Master's Programme in Digital Culture

Presentation

Start-up Date

Autumn

The Degree

This Master´s programme leads to the degree of Digital Culture. It is a two-year programme (120 ECTS credits).

Learning Outcomes

Digital Culture is the study of the relationship between culture and technology. Our focus at the University of Bergen is on digital arts and culture, with two main focus areas: 1) digital textuality and 2) critical and historical approaches to technology and society. Research and teaching are based on theoretical, historical and analytical approaches to digital culture together with practical applications of technology in the humanities context.

Teaching at the MA level is research based. Current research at the department includes work on electronic literature and other new forms of art and narrative that are developing in the digital media, work on gender and technology, on blogging as a learning and communication tool and as a form of narrative, on online games (MMOGs) as a cultural arena, on online social networks, and on using technology to analyse textual expression by computational means. We also have close contact with research groups working on text technology and computational linguistics.

Programme structure

As a Master´s student in Digital Culture you will spend your first year doing coursework (60 ECTS) and your second year working on your Master´s thesis (60 ECTS).

Your schedule could be as follows:
First semester: DIKULT301 Methods and Project Development in Digital Culture (15 ECTS, compulsory) and DIKULT303 Digital Media Aesthetics (15 ECTS).
Second semester: DIKULT307 Critical Approaches to Technology and Society (15 ECTS) and DIKULT305 Practical Project in Digital Culture.
You can substitute relevant courses from other departments if they are approved by your supervisor.
Third and fourth semesters: Independent work on your Master´s thesis, including meetings with your supervisor and an option of writing groups with other students.

Your thesis will be the result of independent research (of between 70-110 pages) in the field of Digital Culture. The thesis can combine theoretical, methodological and practical technological approaches to the subject. You choose the topic for your thesis in cooperation with your supervisor.

Method

Digital Culture is a rapidly developing field that is characterised by methodological pluralism. Methods used include algorithmic methods used in coding, historical methods, textual analysis and interpretative methods, statistical methods and qualitative data.

Admission

Start-up Date

Autumn

Admission Requirements

A first degree (Bachelor´s degree) of three or four years' duration from an approved institution of higher education, as well as proficiency in the English language, for example documented by TOEFL or IELTS.

Your Bachelor´s degree must have a specialization in Digital Culture (formerly humanistic informatics). A BA in Digital Culture is the general qualification for application to the MA program. The specialization should correspond to at least three semesters of full-time studies, 90 ECTS credits.

Applicants without a specialization in Digital Culture can qualify for admission by documenting that they have completed:

- At least 60 credits in Digital Culture, or a similar technology-focused program based in the humanities or social sciences.

- Applicants must also have another 30 credits that are relevant to their planned MA thesis. For instance, an applicant wishing to research electronic literature could document 30 credits of literary studies, while an applicant interested in gender and computer games might show that they have taken gender studies courses or ethnography.

- Additionally applicants should include a 500-700 word statement that explains how their academic background and competence prepares them to do an MA in Digital Culture

Applicants are assessed individually by Digital Culture faculty.

In order for us to be able to evaluate your application, we need specific documentation on the relevance of your former university education. The documents listed below must be included in order for your application to be processed.

1. The application must - in a separate document/letter - point out the exact courses within the field ofDigital Culture that, together are equivalent to three semesters of full time studies (90 ECTS credits) in the field or 60 plus 30 ECTS credits which are relevant in the field.

2. Course descriptions of the relevant courses must be submitted and the amount of ECTS credits or local credits from your university should be documented.

3. You must also submit documentation that shows the amount of credits or the number of courses that equal a full time study load of one semester. This could for instance be a statement from your home university.

4. You should also present a statement of purpose for a future Master's thesis.

Applications that fail to include all the above mentioned documentation will not be processed.

Application procedure

Self-financing degree students.

Who may apply

Self-financing degree students.

See also the general documentational requirements here for self-financing degree students: http://link.uib.no/?51S1q