Master of Digital Media Scholarships and Funding

Every year, a select number of new students who have demonstrated exceptional achievement and/or financial need, are awarded Centre for Digital Media Scholarships. Students are selected based on the quality of their application material, academic performance during their undergraduate studies, work experience, interview performance, and financial need.

Amount: Varies

Eligibility: Application material, academic excellence, work experience, financial need.

New &/or Returning: New  

Number Available: 25

Awarded to competitive students who attained, or are in the process of attaining, a degree from one of the Great Northern Way Trust's partner institutions: the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, or the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Students are selected based on the quality of their application material, academic performance during their undergraduate studies, work experience, interview performance, and financial need.

Amount: $5,000

Eligibility: Successful admission into the Master of Digital Media program after completing a degree from one of the four academic partner institutions, application material, academic excellence, work experience, financial need.

New &/or Returning: New  

Number Available: 20

Awarded to competitive students from a CDM designated partner institution who have attained, or are in the process of attaining, a degree (or equivalent) from one of the CDM's designated partner institutions and who meet all qualifying criteria. Students are selected based on the quality of their application material, academic performance during their undergraduate studies, professional work experience, interview performance, and financial need.

Amount: $4,000

Eligibility: Successful admission into the Master of Digital Media program after completing an undergraduate degree, or equivalent combination of undergraduate study and professional experience, from one of the CDM’s designated partner institutions. Applicants will demonstrate exceptional application materials, academic excellence, relevant work experience, and financial need. 

New &/or Returning: New  

Number Available: 15

Pathway Partners

• LaSalle College Vancouver
• Think Tank Training Centre
• Vancouver Film School
• Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts)

The Tom Calvert Computer Science and Software Engineering Award is awarded to an incoming student from a computer science or software engineering undergraduate program (or related), who has demonstrated exceptional achievement and innovation in their area of study. The award is valued at $20,000. To be considered for this award, applicants must hold a bachelors degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field of study.

Amount: Up to $20,000 

Eligibility: Degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering (or related), exceptional achievement and innovation in their area of study.

New &/or Returning: New

Number Available: 1

The Pat Hibbitts Scholarship (PHS) was established in 2015 in honour of the late Pat Hibbitts, Simon Fraser University’s former Vice-President of Finance and Administration.

The award is intended to recognize and provide funding to an incoming female graduate student in the Master of Digital Media program who chooses to undergo a career change. 

Note: Applicants need to apply for this scholarship.

Amount: $20,000

Eligibility: Female student admitted into the Master of Digital Media program, demonstrates a transition from a previous non digital media-related field to digital media, possesses a minimum of 3 years work experience in a non-digital media related field, exceptional achievement and innovation in their area of study.

New &/or Returning: New  

Number Available: 1

View award and application details here.

The OUTtv Scholarship was established in 2010 by OUTtv to recognizes the academic achievement of a full-time graduate student enrolled in the Master of Digital Media program, and their proposed research/project work in digital media exploring the areas of cultural, ethnic, or gender-identity diversity in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. 

Note: Applicants need to apply for this scholarship.

Amount: $5,000

Eligibility: Committed to the advancement of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, exceptional achievement and innovation in their area of study. Preference will be given to applicants who are self-identified as 2SLGBTQIA+.

New &/or Returning: Returning

Number Available: 1

View award and application details here.

The Master of Digital Media Venture Internship Award is an achievement award for graduate students of the Master of Digital Media program who are pursuing a venture internship to build a new company. The award is intended to help defray costs while creating a new business venture.

Note: Applicants need to apply for this scholarship.

Amount: $2,000

Eligibility: Registered in either DMED 530 or DMED 531, intend to use the award to help defray costs while creating a new business venture, exceptional achievement and innovation in their area of study.

New &/or Returning: Returning

Number Available: 5

View award and application details here.

The Gerri Sinclair Award for Innovation in Digital Media was established in 2010 by Microsoft Corporation to recognize Gerri Sinclair’s innovative approach to digital media education in her role as Founding Director of the Master of Digital Media program. 

The award recognizes a group of students in the Master of Digital Media program who have created a digital media product or innovation that has great potential either as a commercial digital media product or an innovative methodology for creating digital media products.

Amount: Up to $2,000 per team

Eligibility: A student or group of students who have created a digital media product or innovation that has great potential either as a commercial digital media product or an innovative methodology for creating digital media products.

New &/or Returning: Returning

Number Available: 1 team

View award and application details here.

The Master of Digital Media program is committed to ensuring students have the software and hardware required to successfully complete the program. Students who are enrolled full time and have a minimum CGPA of 3.5 will qualify to receive up to $2,000.00 CAD (lifetime amount) towards hardware/software purchases.

External award programs also provide funding opportunities for students. Information on how to apply to these programs can be found through government websites. Students must apply directly to the organizations that offer them.

These are great resources for finding scholarships:

• Scholarship Canada (scholarshipscanada.com)
• Student Awards (studentawards.com)

The Organization of American States (OAS) offers scholarships to students from the Americas interested in joining the Master of Digital Media Program. The OAS scholarships are valued at a maximum of $30,000 US per academic year for no more than two academic years, and include a teaching position that may be renewed in subsequent semesters. Students from the United States, Central America, South America and the Caribbean with an undergraduate degree in Computer Sciences, Fine Arts, Communications, Engineering, Business and other related fields of study are eligible to apply.

Students who wish to apply to the MDM Program and are nationals or permanent residents of a member state of the Organization of American States (OAS) can contact their National Liaison Office for application instructions and deadlines.

Please visit the OAS website for eligibility requirements and instructions on how to apply: http://www.oas.org/en/scholarships/regular_program.asp

Indspire disburses bursaries and scholarships through its Building Brighter Futures program to Indigenous students who are enrolled in post-secondary programs. Since 1985, Indspire has disbursed bursaries and scholarships to First Nation, Inuit, and Metis post-secondary students. It is the largest funder for Indigenous education outside of the federal government.