Major in Digital Media

Turn Creativity Into Opportunity with a Digital Media Degree

Digital media is playing an ever-increasing role in our daily lives.

Our lives are saturated with it, from the content on our mobile devices to the websites we visit, the films and shows we watch to the digital games we play. New developments and advances are being made at a rapid pace in areas such as virtual reality and human-computer interaction. The production of all of this digital content opens up numerous employment opportunities as well as outlets for artistic expression. This degree helps prepare students for the digital media world. The core transferable skills learned in the degree will also make the students more employable even in non-media focused jobs, as employers are increasingly incorporating digital media related tasks into job roles that previously required no media knowledge. This degree also creates opportunities for students who have an interest in pursuing the cinematic arts to do so in a way that fosters their original creative voice but also provides them with practical skill sets. This combination opens up the range of employment opportunities to students after graduation.

This interdisciplinary degree in digital media provides students with a core set of digital media production skills, software proficiencies, media history and theory, and knowledge of various narrative and story structures. Students then will be able to select courses based on their interests. The list of courses they can select from include numerous courses in digital audio and video production, digital animation and game design, and writing for film and television. All students will complete a digital media capstone project tailored to their unique interests.

The B.A. in Digital Media is designed for students who wish to pursue a path that combines art and technology allowing for both artistic expressions as well as preparation for a variety of digital media careers.

Major Requirements

Required Core Courses

• DM 298 Story Structures in Literature, Film, and Media
• DM 299 Digital Storytelling
• ART 113 Intro to Art Software
• MUS 290 Digital Music I
• DM 305 Intro to Digital Cinema
• DM 317 Introduction to Screenwriting
• DM 296 Digital Animation Principles
• DM 301 Cinema and the Soul
• DM 499 Digital Media Capstone and Portfolio Development

In addition, students must choose four (4) electives from a wide range of available classes across several departments, with approval from their Digital Media advisor.

Minor in Digital Media

The minor in digital media is designed for students who wish to learn tools, techniques and skills for the creation of digital media.

Students can then customize their studies through a comprehensive set of electives. The coursework provides them with opportunities for artistic expression while broadening their career options by teaching them to be critical and effective content creators.

Recent studies have shown that possessing digital media skills increases employability in non-media fields, especially in the humanities.

Required Courses

• DM/ENG 298 Story Structures in Literature, Film and Media
• DM 299 Digital Storytelling

In addition, students must choose three (3) electives from a wide range of available classes across several departments, with approval from their Digital Media advisor.

Minor in Film Studies

How many minutes a day do people spend watching content on screens of various sizes? The minor in film studies will help students become critical consumers of the media that saturate our daily lives.

Students will study the history of film, including its evolution from earlier forms of media as well as the impact other art forms have had on its development. They will consider multiple critical and theoretical approaches to film and media analysis, and how film has both impacted and been impacted by advances in technology.

Other areas of exploration include various narrative structures used in film and television, the ever-changing role that cinematic storytelling plays in contemporary society, and cinema’s role in local and international cultures.

Required Courses

• DM/ENG 295 Introduction to Film Studies
• DM/ENG 298 Story Structures in Literature, Film and Media
• WL 309 World Cinema

In addition, students must choose two (2) electives from a wide range of available classes across several departments, with approval from their Digital Media advisor.