E-mail: info@mat.ucsb.edu
Website: www.mat.ucsb.edu

Program Chair: JoAnn Kuchera-Morin

Faculty

Peter Allen, B.A., UC Santa Barbara, Lecturer (3D animation, modeling and texturing, motion study, digital composition)

Kevin Almeroth, Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, Associate Professor (computer networks and protocols, large-scale multimedia systems, performance evaluation, distributed systems)

JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, Ph.D., University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music, Professor (composition, sound synthesis and processing, multimedia opera)

George Legrady, M.F.A., San Francisco Art Institute, Professor (theory and practice of interactive media and multilinear narrative)

B. S. Manjunath, Ph.D., University of Southern California, Professor (image processing, computer vision, pattern recognition, artificial intelligence, neural networks, learning algorithms, content-based search in multimedia databases)

Sanjit Mitra, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Professor (digital signal and image processing, computer-aided design and optimization)

Stephen Travis Pope, Certificate, Vienna Music Academy, Lecturer (computer music, distributed systems, music/sound databases, virtual environments, graphical user interfaces, multimedia computing)

Curtis Roads, Ph.D., University of Paris, Assistant Professor (music composition, microsound synthesis, graphical synthesis, sound analysis and transformation, sound spatialisation, history of electronic music)

Matthew Turk, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Associate Professor (vision technology, vision-based interaction, 3D body tracking, gesture recognition)

MAT faculty with emphasis in visual and spatial arts to be announced.

MAT faculty with emphasis in computer science to be announced.

Prospective students are strongly encouraged to visit the MAT website at www.mat.ucsb.edu for the latest information.

MAT is designed to provide its students with concrete job skills that will allow them to work in artistic, technical, or producer/director capacities in the media industries of the 21st century. It fosters aesthetically trained engineersthe media technology inventors of the future. It trains electronic media artists who can work with a high degree of aesthetic and technical sophistication to enrich and enlarge our cultural heritage. It prepares thinkers for advanced studies in media technology, leading toward academic careers in this discipline.

MAT faculty coordinate with four UC Santa Barbara graduate departments: Art Studio, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Music. Faculty advisors assist students in planning their first- and second-year electives depending upon their area of emphasis.

The program is intended for students who have a strong background in either the arts or technology (for example, visual arts, music, computer science, or electrical and computer engineering), and who wish to earn a degree that integrates art and engineering. Prospective students should be ambitious and curious about intermedia art and should be willing to work on group projects.

In addition to program requirements, candidates must meet the university degree requirements found in the section "Graduate Education at UCSB." Master's students must be registered as full-time students in classes in the program.

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Graduate Program

The goal of the first year of MAT's intensive interdisciplinary curriculum is to provide a common foundation of aesthetics, history, and technology topics. In addition, students take graduate courses in their area of emphasis, as well as courses in a complementary field.

The second year electives let the candidates focus on either their area of emphasis or on a complementary discipline. All candidates are expected to complete advanced projects in their second year of the program. These projects can involve artistic production, media engineering, or research.

Although all students are expected to engage in both technical and artistic aspects of multimedia creation, each student is expected to specialize in one area of emphasis. More detailed requirements will be given to students as they begin the program.

The three degree objectives and areas of emphasis are the following:

Master of Science-Multimedia Engineering

The multimedia engineering emphasis is intended for creative engineers and computer scientists seeking a comprehensive program in multimedia software design and implementation. Students will learn several programming languages and software libraries, and be involved in the development of large-scale software systems. Second-year courses include in-depth work on multimedia networking programming tools, and the development of complex signal processing software systems.

Master of Arts-Electronic Music and Sound Design

The electronic music and sound design emphasis focuses on contemporary electronic music composition or sound design and digital audio engineering. It is intended for technically inclined musicians. Courses will include private composition lessons, lessons in computer techniques, and composer's seminars, as well as directed work on various music production systems. During their studies, students will present a recital or intermedia production.

Master of Arts-Visual and Spatial Arts

The visual and spatial arts emphasis is intended for technically inclined students with an interest in the visual and performing arts. Courses will include training in the history of art and computing, video and installation art, dynamic web design, and intermedia production. Advanced courses are given in the 3D animation and modeling.

Admission

In addition to fulfilling all university requirements for admission to graduate status, described in the section "Graduate Education at UCSB," the applicant should present a bachelor's degree in any of the following majors: art, music, computer science, or electrical engineering. This bachelor's degree is the student's major discipline.

