The intersection of art and technology is a quickly growing area with tremendous room for innovation and creativity.  The Digital Arts MS program at Dartmouth covers a wide range of topics within computer science along with many areas of arts, including: HCI, computer graphics, computer modeling and animation, computational photography, UI/UX design, data visualization, digital music, computational fabrication and 3D printing, interactive installations, machine learning for art. A full description of course and program requirements can be found HERE.

Dartmouth offers two ways to get an MS in Computer Science with a Concentration in Digital Arts (MSDA). 

Full and partial merit-based scholarships are available to all accepted students.

FOR CURRENT DARTMOUTH STUDENTS:

Want to take your computer science and digital arts skills and research farther?  Interested in computer science/engineering and in art? Consider the accelerated 4+1 MS degree program in Computer Science with a Concentration in Digital Arts. Current Dartmouth students who are doing the minor in digital arts and have completed CS1 and CS10, can earn an MS degree in four terms, or 12 credits. Six of the credits are courses in computer science and art, the other six are independent research (Complete details can be found in the ORC).  Students are encouraged to apply in the spring of their junior year. Students are also encouraged to work on projects in the DALI lab during the year, to augment your skill set (DALI.dartmouth.edu). If you are interested, please contact Lorie Loeb. Juniors and seniors can apply using the current graduate application form. No GRE required and no charge to apply. Full scholarships are available to qualifying students.

FOR STUDENTS FROM OTHER UNIVERSITIES AND DARTMOUTH ALUMNI:

The two year MS Degree in Computer Science with a Concentration in Digital Arts (MSDA) concentration is an option for students who want to dive deeply into computer science and its intersection with arts. This hybrid MS program offers a mix of computer science and arts courses along with a one-year research project that brings the two together. All students in the CS/DA concentration of the MS degree program at Dartmouth will do a research project and write a thesis.  If you don’t have a degree in computer science, you are required to have completed some computer science courses, in particular a course in python and object oriented programming (the equivalent to COSC 1 and COSC 10). It is HIGHLY recommended that you have also taken discreet math, algorithms, and a software engineering course (the equivalents of COSC 30, COSC 31, and COSC 50). Students who have not completed these courses may need to stay one extra term to complete the MS degree requirements. Complete details can be found in the ORC

ABOUT BOTH PROGRAMS:

MSDA is a concentration within the two-year MS program in the computer science department at Dartmouth College. Students in this concentration complete a mix of computer science courses, digital arts courses, and research/thesis. They experience a rigorous and focused computer science education, foundational courses in digital arts, and a deep dive into a research topic within the areas of visual computing and digital arts (e.g. computer graphics, HCI, digital fabrication, digital art and media, computer vision, VR and AR).

Thesis research projects might include:

  • Creating a work of art using computational methods

  • Developing new software that makes arts easier to create or more effective to use

  • Creating new interactive digital arts experiences that bring new understanding to the human experience

  • Building new tools/techniques for animation, modeling, computational photography, 3D fabrication, games

  • Utilizing machine learning algorithms for art creation

  • Computationally-created fashion and accessories'

You can view a sample of research projects completed by former students HERE.

Students in the MSDA program come from a wide variety of backgrounds. All students will have successfully completed an undergraduate degree at any four-year college/university (Dartmouth students are encouraged to apply for the accelerated 4+1 MS Program in CS with a Concentration in Digital Arts program). All students must have completed the equivalent of Dartmouth’s CS1 and CS10 courses, with a grade of B+ or better and we recommend taking more courses in computer science such as discrete math, algorithms/data structures). Students without a strong CS background may require extra terms to finish. Students are also expected to have majored or minored in at least one of the areas we consider a foundational area of visual computing and digital arts. This could include, but is not limited to:

  • Computer Science

  • Digital Arts

  • Engineering

  • Studio Art/Design

  • Computer Animation/Modeling

  • Computational Photography

  • Physics or Mathematics

  • Architecture

The MSDA program is divided into three areas: Technical Courses (graduate level computer science courses); Art Courses (digital arts plus a mix of arts courses from across campus); and Research. At the end of the program, all students will write a thesis based on their research, and present/defend their work.

Courses required for the degree will depend on the background of each student.

Full and partial scholarships are available to qualifying students.

Applications for the 4 + 1 and the 2 year program are due December 15th

Learn more about Dartmouth Computer Science at cs.dartmouth.edu