative forms, combine conceptual with hands-on content and create a wide variety of media-projects in interdisciplinary settings.

Design and Research

The course “Design and Research” offers you the opportunity to research topics of your own choice and engage with them deeper throughout all three semesters. Accompanied by lectures on a wide range of topics and with ongoing supervision, these research results usually form the basis for the final Master’s thesis.

Study mode

The Master’s course in Media Design is organised to fit in with part-time work commitments with lessons taking place between Tuesday and Friday. The average required attendance during the first three semesters is 19 hours per week. It is therefore possible to combine your studies with a part-time job. The fourth semester is dedicated to writing the Master’s thesis.
During the semester, classes take place from 9:00 to 18:30 from Tuesday to Friday. E-learning sessions are not available.

Self-study

The workload is based on the following ECTS credits: each semester, students are credited with 30 ECTS points for a workload of approx. 750 hours. Around 20 units of attendance are deducted from this during the first three semesters and the supervision of the Master’s thesis in the fourth semester. This results in a workload of approx. 520 hours during the first three semesters, or 34 hours per week. The Master’s thesis should correspond to a workload of 750 to 800 hours.

Attendance

There is compulsory attendance in all courses of FH JOANNEUM. You may be excused if you present a doctor’s certificate to show that you were ill. Students require a minimum 80% attendance level. If you miss more than 20%, you will fail the course and won’t be able to sit the first examination. The head of degree programme has the final decision about the consequences of absence as well as exceptions to compulsory attendance. We try to accommodate any extra-curricular design-related activities our students may wish to pursue.