A unique aspect of the curriculum is the way it brings together students from the Art and Science domains to study both in parallel and in conjunction. At times collaborating in interdisciplinary cross-domain teams, in other periods immersed in their respective specialisations. During teamwork students co-create innovative products in innovative ways to foster “student-to-student” networks via joint experiences. A concept, tried and tested since 2005 at the Danish National Academy of Digital, Interactive Entertainment (DADIU), where around 100 students from art schools and universities from across Denmark congregate each year for a term of shared classes, joint workshops and interdisciplinary team productions. 

A key target for the teamwork, ingrained in the NEXTGEM concept, is to equip students with “T-shaped” skillsets (T-Skills) that combine deep expertise in a specific area and broad, transferable abilities. The “vertical leg” representing specialised skill(s), while the “horizontal leg” symbolises the interdisciplinary skills that enable collaboration and cross-functional problem-solving. These skillsets are optimal for working in innovation-oriented areas, such as VP, but demand an interdisciplinary context to be trained – and therefore hard to acquire.

By integrating MA and MSc subjects as complementary study paths working in tandem, the NEXTGEM curriculum offers such a context.