MSc Artificial Intelligence for Media

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This is an exciting new course that is currently being developed. This page will be updated with more information in November 2020. Please register your interest and we will email you when the course is open for applications.

Artificial Intelligence technologies have brought significant breakthrough in many areas such as image recognition, robotics and machine translation nowadays. BBC has reported that it will be a great opportunity to improve media production by AI and ML technologies. The job opportunities related to machine learning are surging drastically in the past three years. Therefore, it is timely and necessary to educate the media students with modern AI techniques.

This new course focuses on using existing machine learning frameworks of Tensorflow and PyTorch to address practical problems in media production. As a student on this course, you will have access to the latest deep learning methodology such as VGG, LSTM and GAN which are commonly used in AI research on image processing.

This new programme will be based at the NCCA as a specialist pathway within the existing animation framework. The programme (pathway) will sit alongside our established programmes, MSc Computer Animation & Visual Effects, MA Digital Effects and MA 3D Computer Animation. MA3D and MADE focus on animation and VFX techniques for film production, while the MSc CAVE focuses on software development for games, film and effects.

This new MSc AIM focuses on the machine learning skills for media production, especially the deep learning methodologies. The AI techniques included in this course will be more directly based on the real demand from the media industry.

Key information

Next start date:

September 2021

Location:

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Duration:

1 year full-time

Required subjects:

Professional or taught experience in a media related discipline. This may include backgrounds in audio / video / image manipulation and processing, computer animation or related disciplines.

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 or equivalent. A portfolio is also required in support of your application. For more information see our full entry requirements.

International entry requirements:

IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in writing, speaking, listening and reading.For more information see our full entry requirements.

Course details

On this course you will be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit.

Core units

Machine Learning for Media Production: You'll gain a critical understanding of the theory involved in the machine learning and existing ML SDK tools and techniques for media production, and to enable you to develop your problem solving and technique development skills.
Data Mining on Multimedia Data: You'll be introduced to the algorithms and computational paradigms that allow computers to find patterns and regularities in datasets, perform prediction and forecasting, and generally improve performance through interaction with data. The data mining processing includes data selection, cleaning, coding, using different statistical and machine learning techniques, and visualization of the generated structures.
Animation Software Engineering: This unit will equip you with the technical computing skills necessary in the design and implementation of AI techniques, and the knowledge to select the correct programming languages, application, programming interfaces and techniques to solve media production problems.
Media Data Analytics and Modelling: You'll learn about the science of analysing media data (such as images, video, natural language, sound, 3D models and motions) to reveal features and metrics in order to make conclusions about the information it contains.
Group Project: Working with students from across the NCCA Master's courses, you'll present a substantial piece of work with technical/creative content.
Masterclass: You'll explore the professional world of the artificial intelligence industry, and be exposed to advanced production issues of professional practice, providing you with the theoretical and practical knowledge of specialist artificial intelligence techniques.
Master’s Project: You'll plan and execute a major project in a professional manner utilising relevant techniques and undertake a critical analysis of your own work. You'll focus on a specific problem in media production which has the potential to be automated by the latest artificial intelligence technology.

The Master’s Degree Show

The Master’s Degree Show is the culmination of one year’s work for the Master's NCCA courses. This is your opportunity to showcase your talent to industry professionals and potential employers.

View the work of our most recent graduates.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 or equivalent

This course requires you to have professional or taught experience in a media related discipline. This may include backgrounds in audio / video / image manipulation and processing, computer animation or related disciplines.

Applicants are also required to submit a portfolio and may be required to attend an interview in support of their application for this course.

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow, some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

International entry requirements

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

China: 学士学位 (Bachelor degree) with a minimum of 65% overall
Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution in Nigeria
Thailand: Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution.
Vietnam: Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of at least 7.0, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.
Turkey: Bachelor’s Degree (Lisans Diplomasi -four years) to be considered for a postgraduate course at BU.

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

Costs and fees

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per year. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course. You can find full information about funding your studies and paying your fees in our undergraduate fees and funding section. That’s also where you’ll find information about the scholarships and bursaries on offer – including unlimited Academic Excellence Scholarships for UK, EU and International students.

Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise, and we’re committed to ensuring there are no hidden extra costs while you’re at university – that’s why we’re clear about what you can expect us to cover, and what your cost of living will be.

Repeat units

Help and support

Deposits

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable £3,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Your application

This course will be suited to graduates from various backgrounds, mathematical, computer disciplines as well as those from creative backgrounds who have professional or taught experience in a media related discipline such as computer animation, audio/video/image manipulation and processing, or related disciplines.

Selection methods

Background and experience

For MSc Artificial Intelligence we are looking for applicants who:

Demonstrate both intellectual and creative abilities,
Have a passion for the discipline of Artificial Intelligence,
Show an understanding of the computer animation, visual effects, media production or a related discipline
Demonstrate good written and oral communication skills.

It is preferable that you have basic programming skills, however this is not an essential requirement.

How and when to apply

Careers

The course is primarily intended to foster graduates with the unique skillset required to pursue various Artificial Intelligence related roles in the media industries. During your degree you will have the opportunity to work with some of the UK's leading media production organisations, through the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA), and can make valuable contacts before you graduate.

Typical starting job roles

Our NCCA graduates have gone on to work on some of the most successful films, including Avatar, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Interstellar, Gravity and Alice in Wonderland to name just a few. Among the roles you can apply for once you graduate are:

3D Developer
Data Engineer
Machine Learning Engineer
Computer Vision Engineer
Deep Learning Engineer
3D VFX Designer
Natural Language Processing Engineer
Further studies at postgraduate level or PhDs

Our NCCA graduates work all over the world, and many are employed by the industry's leading animation and production houses, software houses, and computer game and digital media companies.

Further study

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that staff can change.

Dr Xiaosong Yang

Dr. Yang is currently an Associate Professor at the National Centre for Computer Animation. His research focuses on a number of topics relating to computer animation, motion capture and synthesis, data mining, digital health, virtual reality, surgery simulation, etc. He has produced more than 60 peer reviewed publications that include international journal articles and conference papers. As PI and Co-I, he has secured 12 research grants from European Commission, Wessex AHSN, British Academy, Leverhulme, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (UK), Higher Education Innovation Fund, Royal Bournemouth Hospital, BU Fusion Investment Fund, China Scholar Council, etc.

View Dr Xiaosong Yang's profile

All statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Unistats, Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE), BU institutional data and Ipsos MORI (National Student Survey) unless otherwise stated.