Program Overview

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Interactive Media Design

Overview

From touchscreen applications and websites to motion design and video, interactive media designers create the User Experience (UX). In this intense and cutting-edge program, students learn to design and produce illustrations, photography, infographics, and animations for anything interactive. Graduates of this program become skilled compositors, able to create motion graphics, virtual environments, and integrated media content.

Intakes and Availability

Date	Domestic Availability	International Availability
September 2025	Open	Open
January 2026	Open	Open

Admission Requirements

• Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or Mature Student Status
• Grade 12 English (C or U)

Tuition

• Year one domestic: $3,188 (CAD)
• Year one international: $15,775 (CAD)

Semester 1 Courses

• Communication Foundations (COMM 1100)
• Web Technologies (COSC 1105)
• Design and Conceptual Process (CWD 1400)
• Web Design 1 (CWMD 1100)
• Digital Illustration and Imaging (CWMD 1200)
• Photography for Integrated Media (CWMD 1300)
• General Education Elective (GNED 0000)

Career Options

• UI/UX designer
• Design manager
• Production manager
• Motion graphic designer
• Multimedia designer/developer
• Web designer

Experiential Learning

• Field placement component that offers an opportunity to connect with developers working within the profession and be exposed to current industry practices and trends.

Program Transfer, Degree Completion, and Additional Credentials

• Graduates can proceed to the second year of Durham College’s Contemporary Web Design program and complete the program in another two semesters.
• Graduates may also be eligible to apply their academic credits toward further study through Durham College’s partnerships with many Canadian and international colleges and universities.

Tech Requirements

• A Mac-based laptop is recommended.
• Membership in Adobe Creative Cloud is included in student fees.
• Microsoft Office is available for free for students from Microsoft through their DC Mail account.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Complete both individual and collaborative interactive media projects effectively.
2. Use best practices and tools to design and develop dynamic, rich-media content.
3. Contribute to the assessment of the requirements of an interactive media project.
4. Contribute to the development, budgeting, planning, and professional presentation of an interactive media project.
5. Design a media project (interface, navigation, graphics, text treatment) using current best practice design and development principles, and applying conceptual and theoretical frameworks.
6. Build effective and dynamic Web sites and/or mobile applications.
7. Identify and analyze ethical and professional issues arising in an online environment.
8. Apply research and conceptual skills to propose possible solutions for mobile/multimedia/Web development problems.
9. Use creative and critical thinking techniques in the effective design, development, and implementation of an interactive media project.
10. Contribute to the assessment of the financial, technical, and artistic success of an interactive media project.

Program Details

In this program, students use Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects, as well as contemporary web-based coding frameworks, to understand User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design. They learn to create compelling visual assets for interactive animated and motion infographics. They are also taught digital and traditional illustration techniques and develop a proficiency in interactive storytelling.

Students will learn to use HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript to create intuitive, animated, and interactive website interfaces and layouts based on user-centric motion and design principles. There is an emphasis on developing good visual design skills using HTML and CSS as primary tools.

You will be introduced to layout, typography, digital color theory, and strategies for using these skills in a variety of integrated media projects. You will also learn to use a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera and basic capture, edit, and printing techniques.

You will produce animated and visual assets for integrated media projects, such as web apps, interactive infographics, virtual environments, marketing installations, and touchscreen presentations.

Costs

The fees below are estimates only based on information available at the time of publication and do not include the cost of textbooks.

• Year one domestic: $3,188 (CAD)
• Year one international: $15,775 (CAD)

Semester 1 Costs

• Tuition: $1,594.23
• Program Fee: $396
• Ancillary Fee: $493.77
• DCSA Ancillary Fee: $430
• Total: $2,914

Semester 2 Costs

• Tuition: $1,594.23
• Program Fee: $0
• Ancillary Fee: $493.77
• DCSA Ancillary Fee: $120
• Total: $2,208

Semester 3 Costs

• Tuition: $1,594.23
• Program Fee: $221
• Ancillary Fee: $474.19
• DCSA Ancillary Fee: $430
• Total: $2,719.42

Semester 4 Costs

• Tuition: $1,594.23
• Program Fee: $0
• Ancillary Fee: $474.19
• DCSA Ancillary Fee: $120
• Total: $2,188.42

Courses

Semester 1

• Communication Foundations (COMM 1100)
• Web Technologies (COSC 1105)
• Design and Conceptual Process (CWD 1400)
• Web Design 1 (CWMD 1100)
• Digital Illustration and Imaging (CWMD 1200)
• Photography for Integrated Media (CWMD 1300)
• General Education Elective (GNED 0000)

Semester 2

• Coding for Design (COSC 1212)
• Web Design 2 (CWD 2100)
• Prototyping for Interactive Media (CWMD 2200)
• Video and Audio Production (CWMD 2300)
• Interactive Design and Animation 1 (CWMD 2500)
• General Education Elective (GNED 0000)

Semester 3

• Interactive Design and Animation 2 (CMP 3100)
• Design Studio 1 (CMP 3200)
• Motion Graphics 1 (CMP 3300)
• Hosting Fundamentals (CMP 3401)
• Interactive Media (CMP 3501)
• General Education Elective (GNED 0000)

Semester 4

• Design Studio 2 (CMP 4100)
• Interactive Design and Animation 3 (CMP 4200)
• Motion Graphics 2 (CMP 4300)
• Portfolio Development (CMP 4400)
• Collaborative Projects (CMP 4500)
• Industry Preparation (FTVL 4404)
• Field Placement (FWK 4505)