Applicants with related majors may be considered, but only if they can demonstrate strong credentials in both the arts and technology. Acceptable credentials include recent University of California or equivalent course transcripts in calculus-level mathematics, computer programming, visual arts, and music. These applicants may be required to take a placement examination or submit additional application materials, such as examples of previous work.

In addition to their major discipline, applicants should also demonstrate a basic level of proficiency in a MAT cross-discipline. For students whose major discipline is in the creative arts, their cross-discipline is engineering. For students whose major discipline is in engineering, their cross-discipline is one of the creative arts. Cross-disciplinary proficiency will be judged by two MAT faculty members: one from the student's major discipline and one from a cross-discipline. An applicant whose major discipline is in the creative arts could prove cross-disciplinary proficiency by having successfully completed courses in computer programming, for example. An applicant whose major discipline is in engineering could prove cross-disciplinary proficiently by having successfully completed courses in music, art, or digital video. Applicants who cannot demonstrate cross-disciplinary proficiency but who show extraordinary promise in the field may be admitted, but must make up this deficiency in the first year of graduate study. In general, this involves taking introductory courses in the cross-disciplines, to be determined in consultation with their advisor. Credits earned in the proficiency courses do not count toward the graduate degree.

Degree Requirements

Each student's area of emphasis and course list is determined in consultation with a MAT faculty committee. A master's committee consists of three faculty members. Two of the committee members must be from MAT. The chair of this committee advises students on a course of study and directs their research.

Thesis or project plan. A master's degree may be earned in each of the three areas of emphasis according to two plans: by thesis or project.

Plan 1 (thesis). In accordance with Academic Senate regulations, a master's thesis committee consists of three faculty members. Two of the committee members must be from MAT. The chair of this committee advises the student on a course of study and directs the thesis research. The committee is nominated by the program chair in consultation with the student and is approved by the graduate dean. All committee members must accept the thesis. The thesis must meet the filing requirements of Graduate Division. The student will give a public lecture based on the thesis.

Plan 2 (project). Master's degree project committees consist of three faculty members, at least two of which must be from MAT. The project will consist of a digital media work resulting in a product, installation, or performance. An academic paper will describe the project, and the student will make a public presentation of the work. The project and documentation will be evaluated by the student's master's committee. All committee members must approve the project.

Unit Requirements. In addition to the submission of an acceptable thesis or project, both the M.A. and the M.S. degrees require completion of a minimum of 60 units, of which at least 48 units is upper-division or graduate coursework, apart from those credited to the project or thesis, and apart from units gained for teaching assistant duties or training, or units for service as a graduate researcher. Under the thesis option, 20 of the 48 units must be in graduate-level coursework (excluding units for internships, TA and/or GSR practica, and independent study courses numbered 500-599). Under the project option, 24 of the 48 units must be in graduate-level coursework (excluding units for internships, TA and/or GSR practica and independent study courses numbered 500-599).

Required Courses. Students in the first year of the program must take two parallel three-quarter courses in Media Art and Technology, designated MAT 200 and MAT 201. These focus on the history, theory, and practice of media arts and technology. The courses are designed by MAT and presented in an interdisciplinary manner that is accessible to all students enrolled in the program. Depending on the availability of space and resources, these courses could also be open to students from other departments.

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Media Arts and Technology is in the process of revising its course numbers and adding new courses. Please check with the Media Arts and Technology office for more accurate and up-to-date information on our course offerings.

Graduate Courses

200A. Survey of Art and Technology
(4) Legrady
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
A study of art practice throughout history covering a range of topics related to the influence of technological developments and their expression in the art world. Students are introduced to contemporary artists working with computer technology and contemporary media theorists that have a direct influence on their work.

200B. Survey of Music and Technology
(4) Roads
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Overview of music and technology, including historical aspects. Readings and exercises with a range of music software applications. Basics of Internet audio and evolving media, music production, business, technical, and aesthetic aspects.

200C. Survey of Media Technology
(4) Staff
Lectures and technical readings on data signals and streams, events and timed data, signal representations and formats, compression and data reduction.

201A. Media Signal Processing
(4) Manjunath
Basic concepts in digital signal and image processing (transforms, convolutions, etc.), filter design, image enhancement and coding, digital video.

201B. Media Networks and Services
(4) Almeroth
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Recommended preparation: programming experience.
The class has two points of emphasis: protocols for multimedia data delivery and the development of delivery services. Topics include the latest Intern protocol and the use of these protocols to provided real-time, and streaming media.

