Language

English

Start date

September 2026

Frequency

Full time

Duration

3 Years

Credits

360 UK Credits

Explore contemporary media through hands-on making, conceptual development and emerging creative technologies.

The BA (Hons) Creative Media Arts* is an innovative undergraduate programme that prepares students to work at the intersection of contemporary art, digital media and emerging technologies. Through a practical, interdisciplinary approach connected to industry, the programme equips you to create projects in video, photography, interactive media extended realities, sound, installation and hybrid narratives.

With a strong focus on experimentation, collaboration and critical thinking, you will develop your own creative practice in dialogue with today's cultural, social and technological contexts. You will have the opportunity to learn from industry professionals, take part in real projects and present your work to industry professionals through the Professional Launchpad. This programme is designed for those who want to imagine and build new forms of audiovisual, digital and media-based practice.

Studying this BA (Hons) at IED Madrid means training in an environment specialising in design and visual culture, in dialogue with other creative disciplines across the school. At the same time, you will obtain a degree awarded by the University of Westminster, recognised internationally.

*This programme is currently undergoing formal validation by the University of Westminster. The programme details will be confirmed following completion and sign off of the University’s validation process.

It is taught at IED Madrid Design District - Carabanchel.

Information to decide

Develop creative skills in film, photography and interactive and immersive media, working with emerging technologies while gaining a critical understanding of how contemporary media shape culture. 

Teaching combines workshops, seminars, lectures, tutorials and supervised studio time to support the development of both practical and conceptual skills. You work across moving image, photography, interactive media and sound, gaining experience with a range of creative technologies.

Assessment methods reflect the diversity of the discipline and may include practical project submissions, visual essays, presentations, research materials and live critiques. Throughout your studies, you investigate new tools, explore creative possibilities and engage critically with the contexts that shape contemporary media.

This programme is aimed at creative individuals who wish to explore the intersection of art, digital media and technology. It is ideal for those interested in film, photography, sound, interactive design, extended realities or multimedia production, and who want to develop a strong personal practice while building a professional portfolio in an international, interdisciplinary environment connected to the creative sector.

It is designed for students with curiosity, visual sensibility and a desire to explore new tools, within an international context closely linked to Madrid’s cultural scene.

The BA (Hons) Creative Media Arts offers a cross-disciplinary education that combines audiovisual production, photography, sound, web media, interactivity and immersive technologies, allowing you to develop a creative practice without being limited to a single medium.

This versatility is essential in a context where contemporary creation moves across screens, digital environments, exhibition spaces and hybrid experiences.

Studying at IED Madrid places you within an international creative community, strongly connected to industry and deeply oriented towards experimentation, while earning an official degree from the University of Westminster with global recognition.

You can pursue career paths such as:

  • Audiovisual creation and experimental cinema
  • Creative photography and visual storytelling
  • Interactive design and digital experiences
  • Extended realities (XR) and new narrative technologies
  • Digital art, installation and hybrid practices
  • Content creation, multimedia and transmedia projects

Syllabus

Your first year focuses on establishing core media production skills. Alongside workshops in moving image, photography, sound and interactive media, you develop practical projects that introduce key approaches to conceptual development and creative problem-solving.

Core modules

Creativity and Collaboration

Space, Place and Experience: Moving Image, Interactivity and Sound

Storytelling: Photography and Web Media

Option modules

Media Explorations

Screen 1: Production Design for the Screen

Screen 1: Visual Effects and Animation

Screen 1: Working with Actors

In the second year, you further define your identity as a multi- or interdisciplinary practitioner. You specialise in specific media while also exploring the frontiers of creative technologies and strategies for engaging audiences.

Core modules

Convergent Media: Extended Realities and Audiences

Research and Synthesis

Media Frontiers: Exploring Creative Technologies

Work-Based Placement Learning

Option modules

Culture, Power and Creativity in the Media Arts

Screen 2: Camera and Lighting Skills

Screen 2: Identities: Race, Class and Gender in Film and Television

Screen 2: Short Form Film and Video

Scriptwriting for Media

Transmedia Sound

Between Years 2 and 3, you may undertake an optional year-long work placement or a combination of placement and international exchange. Students choosing this pathway graduate with the award BA (Hons) Creative Media Arts with Professional Experience.

* The availability of a placement year is subject to the applicable legal and regulatory framework and may vary depending on the conditions in force at the time of delivery.

