University of California, Santa Cruz campus

Engineering

MS Computational Media at University of California, Santa Cruz

University of California, Santa Cruz, United States

Programme overview

The Computational Media MS builds on existing strengths and helps students move into interdisciplinary computational media work. Coursework spans broad foundations and topic courses, with supervised research.

Faculty: Baskin School of Engineering  |  Department: Computational Media  |  Duration: About 2 years (six consecutive quarters on track); minimum 35 credits  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Location: Santa Cruz, CA, United States

What you will study

At least 35 quarter credits: 15 core credits (Introduction to Computational Media, Computational Media Research, Computational Media Methods), 10 credits of topic courses (e.g. Interactive Storytelling, Artificial Intelligence in Games, Psychology of Play, Immersive Analytics) and 7-10 credits of supervised research. Full-time students are normally expected to complete the course and master's thesis in two years.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

UC Santa Cruz graduate admission: bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited university awarded before the entry quarter, a B average or better in the last two years of undergraduate coursework, and demonstrated English proficiency. Applicants whose first language is not English: TOEFL iBT minimum 89 (4.5 on the 2026 scale) or IELTS Academic overall 7; waiver may be requested by applicants with a four-year bachelor's degree from an English-speaking institution. GRE General and Subject tests not required. Transcripts and three letters of recommendation (up to five accepted). Programme materials: resume or CV, online portfolio (up to 10-15 stills, 10 minutes of video or 2-3 interactive pieces, including a writing sample), statement of purpose, personal history statement. Application deadline: January 6 (Computational Media MS/PhD). Application fee $135 domestic, $155 international.

Duration: About 2 years (six consecutive quarters on track); minimum 35 credits

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