Interactive Media - Conversion Course

Course Outline

The MSc in Interactive Media is a Conversion Course; it is an intensive taught course focusing on the practical and technical aspects of interactive media.



The broad aim of the course is to equip students from a wide range of backgrounds with a thorough understanding of the technology and industry-standard tools used in the digital media sector. Interactive digital media seeks to entertain, inform and inspire an audience. The creation of interactive digital media is a challenging and complex activity requiring a blend of creative and technical skills using a range of existing and emerging technologies.



On successful completion of the course, you will have a comprehensive knowledge of the underlying concepts, technologies and practices of interactive digital media and be able to apply these to create interactive digital media products.



The MSc (Interactive Media) is a taught programme that may be taken full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months from the date of first registration for the programme.

Programme Structure

Students must attain 90 credits through a combination of:

• Core modules (60 credits)

• Dissertation (30 credits)



Core Modules

Full-time students 30 credits; part-time students choose three modules each year (15 credits), for a total of six separate modules over the two years (30 credits).



Modules - Semester 1

• CS6100 Authoring (5 credits)

• CS6101 Web Development for Digital Media (5 credits)

• CS6102 Graphics for Interactive Media (5 credits)

• CS6103 Audio and Sound Engineering (5 credits)

• CS6104 Digital Video Capture and Packaging (5 credits)

• CS6111 3D Graphics and Modelling (5 credits)



Modules - Semester 2

Full-time students: 30 credits; part-time students 15 credits.

• CS6105 Future and Emerging Interaction Technologies (5 credits)

• CS6113 Internet-based Applications (5 credits)

• CS6114 Digital Video Compression and Delivery (5 credits)

• CS6115 Human-Computer Interaction (5 credits)

• CS6116 Mobile Multimedia (5 credits)

• CS6117 Audio Processing (5 credits)



Note: Not all modules may be offered in a particular year and are subject to change.



Project Phase (After Period 2)

• CS6200 Dissertation in Interactive Media (30 credits)

Requirements

• Open to graduates of any discipline who have achieved at least a Second Class Honours Grade 2 in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8), or those with an equivalent professional qualification, are eligible to apply, provided there is no significant overlap between their previous courses of study and the content of this course. Significant overlap may occur where candidates have pursued a Computer Science course with significant multimedia or digital media content. In these cases, the Selection Committee will decide the eligibility of the candidate. Applicants without the requisite primary degree will be subject to the approval of the School and the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

• Candidates from Grandes Écoles Colleges are also eligible to apply if they are studying in an ENSEA or EFREI Graduate School and are eligible to enter the final year (M2) of their programme, provided there is no significant overlap between their previous courses of study and the content of this course.



For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.



International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

• In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

• Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.



English Language Requirements

Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements.

Closing Date

Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.



Non-EU Closing Date

Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.

Postgraduate Diploma in Interactive Media

Students who successfully achieve the pass standard in the examination may opt not to proceed to the digital media project and may opt instead to be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Interactive Media.

1 Year Full-time; 2 Years Part-time.



The part-time option will be taught during weekday working hours over 2 years.

Start Date: 8 September 2025

Skills and Careers Information

The ICT sector in Ireland is a thriving and growing industry with the top 5 global software companies, the top 3 global enterprise software companies, and 9 of the top 10 US ICT companies maintaining a presence in Ireland (IDA Ireland).



This sector is one of the country’s most prevalent employers with over 75,000 people employed by ICT companies in Ireland. There are currently 5,400 ICT companies in Ireland, 233 of which are foreign-owned. The sector is amongst the top three Irish growth industries, with both indigenous and international companies creating large bases in the country (Enterprise Europe).



Numerous reports, both national and international have highlighted the digital media industry as one of the fastest-growing industries in a high-value sector with significant employment and strong revenues.



Our graduates take up employment in areas such as:

• Graphic Design & UI/UX Development

• Senior Developer, Designer, Architect, Management

• Social Media / Digital Content

• Product Management

• Digital Analytics / Visualisation

• Data / Statistical Analysis, Business Intelligence Specialist



Companies actively recruiting our graduates include the following:

ABB Group, Amazon, Apple, capSpire, ChyronHego Corporation, Connecta Ireland, Core International, Eden Recruitment, General Motors, Ignite Programme, University College Cork, Johnson Controls, Media HQ, MMD Distribution, Pentagon 2000, PFH Technology Group, Retail in Motion, SANA Consultants, Screendragon, Search4Less, Teamwork, TPx, User-X Ltd, VMware, Wave Break Media, Xanadu Consultancy, Zahra Media Group, and more.