College Schools, Departments & Programs

Media School, The

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

Interactive and Digital Media graduates explore and shape the world through code, data, research, design, and storytelling. Students 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 concentration prepares students to work in teams to produce comprehensive, ready-for-online-publication media artifacts that include online applications with original graphics, photos and video, and interactive data-driven visualization for use by commercial and non-profit organizations.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Design and visualize their creative work as interactive, data-driven documents on the Web platform;
  • Master principles of audience-centered design to maximize the impact and utility of their creative projects;
  • 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;
  • 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; and
  • Evaluate the usability of digital media and adjust their designs based on A/B testing, prototyping, critiquing & play testing. 
Requirements

Many concentration courses have prerequisites. Be sure to take those into consideration when selecting a concentration and planning the degree.

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.

  1. Complete at least 16 credit hours, including at least 9 credit hours at the 300–400 level, divided as follows:
    1. Two (2) courses selected from the following:
      • MSCH-J 360 Journalism Specialties (Approved topic: Web Design)
      • MSCH-G 320 Game Art and Sound
      • INFO-I 210 Information Infrastructure I
    2. Complete each of the following Digital Media Production courses (3 courses):
      • MSCH-J 463 Graphic Design I
      • MSCH-J 362 Journalism Multimedia Storytelling
      • INFO-I 211 Information Infrastructure II
  2. Specialization restrictions: