Is the CMS Program a production or technically-oriented program?
The Comparative Media Studies Program centers on critical thinking and historical understanding of media, not on technical skills. We assume our students' primary vocational training will occur at other points in their education. Students in this program will acquire new ways of thinking about media form, content and contexts, and will go on to employ this understanding in relation to other professional training.
We do believe, however, that students may best develop an understanding of the nature of media through hands-on learning. We encourage students to apply their theoretical understanding by helping to build usable products, then to evaluate and challenge these technical pieces through theory and critical inquiry.
Back to top...

The description says that students must take production. What if I already have this skill from my last job? Can I test out of these classes?
We expect that many incoming students will have had production experience in at least one medium already. Students are then expected to build on and further develop their skills. All students are required to fulfill the workshop component as part of their degree requirement.
Back to top...

Is a thesis required? If so, is it possible to do a media production project for this requirement?
Yes, a thesis is part of the requirements for graduation. Students can choose to work on either a formal paper assignment or complete a project to fulfill this requirement. We expect that many students will choose thesis projects that involve translating historical or theoretical accounts of media into multimedia and interactive media formats. The thesis project option as well as the practicum (workshop requirement) are designed to allow students to bring together the different conceptual frameworks and ideas from their coursework and research, and then use this knowledge to inform their production work.
Back to top...

When do students have to choose a focus?
Many students will come in with goals they want to pursue. Others won’t know. Still others will have one idea and then change their mind. We encourage students to cover a broad base of knowledge in their first year and then work with their advisor the following year to focus on their thesis and project.
Back to top...

Is there a career counselor or adviser, or someone who arranges interviews with companies? Will there be exposure to people in the industry or is this strictly an academic program?
People from the industry will be visiting the CMS Program from time to time and students will be encouraged to interact with these guests. In the past two years we’ve met with more than 40 companies to describe the program and introduce ideas for research collaboration, internships, and full-time employment placement of our students. Companies that have expressed an interest in working with CMS students include America On-line, Daimler-Chrysler, Electronic Arts, Hewlett-Packard, Industrial Light and Magic, J. Walter Thompson, Planetout, San Francisco Exploratorium, Sony Pictures Imageworks, spinner.com, Technology Review, and Xerox PARC, among others. The size of our program allows us to identify opportunities that best suit the interests of students and to help in career advising and placement. We are pleased to report that at this time we have identified internships for all current graduate students for summer 2000.
Back to top...

I’ve had very little experience in digital technology and media production, but I am very interested in learning. Will this effect my chance of acceptance into the program?
We encourage students to have hands-on experience. Some incoming students may feel the need to take additional coursework in order to prepare or to boost their technical skills in preparation for the practical component of the program. There are certainly many opportunities for learning new technologies at MIT. In the admissions process, we look at a student’s technical experience as only one of several factors we consider when making decisions.

Alternatively, some incoming students may find that they're not quite up to speed for the practical component. If this is the case, students will work with their advisors to devise a plan for taking courses or specific workshops in technical areas, such as computer science or programming. As part of the workshop requirement the majority of the students are expected to work (at least their first semester) with one of the faculty members as part of an on-going interactive project. These experiences will help prepare students for working on a conceptual production project.
Back to top...

Is the program geared specifically towards gaining technical experience?
As part of the technical requirement, students will demonstrate technical knowledge and skill in at least one media technology. We encourage CMS students to experiment with everything from radio broadcasting to theatrical lighting, from web page design to video production. We expect that many of the students will choose to work on a project involving digital technology. Many of the projects developed by the faculty are also digitally-based. (See the next question for further explanation.)
Back to top...

Is the program geared specifically towards learning about media in a digital age?
Digital technology is part of a wider arena of media that is considered, along with studies and coursework that involve looking at media content, context, and technology in a historical, cultural, and political context. The diversity considered across media and the program’s focus on considering media in relation to each other instead of in isolation is also what makes our program distinctive. While there are new graduate programs arising that are designed to teach students how to use "new technology" or how to write for new forms of media, the CMS Program at MIT prepares students for how to think critically about the technology that they are using. Having an understanding of the historical uses of and relationships between media and being able to discuss the functions of media in a larger context are critical skills that will give our students an extra edge to discussing and understanding the role of technology -- new or old -- in our lives.
Back to top...

Can you define the CMS Workshop Requirement?
The workshop requirement provides an opportunity for a hands-on project that emphasizes intellectual growth as well as the acquisition of technical skills. During the first semester, each student will participate in an ongoing project selected in consultation with a CMS faculty member. In the second semester, each student will work on a project of his/her own that can be presented for review as a portfolio. The portfolio can be a new project or an extension of work begun in the first semester. Students will attend regular meetings to present and critique their work and discuss its implications.
Back to top...