In your final year, you gain the independence to determine your own themes and sustain substantial, high-level creative work. Your Major Project and Dissertation serve as the culmination of your studies. Final works may include interactive projects, installations, short narrative films, documentaries or hybrid media forms, which are then showcased through a student-led public exhibition.

Core modules

Major Project Explorations

Major Project

Research Project

Professional Launchpad

Faculty

Course Coordinator

Carmen Lael Hines

Writer, researcher, and curator specialized in expanded media.

Teacher

Roberto Majano

Art historian, writer, and curator

Teacher

Julia Mellen

Filmmaker working across documentary, performance and digital animation

Teacher

Fernando Gómez

Architect and XR specialist

Teacher

Raquel Bravo

Photographer, researcher, and educator

Teacher

Pablo Aragón

Visual artist and 3D generalist

Teacher

Cris Argüelles

Architect, researcher, and educator

Projects

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Madrid

Special projects
Tejiendo Comunidad - Carabanchel Distrito Cultural

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Madrid

Didactic projects
Interstice

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Madrid

Didactic projects
Sinestesia

News

03 September 2026

The horizon of desire: stories from Genoa’s Waterfronts.

Six perspectives, a city in transition. IED Turin showcases Genoa’s Porto Antico and the Levante Waterfront in a photography exhibition at Palazzo Ducale

28 August 2026

What does sustainability mean for a design school?

When discussing sustainability, the debate often focuses on environmental impacts and the responsible use of resources. But what does sustainability mean, in practical terms, for a school that educates future designers, creatives and professionals capable of driving change?

31 July 2026

Forbes Next Leaders: Alumna Chiara Robino designs the August cover

The collaboration between IED and Forbes Next Leaders continues: for the August issue, the cover was designed by Chiara Robino, Alumna in Illustration from IED Torino in the 2025/26 academic year.

17 July 2026

Priscilla Fois brings her art to Urban Break Korea

IED Roma alumna Priscilla Fois has been selected to participate in Urban Break Korea, one of the leading international festivals dedicated to urban art.

16 July 2026

This Is What the Future of Visual Arts Looks Like

Recent graduates from the IED Barcelona's Graphic Design, Advertising, and Motion Graphics and Video programmes presented their final projects at Barcelona XR Lab. Data, text, image and sound come together to explore the global order and reframe systems for navigating the world.

10 July 2026

Degree Show 2026 opens IED Kunsthal Bilbao to talent, design and the city

Once again, the Papelera Building opened its doors to the public, showcasing the work developed by students over four years of study and turning the school into a meeting point for design, culture, industry and institutions.

07 July 2026

IED Brazil Coordinator Joins CDSA International Jury and Represents the Institution at Event in China

Eliane Weizmann took part in the official program of City Digital Skin Art (CDSA) 2026, a global initiative that connects art, technology, and urban space, bringing together experts from different countries.

03 July 2026

July: Exhibitions, Installations and New Horizons for IED.60 Public Program

With the arrival of July, IED Graduation Days enter their busiest phase across IED’s Italian campuses, bringing with them a series of public events designed to showcase the ideas, projects and research developed by students.

01 July 2026

Forbes Next Leaders: the July cover by Elisabeth Arana

The collaboration between IED and Forbes Next Leaders continues through the project that engages students and alumni in the creation of the magazine’s monthly covers.

Don't miss it

Open Day

07 September 2026 - 10 September 2026

Multiple

IED OPEN - THE FUTURE IS LOOKING FOR YOU

Online 7 - 9 September. In person (Italian campuses) -10 September.

14 September 2026 - 18 September 2026

Barcelona

IED Barcelona 2026 Undergraduate Welcome Week

The welcome event for undergraduate students, teachers and staff to mark the official opening of the new academic year will take place on Monday 14 September.

Exhibitions and Festival

16 September 2026 - 07 October 2026

Genova

The horizon of desire: stories from Genoa’s Waterfronts.

Six perspectives, a city in transition. IED Turin showcases Genoa’s Porto Antico and the Levante Waterfront in a photography exhibition at Palazzo Ducale

An open notebook showing two pencil sketches, one of a lamp and the other of designer handbags
Exhibitions and Festival

17 October 2026 - 17 October 2026

Barcelona

Barcelona Dibuixa 2026: “The Power of Hand Drawing”

IED Barcelona is offering this workshop, where participants will discover, guided by architect and lecturer Gianfranco La Cognata – Laco 2, how design takes shape through illustration.