University of Johannesburg Multimedia Department

About the Department of Multimedia
The Department of MultimediaThe Department of Multimedia is situated in the FADA Building on the Bunting Road Campus of the University of Johannesburg. The department currently has four specialist computer labs, a bespoke seminar room, a video editing suite, a specialist 2-D animation studio as well as numerous faculty shared drawing and design studios. The Department houses over 100 computer stations and has an extensive up-to-date range of media equipment available to our student body. Our current number of enrolled students average around 175 and our staff is made up of seven full-time staff and a number of part-time specialists.The Department of Multimedia was established in 2001 as part of the then Technikon Witwatersand. With the creation of UJ in 2007, the department of was incorporated into the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture and is located on the Bunting Road Campus of UJ, in Auckland Park. From 2002 until 2018 the Department of Multimedia offered Diploma and BTech degrees, which are currently in the process of been replaced with BA Design(Digital Media) degrees.

Thus, while the Department is called ‘Multimedia’, the names of our qualifications are BA: Digital Media Design, BA(Hons): Digital Media Design, and Masters in Design

What is multimedia?

Media are the contexts, artifacts and technology that people create to remember, communicate or otherwise cope with the world. Multimedia is a term used to describe the range of existing and new media that have emerged due to digital technology; either directly in terms of technological innovation or because of the changes digital technology has brought to our human experience.

In our department, we approach digital technology as a mediator of human experience. That is to say we are interested in understanding how multimedia can improve the lives of people. This improvement can take on numerous forms including; solving problems in the world that directly affect communities, assisting people to better access information, assisting people in their day to day lives, entertaining people, providing new experiences for people to engage with their world in different ways.

Why is multimedia important?

With the ever expanding growth of digital technology across all aspects of our contemporary lives the need for graduates with strong digital design skills is enormous. The digital revolution has fundamentally changed our world in numerous and exciting ways. Enrolling for a qualification at the Department of Multimedia will prepare you for a career in this innovative and creative sector.

However, beyond the need to support and grow digital industries generally, there is need to ensure that our human world of tomorrow is considered in a critical and human-centric fashion so that the opportunities made possible by technological innovation does not come at the cost of our shared humanity.