Will I be able to use transfer credits?
Generally speaking, graduate credits are not transferable.
Back to top...

Will I be able to take courses at Harvard or other institutions for credit?
MIT maintains reciprocity with Harvard and Wellesley, which means that students in our program would be free to take relevant courses at these other colleges and universities. Students will also be able to take a range of related subjects taught elsewhere at MIT. We encourage students to explore the full range of opportunities for education in the Cambridge-Boston area.
Back to top...

I'm an older student, having been out in the industry for several years. Will I feel out of place?
We expect that there will be many returning students who will be interested in the program. We see this as advantageous to the program, as returning students bring with them a variety of real-life experiences and practical skills. We envision that an education in CMS as just one component in a student’s education and not an end point. Some students will come to boost their skills and knowledge in a particular area. Other students may see it as a way to return to school in order to develop a much needed perspective that will give them an edge when they return to work. Others may decide that they would like to continue their studies and go on to pursue a Ph.D.
Back to top...

Does MIT welcome students pursuing a second Masters degree?
Yes. We consider all applicants on a case by case basis. We fully expect that many applicants will have received graduate degrees in other areas, such as law, business, computer science, or journalism. We welcome this diversity and this experience. Further education in the CMS Program becomes, as stated in the previous answer, a component in one’s education.
Back to top...

Is there a Ph.D. program?
Currently there is only two-year program leading to Master of Science degree. Students who want to continue work towards a Ph.D. at MIT might want to look at other related programs at the institute, including the Program in Science, Technology and Society, the Graduate Program in History, Theory and Criticism Architecture/Art/Urban Form, and the Media Arts and Science Program (also known as the Media Lab).
Back to top...

Can I take courses on a part-time basis?
The CMS Program is a full-time, 2 year program. We anticipate that in the future there will be additional summer workshops, but these will not be part of the formal degree program.
Back to top...

Is Comparative Media Studies the same thing as the Media Lab?
There are close informal relations between the CMS program and the Media Lab, but they are not the same thing. Within the context of MIT, CMS is part of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Media Lab is housed in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning. The function of the CMS program is also different. The Media Lab could be characterized as a place for designing and developing innovative new technologies and has a strong future orientation. CMS understands the uses of technology. CMS can be described as focused on the social, cultural, political, legal, and ethical implications of media, understood within a larger historical context. The focus of our projects centers around the creative and innovative applications of technologies.

Many Media Lab students take CMS subjects. CMS faculty serve on MAS thesis and dissertation committees. Many of our faculty have collaborated on projects at the Media Lab. However, the two programs are quite distinct.
Back to top...

What will graduates from your program do? What occupational roles do you envision for them in the future?
The CMS Program helps prepare students for a broad range of jobs in industry, media, game design, consulting or analysis, journalism, or in the public sphere, in museums, education, or academia, or a combination. Many of the jobs of the future have yet to be defined. Increasingly the corporate world has recognized that the new problems and issues they must confront are cultural and social not simply technological and that they need workers who can think across media and know something about how their products fit into consumers' lives.

Here are only a few of the job scenarios we envision for our students:

1) In the business world -- Students who come to the CMS program with some business background or real world work experience and some technical skills will increase their value for managerial work in the digital, entertainment, and advertising industries by developing a broader context in understanding media, culture, and society. We will offer chances for internships which get students working with interesting companies before graduation. There is a shortage of qualified candidates for many jobs that require broad media literacy.

2) In the academic world -- Students will complete a Masters in CMS and will then go on to a more traditional degree program -- Film, Literature, etc. -- but the CMS degree will give them an added edge, especially as the phrase "new media" appears in descriptions for all kinds of academic jobs. Our graduates will also be well situated to work in such areas as instructional technologies, museum and archive curatorships, and publishing.

3) In journalism -- Students will combine CMS training with previous backgrounds in journalism to help newspapers and magazines confront the new challenges posed by digital media. Some will work to coordinate the coverage of stories across multiple media within the same news organizations. Others will cover the expanding entertainment industry, helping to insure a richer and more robust public conversation about the role of media in our lives.
Back to top...

I've looked at the undergraduate listing for the CMS program and have noticed that they're arranged differently and that there appears to be more courses. Why is this? Can I take any courses that are not listed on the CMS curriculum chart?
The current electives in the graduate program are joint undergraduate/graduate courses, for which graduate students are expected to complete additional assignments in consultation with the course professor. In addition, a graduate student can take courses relevant to their area of study -- from the undergraduate CMS curriculum or from other programs at the institute -- with the permission of his/her advisor and the course professor.
Back to top...

Can I get a Joint Degree in CMS and another program?
The only way you can achieve a degree in CMS and another program at the same time would be to complete the full requirements for each degree simultaneously. CMS is definitely a full time program and it is for this reason that we do not accommodate a joint degree.
Back to top...