Both the bachelor's and master's degrees in Digital Media Studies integrate three foundational areas of study: the design, the technical, and the critical. DMS students are required to take foundation coursework in each area, as well as advanced courses in each area. Students will then be allowed to take further advanced coursework in their particular areas of interest. Both degrees also provide opportunities for students to synthesize the three areas in work created through opportunities for advisor-directed projects, workshops, outreach, work/study positions, and internships.

Design | Course Descriptions
The design tradition in digital media studies evolves primarily out of a variety of studio art practices, infused by the growing discourse and production in electronic Media Arts Design. Design courses offer DMS students a chance to work closely with art faculty in the areas of digital video, game design, net.art, interactive media, interface design, electronic and digital installations, semiotics, branding, social design, and much more. The area provides students with important experience that will guide their approach to aesthetics and design of a rich variety of media objects and experiences.

Technical | Course Descriptions
Technical courses in digital media provide students with production and programming opportunities in a variety of formats. Course are drawn both from Mass Communications and Computer Science curriculum, including 3D modeling and animation, game programming, multimedia authoring, digital audio production, video field production, operating systems, and server-side programming. This area builds a crucial understanding of the hardware and software that our students use - their design, their potential, their limitations - so that they may optimize technologies' potential in their quest for effective and innovative forms of expression.

Critical | Course Descriptions
The critical foundations of digital media come from the broad academic tradition of the liberal arts, humanities, and social sciences. Few scholarly disciplines have avoided the impact of digital technologies, and our critical thread of courses gives students an opportunity to discuss the histories and effects of digital media from a variety of perspectives. Courses cover communication law and theory, media studies, new media journalism, philosophical and theological approaches to digital media, consciousness studies, and more. Coursework in this area distinguishes students as not just accomplished artists and technicians, but also as responsible, ethical and self-reflective producers and users of digital media.

Other |
DMST 3980: Digital Media Studies Internship
DMST 3991: Independent Study
DMST 4800: Thesis
DMST 4850: DMST Research Methods
DMST 4900: DMST M.A. Project
DMST 4991: Graduate Independent Study