Advance Your Coding Skills

Online M.A. in Creative Technology

Future-Proof Your Skills in Web3, AI, Creative Coding, Animation and More.

Summer Priority Application Deadline: February 1, 2025
Apply by the priority deadline to waive your application fee. 
Summer Regular Application Deadline: April 1, 2025

Learn how to combine your love for programming, artistic expression, and/or coding with cutting-edge creative technologies to create innovative, real-world solutions. SMU’s online Master’s in Creative Technology teaches you how to apply languages like Python, Java, C++ and more to shape digital art, AI-driven experiences, and interactive media.

Complete and submit the form below to receive your M.A. in Creative Technology program guide.

Creative technology leverages innovative digital tools to craft immersive experiences that enhance both artistic expression and business applications. This 30 credit-hour program covers a broad range of topics within creative technology and will help prepare creative and coding-oriented individuals to combine their skill sets across interactive media, design, programming, Web3, 3D modeling, animation, blockchain, generative AI applications and more.

What You'll Learn

Master Creative Coding: Learn the fundamentals of programming and computational thinking to create generative art and interactive applications.
Apply Design Principles Digitally: Understand and implement design theories in digital contexts, focusing on user experience and interface design.
Develop 3D Modeling and Animation Skills: Gain proficiency in industry-standard software like Maya and Blender to create 3D models and animations.
Explore AI and the Metaverse: Investigate the integration of artificial intelligence within virtual reality environments across various platforms.
Engage in Interactive and Experiential Design: Design holistic systems for innovative audience engagement across diverse environments and products.

Career Possibilities

AI/VR Application Developer:: Combine expertise in artificial intelligence and virtual reality to design and build immersive applications that adapt, learn, and respond to user interactions in dynamic and innovative ways.
Creative Technologist:: Use a combination of technical and creative skills deliver creative solutions to challenges in interactive media, programming, blockchain, AI applications and more.
Creative Software Developer:: Use programming and design skills to build innovative software solutions that blend functionality with engaging, user-centered experiences
Web3 Product Designer:: Leverage your knowledge of technologies like blockchain, NFTs, VR and the metaverse to communicate and champion Web3 solutions.
Data Visualization Specialist:: Transform data and information into accessible visual and interactive representations.
Video Game Developer:: Combine programming, design, and storytelling to create interactive and immersive gaming experiences that entertain and engage players.

Who Should Apply?

This program is ideal for students who have training in either the arts or technology, and who want to enhance their knowledge in new technical tools and creative processes.

Individuals looking to transition into a new career in creative or technology-related fields
Creative professionals who want a deeper understanding of emerging technologies
Designers desiring to augment their skill set with a greater understanding of programming languages and concepts
Programmers curious about applying their skills in areas like blockchain, AI and NFTs
Software developers who are interested in design and the creative process
Coders passionate about innovation in technology and the arts

Meet The Program Director

Ira Greenberg

Professor and Director

With an eclectic background combining studio arts and computer science, Ira Greenberg has been a painter, 2D and 3D animator, print designer, web and interactive designer/developer, programmer, art director, creative director, managing director, art and computer science professor, and author. He wrote the first major language reference on the Processing programming language, Processing: Creative Coding and Computational Art, (Berkeley, CA: friends of ED, 2007) and two subsequent creative coding texts. Greenberg holds a B.F.A. from Cornell University and an M.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

“The program is the first of its kind and is positioning students to be leaders in the Web3 culture, giving them a competitive head start that practically nobody else in the workforce will have. Students are going to understand the ethos beyond just the how-to, which will be instrumental for companies to start moving into, and winning, in that space.”

About SMU

Southern Methodist University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Formally established at SMU in 1969, the Meadows School of the Arts is a leader in developing innovative outreach and community engagement programs such as the Master of Arts in Creative Technology. The Meadows School educates its students to become visionary artists, scholars and communication professionals. The goal of SMU, as a comprehensive educational institution, is to prepare students to meet the rapidly evolving demands of professional careers.

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