Master of Arts - Narrative and Emerging Media

In the Master of Arts program in Narrative and Emerging Media, students learn to tell stories that are not just watched or read but are also experienced. In under one year, they acquire innovative storytelling techniques, explore the emerging media marketplace, connect with top professionals in the field, and develop critical media project management skills.

Through hands-on learning, students explore the entire landscape of emerging immersive media techniques, which include augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality, 360 video, animated graphics, short-form digital video, and documentary production. This allows them to tell creative fictional stories or create nonfiction journalistic work. They capture and create content for workflow across multiple industries while learning to lead teams of producers, engineers, writers, and artists using various technologies. The program also emphasizes building business acumen and gaining deeper insight into the research, development, finance, and business models that are driving the future of emerging media.

Delivered exclusively at the ASU California Center Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, the program immerses students in a state-of-the-art emerging media hub. The facility includes a cutting-edge virtual production stage, making ASU one of only a handful of U.S. universities to provide such a studio. Additionally, the building features a green screen studio for virtual reality productions and live broadcasts, as well as markerless motion capture. Students learn and work in these innovative spaces to create compelling visual storytelling for client productions and their own passion projects.

Courses anchor content creation and project management with communication theory and current case studies, enabling students to build a cohesive portfolio of professional work aligned with industry standards. They also benefit from networking opportunities and critiques from industry professionals whose work may inspire them. Students who complete the program are well-prepared to pursue roles in creation, production, and project management across the media industry or to engage in independent work.

This program is a joint initiative offered by The Sidney Poitier New American Film School and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.