The Westender
The Future is Digital
October 23rd, 2008
The inaugural students of Vancouver’s only Masters of Digital Media (MDM) program will graduate in Spring 2009, 20 months after the inception of the city’s first-ever integrated degree program that offers combined accreditation from UBC, SFU, BCIT, and Emily Carr University. Given Vancouver’s notoriety as a frontrunner in digital technology, ranging from photo-sharing website Flickr.com to gaming magnates Electronic Arts and Radical Entertainment, it was only a matter of time before the combined interests and expertise of Vancouver’s expansive tech and design trades would come together to form one of the most innovative education programs in the country. Even the program’s advisory board comprises a who’s-who of Vancouver’s tech-arts scene, including acclaimed science-fiction writer William Gibson, Sims creator and gaming giant Will Wright, and Pulitzer Prize-winning comic artist Art Spiegelman. “This is not a ‘Read 1,000 pages a week and write a thesis at the end’ degree,” says first-year student Ryan Nadel. “The nature of the program speaks to the evolution of education. We’re creating professional-grade products while at school, and absorbing skills which will enable us in the job market.”
