Digital Media Design and Creative AI Degree Requirements

• DGMD 59 Human-Centered Design and Artificial Intelligence course*
• DGMD 1 Interactive Prototyping & Creative AI*
• 1 AI for digital media design course
• 1 UX design studio course
• 1 Storytelling & multimodal media course
• 1 Creative computing & interactive systems course
• 1 Product thinking for creative systems course
• 1 Responsible creative AI & governance course
• 2 Electives
• Precapstone: Creative AI Systems Proposal (available summer 2028)
• Capstone: Creative AI Systems Implementation (available fall 2028)

* By successfully completing these two courses for admission, you’ll also earn the Creative AI Foundations Microcertificate.

Learn how to search for available courses and register.

Nearly all courses can be taken online, but you come to Cambridge for the precapstone course, where you and your team, along with an industry partner, design a project focused on creative AI systems, digital media experiences, or interactive products.

The precapstone course, Creative AI Systems Proposal, is offered on campus in a three-week summer session through Harvard Summer School (HSS). The Summer School offers, for an additional fee, housing, meal plans, and a prolonged on-campus experience at Harvard University. Learn more about campus life at Harvard.

International Students Who Need a Student Visa

Harvard Summer School (HSS) issues I-20s for the F-1 student visa. For more details, see International Student Study Options for important visa information.

In the capstone course, Creative AI Systems Implementation, you execute the project that you developed in the precapstone with your team and industry partner.

The team format allows you to strengthen your communication, collaboration, and project management competencies, which are critical skills demanded by employers.

The capstone is taken online as your sole remaining degree requirement in the semester immediately following the precapstone.

While completing your degree, you can earn one of the following graduate certificates:

• Generative Media and Creative AI Graduate Certificate
• Creative AI and Digital Experience Design Graduate Certificate

The two courses for admission, which comprise the microcertificate, count toward either of the graduate certificates.

Use the degree course search to find applicable courses.

Come to Cambridge for Convocation (fall) to celebrate your hard-earned admission, Harvard career fairs offered throughout the year, HES alumni networking events (here at Harvard and around the world), and, of course, Harvard University Commencement (May).

• Prior to enrolling in any degree-applicable courses, you must possess a four-year regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent. Foreign bachelor’s degrees must be evaluated for equivalency.
• If English is your second language, you’ll need to prove English proficiency before registering for a course. We have multiple proficiency options.

With our performance-based admissions process, you start by completing the two courses required for admission:

• DGMD 59 Human-Centered Design and Artificial Intelligence
• DGMD 1 Interactive Prototyping & Creative AI

These courses qualify you for admission and also count toward your degree; they are not additional courses. They are investments in your studies and help ensure success in the program.

You need to perform well in the two courses earning a grade of B or higher without letting your overall Harvard cumulative GPA dip below 3.0.

You have two attempts to earn the minimum grade of B in DGMD 59 and DGMD 1 (a withdrawal grade counts as an attempt) and both courses cannot be more than two years old at the time of application.

The two courses don’t need to be taken in a particular order or in the same semester, and both are available for registration in fall or spring and ordinarily in summer as well.

Learn how to search for available courses and register.

During the semester of your second degree course, submit the official application to the program.

Don’t delay! You must prioritize the two degree courses for admission and apply before completing subsequent courses. By doing so, you’ll:

• Avoid the loss of credit due to expired coursework or changes to admission and degree requirements.
• Ensure your enrollment in critical degree-candidate-only courses.
• Avoid the delayed application fee.
• Gain access to exclusive benefits.

Eligible students who submit a complete and timely application will have 10 more courses after admission to earn the degree.

Applicants can register for courses in the upcoming semester before they receive their grades and while they await their admission decision.

Prospective ALM students can expect acceptance into the program by meeting all the eligibility and academic requirements detailed on this page, submitting a complete application, and having no academic standing or conduct concerns as outlined on the Graduate Program Admissions page.

GPA. You need to earn a B or higher in each of the two degree courses required for admission and a B– or higher in each of the subsequent courses. In addition, your cumulative GPA cannot dip below 3.0.

Withdrawal grades. You are allowed to receive two withdrawal (WD) grades without them affecting your GPA. Any additional WD grades count as zero in your cumulative GPA. See Academic Standing.

Repeat courses. We advise you to review the ALM program’s strict policies about repeating courses. Generally speaking, you may not repeat a course to improve your GPA or to fulfill a degree requirement (if the minimum grade was not initially achieved). Nor can you repeat a course for graduate credit that you’ve previously completed at Harvard Extension School or Harvard Summer School at the undergraduate level.

Expired coursework. Courses over five years old at the point of admission will not count toward the degree. As stated above DGMD 59 and DGMD 1 cannot be more than two years old at the time of application.

Five-year degree completion timeline. Further, you have five years to complete your degree requirements. The five-year timeline begins at the end of the term in which you complete any two degree-applicable courses regardless of whether or not you have been admitted to a degree program.

Don’t delay! Potential degree candidates must plan accordingly and apply to the program in a timely manner, or they risk losing degree credit for completed coursework.

Admission eligibility will be jeopardized if, at the point of application to the program, the five-year degree completion policy cannot be satisfied (i.e., too many courses to complete in the time remaining).

When you have fulfilled all degree requirements, you will earn your Harvard University degree: Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Extension Studies, Field: Digital Media Design and Creative AI. Degrees are awarded in November, February, and May, with the annual Harvard Commencement ceremony in May.

When you become an officially admitted degree candidate, you have access to a rich variety of exclusive benefits to support your academic journey. To learn more, visit degree candidate academic opportunities and privileges.