New media graduate programs a result of institution, industry alignment

Canada’s new media sector will reach a developmental milestone over the next two years with the admission of students to Ryerson University’s management of technology and innovation masters program in Toronto this fall, and to the professional digital media masters program at Vancouver’s Great Northern Way Campus (GNWC) a year later. According to those working in the industry, higher education geared to the interactive media community is necessary not only to meet the demands of growth, but to infuse business knowledge into the creative space. "I think it certainly shows that the industry is reaching a level of maturity and the educators are very much starting to see that this is here to stay," Ian Kelso, president of the New Media Business Alliance in Toronto, tells Canadian New Media. "This is the new culture and the new media are kind of becoming the now media." Adds Lynda Brown, president of New Media BC: "Not only is booming and growing at a fairly rapid rate, but it’s also maturing and recognizing that its success in the future is going to be in part reliant on an investment in education now." Ryerson had extensive contact with industry associations while developing its MBA program, which offers specializations in supply chain management and media management. Students in the media management stream will be exposed to courses in: advanced media and communications technologies; legal, policy, and regulatory issues; structure and performance; product and service innovation; customers, users and media audiences; and managing creativity in organizations. "Managing in a media environment is fundamentally different than managing in another environment because the emphasis is on managing creative," says Wendy Cukier, associate dean of Ryerson’s faculty of business. "So there are some very unique skills required to work in those types of environments." "It’s the business equation that’s really the hardest to figure out," adds Kelso. "We’ve got a lot of great work being produced, so monetizing and commercializing it is the biggest challenge right now. And going through this transitional period, the ones that kind of create the better solution are going to be the bigger winners." Last month, the Province of British Columbia announced $40.5 million in one-time funding for the GNWC’s program, which is the first of its kind in Canada. The course and the campus in Vancouver were established through a partnership of four BC schools: Simon Fraser University; University of British Columbia; British Columbia Institute of Technology; and the Emily Carr Institute. Bruce Clayman, president and CEO of the GNWC, says the schools were already committed to admitting students in 2007, but the provincial funding will increase the quality of the program by helping attract a world-class faculty and meeting construction costs. Government support aside, Clayman acknowledges it was the commitment of the industry that put the program over the top. "Discussions have been going on probably for five years and it’s only in the last 18 months that there’s been a real alignment of the institutions and the industry," he says. New Media BC acted as the industry partner on the project to ensure the program would have a solid industry and academic approach. Over time, Cukier sees courses like these potentially legitimizing managers in the media industry as a distinct professional group. She says senior level staff currently in the industry have risen through the ranks through proficiency with the content creation, technology management, or network and infrastructure management sides of the business. Ryerson’s course proposes to combine the aspects of these three areas so students can move into higher-level positions right after graduation. New Media BC’s Brown is equally confident about success for the GNWC’s future alumni, saying that the first class is essentially already spoken for by various employers. "Given the feasibility studies that we’ve done and the hiring placements, I think it’s fair to say that these graduates are going to be in high demand," she says. She projects that students will quickly become project managers, producers, development directors and team leaders, as they will have an understanding of art, technology and business. Considering students will have to remain out of the workforce, or leave the workforce, for at least an additional year, masters-level programs will have to offer the prospect of more prestigious positions in the new media industry to increase the return on students’ investments. South of the border, similar programs are getting underway. Drexel University in Philadelphia offers an undergraduate and masters-level digital media program at its Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design. Graduate program director Glen Muschio says the main advantage for those coming out of the post-grad program is they won’t have to wait as long to prove themselves in the industry. "When you’re training people on an undergraduate level," he says, "their first jobs in industry they’re generally over-trained for or overeducated for, because they’re not really placed in positions of responsibility… so it generally takes a few years to go in on that level." He believes that graduate students will go straight into non-entry level positions, but he’s waiting to graduate his first cohort to find out for sure. While there’s no arguing that an increase in graduate-level new media programs will affect the industry, to what extent the extra education is essential could be debated. Will it reach a point where a masters degree is needed to hold an executive position? "I don’t know if it’ll ever necessarily be a requirement," answers Kelso. "Just like in regular business it’s not a requirement that you have an MBA to be the CEO of a company, but those things will always be more helpful." Kelso adds that many small and medium-sized companies are currently entrepreneur-driven, and if the smarts and the motivation are there sometimes education isn’t that important. This raises the persistent belief that the best way to gain knowledge in a creative industry is through hands-on experience, not school. The perception could also exist that institutions are looking to create the need for more education in the industry, not the other way around, but Kelso doesn’t subscribe to this theory. "I’m a big fan of education for education’s sake," he says, "because I think it can broaden your mind. It forces you sometimes to get to know some things that you wouldn’t necessarily get to know gives you a diverse set of critical thinking skills." It’s also an indication that new media has reached a point where there is enough information – and experience – to be passed on to students at a graduate level. The schools will undoubtedly benefit as well, however. Cukier says Ryerson’s new MBA in media management will join the school’s other heralded communications and design degrees as a flagship program for the university. And as the first big academic program for the GNWC, digital media will have a huge impact on the development and the reputation of the campus. Bearing in mind the investment made by the BC government, some are banking that the benefits will reach beyond the students and the school. Brown is hopeful that the GNWC’s program will eventually be compared to the University of Southern California’s school of cinema-television, which has shaped Hollywood. She says: "I think it’s that level of education and brain power that’s going to continue to put, not only BC, but Canada on the map as being a world leader in digital entertainment."

New media graduate programs a result of institution, industry alignment

News | 03/07/2006 5:00 am EST

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