Digital Media Degree

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

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

*Two must be 300 level or higher

  • ART 113 Introduction to Art Software
  • ART 216 Introduction to Graphic Design
  • ART 218 Digital Imaging Studio
  • ART 226 Typography Studio
  • ART 316 Graphic Design I
  • ART 318 Intermediate Digital Imaging
  • ART 325 Visual Communication
  • ART 416 Advanced Graphic Design
  • BID 385 Exploring Conscious Capitalism through Documentary Film Analysis
  • BUS 337 Social Media Strategy (0.5 credits)
  • BUS 338 Digital Inbound Marketing Strategy (0.5 credits)
  • CGE 303 Computer Game Design
  • CGE 315 Web Design and Development
  • CGE 355 Computer Animation and Simulation
  • CGE/DM 401 Three Dimensional Computer Game Design
  • CGE 460 Computer Graphics
  • COM 260 Media Writing
  • COM 305 News Reporting
  • COM 374 Radio Practicum
  • COM 405 Digital Journalism
  • COM 420 Ethics in Communication
  • COM 497 Portfolio Development (0.5 credits)
  • CS/DM 312 Ethics in Digital Technology
  • CS 315 Web Design and Development
  • DM/CGE 250 Computer 3D Modeling
  • DM/ENG 295 Introduction to Film Studies
  • DM/ART 296 Digital Animation Principles
  • DM/ENG 317 Introduction to Screenwriting
  • DM 301 Cinema and the Soul
  • DM/CGE 305 Introduction to Digital Cinema
  • DM 353 Special Topics in Digital Media
  • DM/ART 398 Game and Animation Concept Art
  • DM/CGE 399 Introduction to Video Editing
  • DM/ENG 417 Advanced Writing for Film and Television
  • DM 450 Cinematography
  • DM 468 Internship in Digital Media
  • DM 492 Independent Study
  • DM/CGE 497 Advanced Film and Media Production
  • ENG 230 Readings in Race, Class, and Gender
  • MUS 290 Digital Music I
  • MUS 291 Digital Music II
  • MUS 332 Production of Sound Recordings
  • MUS 333 Audio Engineering
  • PHL 309 Philosophy of Art
  • REL 252 Movies and God
  • WL 309 World Cinema

What careers do digital media majors land in?

Explore Careers

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
  • ART 113 Introduction to Art Software
  • ART 216 Introduction to Graphic Design
  • ART 218 Digital Imaging Studio
  • ART 226 Typography Studio
  • ART 316 Graphic Design I
  • ART 318 Intermediate Digital Imaging
  • ART 325 Visual Communication
  • ART 416 Advanced Graphic Design
  • BID 385 Exploring Conscious Capitalism through Documentary Film Analysis
  • BUS 337 Social Media Strategy (0.5 credits)
  • BUS 338 Digital Inbound Marketing Strategy (0.5 credits)
  • CGE 303 Computer Game Design
  • CGE 315 Web Design and Development
  • CGE 355 Computer Animation and Simulation
  • CGE/DM 401 Three Dimensional Computer Game Design
  • CGE 460 Computer Graphics
  • COM 260 Media Writing
  • COM 305 News Reporting
  • COM 374 Radio Practicum
  • COM 405 Digital Journalism
  • COM 420 Ethics in Communication
  • COM 497 Portfolio Development (0.5 credits)
  • CS/DM 312 Ethics in Digital Technology
  • CS 315 Web Design and Development
  • DM 201 Digital Media Elective
  • DM/CGE 250 Computer 3D Modeling
  • DM/ENG 295 Introduction to Film Studies
  • DM/ART 296 Digital Animation Principles
  • DM/ENG 317 Introduction to Screenwriting
  • DM 301 Cinema and the Soul
  • DM/CGE 305 Introduction to Digital Cinema
  • DM/ART 398 Game and Animation Concept Art
  • DM/CGE 399 Introduction to Video Editing
  • DM/ENG 417 Advanced Writing for Film and Television
  • DM 450 Cinematography
  • DM 492 Independent Study
  • DM/CGE 497 Advanced Film and Media Production
  • ENG 230 Readings in Race, Class, and Gender
  • MUS 290 Digital Music I
  • MUS 291 Digital Music II
  • MUS 332 Production of Sound Recordings
  • MUS 333 Audio Engineering
  • PHL 309 Philosophy of Art
  • REL 252 Movies and God
  • WL 309 World Cinema

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
  • DM 301 Cinema and the Soul
  • DM/ENG 317 Introduction to Screenwriting
  • DM 450 Cinematography
  • ENG 220 Principles of Literary Study
  • ENG 230 Readings in Race, Class and Gender
  • ENG 330 Epics and Stories, Ancients and Modern
  • ENG 335 Women Writers
  • ENG 336 Contemporary Literature: Designated Genres
  • ENG 350 Special Topics
  • ENG 415 Literary Theory
  • CGE 205 Digital Cinema
  • COM 329 Media and Cultural Identity
  • COM 331 Language, Identity and the Rainbow
  • REL 252 Movies and God
  • PHL 309 Philosophy of Art
  • BID 385 Exploring Conscious Capitalism through Documentary Film Analysis

Connect with #elmhurstu