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Creative Computing MSc

Discover how to use advanced programming and creative practice to design interactive experiences that push the boundaries of digital creativity.

Our MSc Creative Computing course will prepare you for advanced professional roles within the fields of creative technology. This experimental approach will challenge you to apply complex computational thinking to create sophisticated outcomes, enhancing your awareness of creative computing practices and methodologies.

The curriculum will help you engage with advanced programming, write code, prototype, and develop software for creative computational applications. The course will foster an advanced understanding of professional technologies and workflows, enabling you to systematically and creatively resolve complex issues. The course focuses on designing digital experiences within the context of creative practices. With a research-led approach, you will explore the boundaries between technology and creativity and their symbiotic relationship. Through project-based learning, you will enhance your skills in programming languages, physical computing, and software development for creative practitioners.

The course encourages a critical approach to creative computing, considering social and ethical implications and promoting inclusivity and diversity in technology use. By the end, you’ll have a professional approach to computational practice ready for large-scale projects in the creative digital sector or within the digital technology sector more broadly.

Why study with us

  • Preparation for advanced professional roles

    The Creative Computing course equips you for advanced roles in creative technology, enhancing your expertise in the field.

  • Project-based skills

    Enhance your programming, physical computing, and software development skills through project-based learning, fostering original and innovative professional methods.

  • Experimental and challenging approach

    Engage in an experimental approach that challenges you to apply complex computational thinking for sophisticated outcomes, increasing your awareness of creative computing practices and methodologies.

  • Interdisciplinary collaboration

    Benefit from an interdisciplinary approach that reflects industry practices, integrating new and emerging concepts and technologies.

  • Access to professional-level resources

    Utilise a variety of professional resources, including contemporary technology, media labs, 2D & 3D studios, computer labs, high-specification PCs, digital darkrooms, and specialist software.

  • Emphasis on social responsibility

    Promote a socially responsible use of technology, challenging traditional boundaries in the field of creative expression.

Course Details

This programme is a one-year course, including 30 weeks of direct teaching time and a 15-week final project. You will need to complete five units and one 60-credit major project (180 credits in total). All units on the course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award. If you study part-time your modules will be split across two years. Full course details, including aims and assessment criteria, will be provided in the course specification upon validation.

Core practice and context in Creative Computing (60 credits)

This unit launches your master’s study experience at Norwich, encouraging you to explore leading practices and emerging research in creative computing, enhancing your ability to design and produce innovative computational workflows. Through discovery-based learning, you will develop a deep understanding of computational technologies and their applications in technical, conceptual, and cultural contexts. The integration of theory and practice aims to enhance your creative agency and technical fluency, equipping you for careers in computational practice, the creative industries, or digital technology. This unit encourages an expanded approach to creative thinking, examining broader systems and the interconnected boundaries of creative computing with other fields. Key topics include computational languages, algorithms, coding, software development, user experience, data visualisation, speculative design, machine intelligence, and emerging technologies such as AR/VR and AI. This hands-on approach encourages innovative thinking and practical application, preparing you to tackle real-world challenges in the creative industries.

Advanced technical skills in Creative Computing (20 credits)

This unit focuses on developing advanced technical skills necessary for developing computational practices. Through individual and group projects, you will engage with a wide range of media and processes, integrating digital and analogue techniques to solve theoretical and conceptual challenges. The unit covers software development, physical computing, AI and machine learning, programming languages like Python and JavaScript, and tools such as Unity. You will explore innovative approaches to expand your problem-solving capabilities. This hands-on experience aims to enhance your practical skills and broaden your working methods, preparing you for working with contemporary and emerging media platforms.

Dialogue, debate, and domain knowledge in Creative Computing (10 credits)

This unit explores leading practices and emerging research within creative technology, emphasising critical frameworks in socio-economic, political, ethical, and cultural contexts. Through reflective analysis and interactive sessions, exploring themes like machine learning theory, games theory, human-computer interaction, semiotics, Gestalt psychology, globalisation, and consumption. The unit aims to enhance your capacity for complex critique and culturally aware, ethically engaged practice, utilising discursive interaction to inform your inquiry methods. A research-led approach will help you explore the boundaries between creative technology disciplines, positioning you as a critically engaged practitioner ready to contribute to contemporary and cultural debates.

Professional technical skills in Creative Computing (20 credits)

This unit encourages your exploration of a range of professional-level technical skills essential for innovative creative computing practice. Building on the ‘advanced technical skills’ unit, it focuses on experimentation across a range of media, advancing your personal and practical skills. Through individual and group projects, you will refine computing processes, exploring innovative solutions that expand your problem-solving abilities and creative thinking. Unit briefs focus on creating effective solutions for contemporary and emerging media platforms, supported by practice-based research projects. The unit covers software practices, physical computing, algorithmic design, and emerging technologies like AR/VR/AI, promoting an expanded approach to contemporary creative computing. Focusing on contemporary techniques, you will blend theoretical concepts with technical skills, enabling you to create innovative and complex outcomes, essential for advancing in the dynamic creative technology industry.

