Georgia Tech School of Literature, Communication and Human Culture
Georgia Tech's School of Literature, Media, and Communication aims to define new ways of human inquiry and practice that bring together various humanistic perspectives to contribute to technological inventions and innovations. The mission of the school is to lead not only the region, but the nation and the world in research and teaching the ways that human culture change and are changed by technology and science. Understanding the technology of a culture is vital to both invention and innovation. The school has diverse faculty and students that evaluate and communicate scientific and technological change by inventing, examining, and reviewing a wide range of media forms and cultural activities.
The school provides vital humanistic perspectives in a heavily technological world. They value and promote the idea of “inclusive excellence”. The school works to be one of the top academic units that works where social sciences, humanities, and technology intersects. Every 5 years the School of Literature, Media, and Communication is evaluated by a group of leaders in the industry. Most recently it has been called a vibrant and strong school that has a distinctive role within the national educational scene. Each classroom will have numbers no less than 15 but no more than 25, and there are many opportunities for special projects and independent study. Students will reap many benefits intellectually and culturally from this top research university whose learning experiences are similar to that of a smaller liberal arts college. Students won't have to trade an individualized atmosphere for quality learning.
Master of Science in Human Computer Interaction
This program is considered interdisciplinary, in that it is offered by the collaboration of 4 schools within the college—Industrial Design, Interactive Computing, Literature, Media, and Communication, and Psychology. Students will have the ability to apply for the program through any of these schools—their choice is usually reflected by the area in which they intend on specializing as well as their general background. All students are encouraged to apply, no matter how eclectic and diverse their background is. This includes anyone who has prior work experience. There are students in the program who have worked in the field for 10 to 15 years before joining the program.
The program is able to provide practical skills as well as theoretical understanding that is needed to become an individual at the forefront of designing, implementing, and evaluating the future of human-computer interaction. Students will have their 36 credit hours over the course of 4 semesters. All students in the program will be required to take the same core classes, along with a set of courses related to a specialization, a broader set of electives that will vary by student, and a completed master's project. After the first year of study, students will partake in an internship over the summer. While in the program, students will be interacting with faculty and students from the 4 schools. This provides a great foundation of experiences and knowledge that is vital for budding Human Computer Interaction practitioners to become successful in their intended field.
PhD and Master of Science programs in Digital Media
The Digital Media PhD gives students the practical and theoretical foundation that is needed to pursue a career as a digital media researcher within academics and the industry. The arrival of a new medium regarding human communication and representation is an important event within the social and cultural history of humans. It introduces the prospect of new genres for artistic expression and new forms of transmitting knowledge and information. The study of these new forms is an emerging field—it requires bringing together methods from several different disciplines, as well as one that is paving its own path for research and practice. Those students in the PhD program will have to pass their comprehensive exam, and then submit a thesis topic proposal made up of a written prospectus as well as an oral presentation. When the committee feels that the student is ready, they will defend their thesis orally. As a whole, the PhD program requires at least 2 semesters of full time study with residency.
The Digital Media Master's program, once known as Information Design and Technology, is a program made up of advanced study in arts and humanities regarding the design and critique of digital media. The faculty is made up of leading theorists and practitioners that approach designing digital artefacts as a distinct challenge put forth in the 21st century. Students are expected to complete a minimum of 36 credit hours, broken down into 15 hours of core and studio courses, 15 hours of additional courses, and 6 hours of a master thesis or master's project.