201C. Media and Society
(4) Staff
Comparison of electronic and traditional media. Topics: Impact of networks on art and commerce, social history of communication technologies. Notions of authorship, shifting role of corporations in an increasingly global economy. Impact of multi-user environments and virtual reality technology on society.

202. Introduction to Mathematics of Signal Processing
(2) Staff
Review of trigonometry, calculus, and complex exponential representation of signals. Introduction to the MATLAB signal processing language. Lab oriented.

203. The Intersection of Art, Technology, and Culture
(4) Legrady
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Reviews current issues, methods, and questions related to how art practice and visual culture intersect with technology and culture with special attention to convergence and differences between the various related industries.

240. Digital Audio Programming: The Series
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: programming language and calculus-based math.
A six-part (i.e., two-year) practical programming course; consists of hands-on software development classes devoted to digital audio and multimedia application development. Students read the selection of papers from the literature, but the emphasis is on learning to use current state-of-the-art programming methods, tools, and library APIs.

246A. Virtual Environment Development
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
First of a three-part sequence focusing on virtual environment development. Immersive interfaces and off-the-shelf applications (i.e., Eon) demonstrate common components of the system.

246B. Virtual Environment Development
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Virtual world building using a variety of tools for 3D modeling and behavior scripting and programming.

246C. Virtual Environment Development
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Third in a three-part sequence. Concentration on programming aspects using open-source frameworks such as DIVE and VRUT. The final part includes a major project.

251. Camera Controls as Interface in Real and Virtual Spaces
(4) Legrady
Prerequisites: basic knowledge of computer programming, or knowledge of the Macromedia Director Lingo programming language; familiarity with video digitizing and sound processing.
Perceived movement, behavior, time and space, phrasing. Conceptualizing an interactive work in terms of control through motion detection. Discussion of theoretical issues. OOprogramming for XObjects, XTRAS, in the Macromedia Director Lingo language.

252. Conceptual Strategies: Issues and Methods
(4) Legrady
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Focus is on the conceptual, cultural, technical, and theoretical issues related to the production of multi-disciplinary digital media-based projects that involve experts from diversified fields (artists, engineers, programmers, architects, theorists, etc.).

253. Digital Multimedia Narrative
(4) Legrady
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Multimedia production with a focus on strategies of narrative. Production to explore the organization and visualization of information expressed through complex structures. Emphasis on innovative ways by which to conceptualize, design, and produce interactive media that go beyond current conventions.

255. Digital Narrative
(4) Staff
Explores the construction of digital video narrative and interactivity through DVD authoring. Students acquire strategies of how to construct video narrative in the DVD format.

260. Animation and Modeling
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Overview of two and three dimensional computer animation and composing techniques. In addition to basic methodologies, specific areas covered will include modeling, animating, lighting, rendering, layering of images, filtering and keying. Readings from texts on modeling and compositing.

271. Advanced Topics in Electronic Music
(4) Roads
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
May be repeated for credit with faculty approval.
Advanced topics in electronic music composition.

273. Advanced Topics in Multimedia Psychoacoustics and Music Cognition
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Music 11 or equivalent.
Introduces students in media, arts & technology, music, psychology, and related disciplines to psychoacoustics and music cognition, in terms of knowledge content and research literature. Since psychoacoustics and music cognition are empirical in nature, the course combines required reading, lecture, demonstrations, class discussion and the development of critical analysis skills for a final paper.

275. Music Systems Programming
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: consent of instructor; knowledge of a programming language.
Theory and practice of programming music systems issues of interaction and representation. Compositional algorithms, synthesis, and signal processing.

290A. Human Computer Interaction
(4) Turk
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Fundamentals of digital imaging systems, including the capture, storage, display, and retrieval of image and video data. Topics include the nature of light, color, optics, sensors, human vision, image processing, and computer vision.

293. Internship in Industry
(1-4) Staff
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
May be repeated for credit with faculty approval.
Special projects for selected students. Offered in conjunction with selected industrial and research under direct faculty supervision. Prior departmental approval required.

299. Independent Study
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: consent of graduate advisor and director of graduate studies.
Students are limited to 4 units per quarter. No more than 12 units may be credited toward a Master's degree. Not intended for thesis research.
Independent research under the guidance of a faculty member in the department. Course offers an opportunity for qualified students to undertake independent research or work in a group laboratory in digital media arts and technology.

596. Directed Research
(2-12) Staff
Research, either experimental or theoretical, may be undertaken by properly qualified graduate student sunder the direction of a faculty member.

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