Advanced critical context in Creative Computing (10 credits)

This unit is designed to enhance your knowledge of leading practices and emerging research in creative technology. By developing effective research and reflective strategies, you will enhance your critical understanding of key methodologies and gain insights into creative thinking within socio-economic, political, ethical, and cultural contexts. Building on the ‘dialogue, debate, and domain knowledge’ unit, you will explore themes like machine learning theory, games theory, human-computer interaction, semiotics, Gestalt psychology, and globalisation. You will develop questions aligned with your practice able to contribute to broader knowledge debates. Research-led projects will support your critical and reflective analysis enhancing your ability to synthesise conceptual and practical problem-solving and expand social and ethical dialogues in relation to computational technologies.

Major project (60 credits)

This unit represents the culmination of your master’s study, integrating everything you’ve learned on your studies. You will identify a research question, plan a project to test hypotheses, and work towards innovative outcomes, which may involve multiple outputs or a focused exploration of one aspect of your practice, supported by feedback from tutors and industry professionals. This unit encourages exploring creative coding, computational thinking, modelling, and machine learning, while examining the historical, theoretical, cultural, technical, and economic contexts of your discipline to deliver a project that makes an innovative contribution to the creative technologies sector. This project will enable you to reflect on your practice, demonstrate your creativity and technical skills, and support your professional practice as an ethically minded, astute professional who can synthesise experiments and ideas into complex creative outcomes.

Learning and teaching

The course is delivered through a variety of engaging learning and teaching methods.

  • Lectures

  • Seminars

  • Tutorials

  • Technical labs

  • Independent and group work

Assessment

Our assessment methods will vary based on the unit you choose and provide a comprehensive measure of your learning and progress. These methods may include:

  • Critically reflective essay
  • Course work
  • Presentations
  • Learning journal
  • Reflective evaluation
  • Body of creative work
  • Reflective research report
  • Team project evaluation
  • Major project
  • Supporting documentation

Typical career paths

Specialist skills in the field of Creative Technologies are in high demand. Upon completion of this course, you’ll have gained specialised skills tailored to your chosen project focus, equipping you for a wide array of roles within the cultural and creative industries. You’ll emerge with a deep, practical understanding of computational technologies, alongside advanced computing and coding expertise. The course will improve your analytical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities, preparing you for a successful and dynamic career in the intersection of arts and technology.

This course prepares you for a career in a variety of disciplines related to creative computing, including:

  • Creative technologist
  • Creative developer
  • Web developer
  • Digital project manager
  • Web and mobile app development
  • Producer roles within digital agencies
  • Computer graphics designer
  • Software developer
  • Digital strategist
  • Interface and interaction designer
  • Arts and live events technologist

The UK’s creative sector is thriving, contributing £111.7 billion annually to the economy and offering over 2 million jobs.

Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport (DCMS)

Entry Requirements

We typically require an honours degree of 2:1 or above. Applicants should have a good working knowledge of programming gained from work, university study, or personal interest. Details on your programming experience should be included as part of your application.

Those with industry experience or relevant skills from non-traditional backgrounds are encouraged to apply, including individuals currently employed. If you’re unsure about your eligibility, please contact us for guidance before applying.

English language requirements (International/EU)

If English is not your first language, IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required, with a minimum of 5.5 in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. We also accept other English language qualifications.

International Qualifications

We accept a wide range of qualifications from all over the world.

For information on entry requirements from your country, see our international pages.

A creative computing student presents her work on a tablet, in the background another student is using a VR headset and controls

Fees and funding

Home

Tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year:

Full time: £10,600

The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you’re classed as a UK
(home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Fees for subsequent years

The rules for inflation on fees in subsequent years depend on the type of fee status and level

For Home and overseas postgraduate degree students starting in 2025, fees will remain the same for each year of your course.

Funding your study

Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for a bursary, scholarship or loan to help fund your study and enhance your learning experience. Find out more about scholarships and funding.

Additional costs

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition. Accommodation, cost of materials, and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees

International

Tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year will be:

Full time: £24,000

The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you’re classed as a UK
(home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Fees for subsequent years

The rules for inflation on fees in subsequent years depend on the type of fee status and level

For home and overseas postgraduate degree students starting in 2025, fees will remain the same for each year of your course.

Funding your study

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries for international students. To find out more and see if you’re eligible, please visit the scholarships for international students page.

Additional costs

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition. Accommodation, cost of materials, and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees

Creative Computing BSc Course Costs (opens in a new window)

How to apply

Home

Applications to our postgraduate courses should be made directly to Norwich University of the Arts using a Postgraduate Application Form.

Postgraduate Application Form – Word Document 2025-2026 (opens in a new window)

Applications should be returned to admissions@norwichuni.ac.uk

Please see our Terms and Conditions and Admissions Policies for further details.

International

Postgraduate applicants can only apply directly by completing the below online application form or emailing the downloadable form to ioadmissions@norwichuni.ac.uk

Online Postgraduate Application Form (opens in a new window)

International students requiring a visa should apply as soon as possible in the year they wish to start. Email our International Team for more information. Please see our Terms and Conditions and Admissions Policies for further details

A photograph of a seminar room at Norwich University of the Arts, where an academic is giving a welcome presentation to visitors at an Open Day.

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