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Email academic.registry@tcd.ieThe course equips students with the theoretical and practical knowledge to enable them to participate in the design and development of technology underpinning the interactive entertainment industries, including the fast-moving video game market, the metaverse and the wider industries of new media and communication. The course is designed and taught by staff who are leading experts in their fields, and the course content is inspired by their cutting-edge work as well as their contacts with leading industry researchers around the globe.
This one-year, full-time programme is designed for graduates from a computing or closely related undergraduate background. Applications are encouraged for candidates from a science, maths or engineering background with some previous experience in computer programming. Candidates may be required to provide evidence of their computing skills and programming experience.
We expect graduates to be in high demand for research and development positions within leading multinational companies and startups alike. Previous graduates from our M.Sc. programmes have gone on to work for games or visual effects companies, whilst many others work in broader areas involving computer vision, computer graphics or interactive digital applications. Companies where our alumni have taken up employment include: NVIDIA, Unity Technologies, Huawei, Volograms, The Foundry and Tencent Games. In some cases, our graduates have gone on to further postgraduate research, taking up funded Ph.D. positions at Trinity or other universities in Ireland and abroad.
The full M.Sc. programme, comprising 90 ECTS credits, takes one full calendar year to complete and leads to the qualification of M.Sc. in Computer Science – Augmented and Virtual Reality, a Level 9 award according to the Irish National Framework for Qualifications (NFQ).
Between September and April, students attend two 12-week teaching semesters, each followed by an assessment period, where they take a range of taught modules. Then, from April to August, students work full-time on their individual research dissertations.
Students may exit with an award of Postgraduate Diploma (P.Grad.Dip.) in Computer Science – Augmented and Virtual Reality (NFQ Level 9) upon successful completion of 60 ECTS of taught modules, not including the Research Dissertation.
The following core modules are taken by all M.Sc. students on the course: Computer Vision; Machine Learning; Augmented Reality; Computer Graphics; Realtime Animation; Realtime Rendering; Advanced Software Engineering; Mathematics of Light & Sound; and Research and Innovation.
Additionally, students take a number of individually chosen elective modules from a pool of options.
Finally all students also must complete a substantial Research Dissertation which comprises a third of the entire course. Students may exit with a Postgraduate Diploma (P.Grad.Dip.) in Computer Science upon successful completion of taught modules (not including the Research Dissertation).
Please note that the course content is updated on an annual basis and some minor changes occur from year to year.
Click here for further information on modules/subject.
Overview of the postgraduate Computer Science programme at Trinity College Dublin and its four specialised strands: Augmented and Virtual Reality, Future Networked Systems, Intelligent Systems, and Data Science.
September 2025
Dr. Michael Manzke
Professor Doug Leith (Course Director ) / Dr. John Dingliana (Co-Director for Admissions)
31st July 2025
Applicants must provide the following:
All applicants to Trinity are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language. Applicants to this course are required to meet Band B (Standard Entry) English language requirements. For more details of qualifications that meet Band B, see the English Language Requirements page here.
Click here for a full list of postgraduate fees
To apply, click on the relevant Apply Link below
+353 (0)1 8961765
www.scss.tcd.ie/postgraduate/msc-cs/ augmented-and-virtual-reality-strand.php
Register your interest in studying at Ireland’s leading university, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.
After completing the course, I got a job in a subsidiary game studio of the biggest internet company in my country. My work responsibilities include rendering and working with technical artwork for games, which are closely related to what I learnt in the M.Sc. modules and to the technologies I was working with for my dissertation. I’m grateful to Trinity for so many useful courses. I learned a lot and found a job that I’m very satisfied with. The experience I gained from the course will be a valuable asset in my life.
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