Departments & Programs

The Media School

B.A. in Media
Interactive and Digital Media Concentration
Purpose

Interactive and Digital Media graduates will explore and shape the world through code, data, research, design, and storytelling. Students will leave the program with a solid grasp of Web and mobile technologies, powerful design skills, and an appreciation of the context in which digital media storytelling is created. The track concludes with a capstone experience in which students work in teams to produce a complete, ready-for-online-publication media artifact including an online application with original graphics, photos and video, interactive data-driven visualization for a non-profit organization.

Students will be able to

  • design and visualize their creative work as interactive, data-driven documents on the Web platform. (Designing for an experience)
  • master principles of audience-centered design to maximize the impact and utility of their creative projects. (Creative Inquiry and Civic Engagement)
  • work in (or contribute to) creative teams effectively. They will be able to speak intelligently to colleagues with other areas of expertise, and to constructively critique the work of others. (Teamwork)
  • demonstrate familiarity with basic tools (for example, Web development languages, version control, Adobe Design Suite), be able to solve technical problems and know how and where to seek information for emerging tools and technologies. (Technical Skills)
  • evaluate the usability of digital media and adjust their designs based on A/B testing, prototyping, critiquing & play testing. (Data-Driven Evaluation)
Interactive and Digital Media Concentration Requirements

Courses required for the Interactive and Digital Media (IDM) concentration emphasize four key components: Web platform, design, data, and programming. Students interested in the IDM concentration must complete MSCH-C 226 Visual Communication to fulfill the Making Media core requirement.

Students pursuing the Digital and Interactive Media concentration will develop foundational digital literacy in the 12 credit hours of related Introductory and Core courses in "Making," "Managing," and "Thinking." Courses required for the Digital and Interactive Media concentration will emphasize four key components: Web platform, design, data, and programming.

1. The Interactive and Digital Media concentration consists of 16-17 credits, divided as follows:

6–7 credit hours of Digital Media Skills coursework (choose two):

  • MSCH-J 360 Journalism Specialties (Approved topic: Web Design)
  • MSCH-G 320 Game Art and Sound
  • INFO-I 210 Information Infrastructure I (4 cr.)

10 credit hours of Digital Media Production coursework (complete all three):

  • MSCH-J 463 Graphic Design I
  • MSCH-J 362 Journalism Multimedia Storytelling
  • INFO-I 211 Information Infrastructure II (4 cr.)
2.  One 9 credit hour Digital and Interactive Media-approved specialization (Web).

Web

  • CSCI-A 348 Mastering the World Wide Web
  • INFO-I 300 HCI/Interaction Design
  • INFO-I 308 Information Representation
  • MSCH-J 360 Journalism Specialties (Approved topic: The New Privacy)
  • MSCH-V 334 Current Topics in Media (Approved topics only)
  • MSCH-V 401 Senior Seminar in Media (Approved topics only)