Program/Course Requirements

Completion requirement

Graduate courses must be chosen in consultation with the supervisor(s) and approved by the CMD Director. In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements, the CMD program requires the following coursework:

Doctoral students must complete at least three graduate-level courses (9 units) while enrolled as a PhD student in Computational Media Design at the University of Calgary.

As agreed upon between the student and supervisory committee, breadth* courses may be required as follows:

3-unit research methodology course chosen from Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Art, Computer Science, Dance, Drama, English, or Music;
6 units of Computer Science graduate-level courses;
6 units of graduate-level courses chosen from Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Art, Dance, Drama, English, or Music.

*Alternative breadth courses that satisfy the student, the supervisor(s), the supervisory committee, and the CMD Director may be proposed in special cases.

Students are required to schedule and deliver a CMD seminar presentation on a topic related to their graduate research/creative practice.

A research proposal is required for Master’s students. The proposal must be approved by both the supervisor and co-supervisor no later than twelve months after starting the program.

Additional Program Information

Completion requirement

Advanced Credit

The applicant must make advanced credit requests as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma, or for courses taken to bring the grade point average to a required level for admission.

Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade)

Students admitted to the Computational Media Program will not be allowed to request the Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade) for any course that is applicable to their degree; or apply any course awarded a grade of CG towards their graduation requirements.

Students may choose the CG grade for a course taken extra to load.

The use of the CG grade will affect students’ eligibility for internal awards.

Credit for Undergraduate Courses

Three units at the 500 level may be included as part of the coursework requirement but must be recommended by the supervisor(s) and approved by the CMD Director.

Time Limit

Expected completion time for doctoral students entering with a master’s degree is four years; maximum completion time is six years.

Supervisory Assignments, Research Proposal and Required Examinations

Completion requirement

Supervisory Assignments

All students are required to have a supervisor and a co-supervisor, with one from Computer Science and one from Arts and design. Generally, students are admitted to a specific supervisor and co-supervisor. Sometimes students are admitted to a specific lab or research area only and are assigned an interim advisor.

Appointment of the Supervisor(s): CMD students will have a supervisor and a co-supervisor appointed on their acceptance letter. Students may seek a change in research area or supervisor after admission. The student must find a permanent supervisor and a permanent co-supervisor within six months of the start of the program. Such a change must be satisfactory to the student, supported by the supervisors and approved by the CMD Director.

Doctoral Supervisory Committee: The Doctoral Supervisory Committee should be constituted by the supervisor and co-supervisor in consultation with the student and must be approved by the CMD Director and sent to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for confirmation. It will consist of the supervisor and co-supervisor, and two additional members. The two additional committee members may be external to the student's program. At least one of the members of the Supervisory Committee should have had supervisory experience at the doctoral level.

Candidacy

In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies candidacy requirements, the program requires:

Doctoral students must complete a written thesis proposal, a written field of study examination, and an oral examination of the thesis proposal. For complete details of the requirements, see the CMD candidacy requirements document available at https://science.ucalgary.ca/computational-media-design/current-students/degree-requirements.

Thesis Examination

In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies thesis requirements, the program requires:

A thesis that describes the research conducted and/or the body of creative work completed is required to complete the CMD program. The thesis will set the research/work in its literary and new media context and present evidence that the work is worthy of either publication or external recognition. Graduating students will have to have demonstrated skills and expertise in Computer Science and Arts and Design. CMD encourages research and creative work that incorporates aspects of both Computer Science and Arts and Design, thus there is recognition for, and appreciation of, a thesis that represents an interdisciplinary balance between the fields.

Scheduling the Examination

All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student’s research, including a relevant written sample of the materials related to the thesis, before the supervisor schedules an examination.

Composition of the Examination Committee

The Internal Examiner may be internal to the CMD program. The CMD program membership includes the set of faculty members actively engaged in the program and the supervisor/co-supervisor's academic units (i.e., the Department of Computer Science within the Faculty of Science, Department of Art and School of Creative and Performing Arts within the Faculty of Arts, or School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape).

The CMD PhD student's External Examiner will be an international expert in the research/creative practice area of the student's research. Faculty of Graduate Studies Conflict of Interest Policy applies (see https://grad.ucalgary.ca/current-students/thesis-based-students/supervision/conflict-interest).

Financial Assistance

Completion requirement

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of the calendar. Successful applicants may be offered departmental teaching assistantships and/or research assistantships in their offer letter.

Students applying for scholarships must submit their applications as appropriate according to the requirements of the scholarships. For the most up-to-date information, please see the CMD website.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computational Media Design

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