Digital Studies Graduate Certificate
Introduction
From social media and mobile phones to the algorithms in self-driving cars, digital and information technologies are everywhere. The Digital Studies Certificate provides both degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking post-baccalaureate students with the opportunity to investigate the relationships between new communication technologies and society and to develop skills creating digital media messages and products. Students who attend any CU Denver school or college, or others who have BA degrees in any discipline are welcome.
Social sciences and humanities students can use this certificate to develop and demonstrate their technical skills, while science and engineering students can use it to build expertise in understanding the social and cultural aspects of new technologies.
Degree-seeking graduate students, or non-degree seeking post-baccalaureate students
Students who earn the Digital Studies Certificate will be able to demonstrate to a wide range of potential employers or graduate schools that they have both technical skills and the ability to critically analyze new media.
Students who successfully complete the Digital Studies Certificate will be able to:
- Describe and analyze the relationships between digital media and their cultural, social, political, and ethical contexts
- Use digital media to communicate messages to a variety of audiences
- Use digital media to solve problems in a range of disciplines and situations
- Use digital media and related analytical skills as career-building tools
Program Delivery
- This is a hybrid program, with courses on-campus and online.
Admissions and Declaring this Certificate
- Eligibility: CU Denver graduate students in any discipline can enroll in the program at any point in their graduate studies. Non-degree-seeking students with who have a bachelor's degree in any discipline are welcome to apply.
- The Certificate can be earned as a stand-alone University certificate, or it can be applied to a current or future degree program.
- CLAS's Interdisciplinary Studies program sponsors the certificate, and the CLAS Director of Digital Initiatives will provide advising and administrative management.
- Any student wishing to declare the Digital Studies Certificate should schedule a certificate advising appointment with the CLAS Director of Digital Initiatives in order to register their intent to pursue it and to develop a curriculum plan.
- Application Procedures: Students enrolled in any CU Denver graduate program are encouraged to apply for the Digital Studies Certificate at any point in their studies. To apply, students in degree programs should print and complete a Digital Studies Certificate Application and submit it to the CLAS Director of Digital Initiatives. Non-degree-seeking students should also submit an official transcript from their undergraduate programs.
- Students who are not already enrolled at CU Denver must also complete an online Application for Non-Degree Admission prior to registering for courses.
These program requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their Digital Studies advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.
Graduate Education Policies and Procedures apply to this program.
Certificate Requirements
- Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours of required courses chosen from the approved courses in each cluster: one course (three credits) from each of the three clusters (for a total of nine credits), plus the remaining three credits from any one of the three clusters.
- Students must complete a minimum of nine graduate level (5000 or above) credit hours in approved coursework.
- Students must earn a minimum grade of B (3.0) in all courses that apply to the certificate and must achieve a minimum cumulative certificate GPA of 3.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to certificate requirements.
- Students must complete all credits applied to the certificate with CU Denver faculty.
Digital Studies Certificate Course Clusters
- Theory and Analysis: Courses in this cluster focus on theorizing, explaining, and describing the relationships between digital, media, and communication technologies and society. They enable students to critically assess and analyze digital media and information, such as understanding the biases in seemingly neutral Google search results or examining how people use Twitter to build social movements
- Digital Media Production: Courses in this cluster focus on developing hands-on skills in the use of digital, media, and communication technologies. They provide opportunities for students to develop their skills with a variety of digital tools, such as digital photography, mapping, and social media management.
- Integration: Courses in this cluster bring together both understanding and using digital, media, and communication technologies.
Other courses may apply to each cluster with the approval of the Director of Digital Initiatives certificate advisor.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one course (three credits) from each of the three clusters (for a total of nine credits), plus three elective credits from any one of the three clusters. | ||
Courses must come from at least two different subject codes. | ||
| Complete one of the following Theory and Analysis cluster courses: | 3 | |
| Information Systems Strategy | ||
| New Media and Society | ||
| Queer Media Studies | ||
| Topics in Communication (topic must be pre-approved by director) | ||
| Technologies of Writing | ||
| Launching Innovative Digital Businesses | ||
| Games and Learning | ||
| Critical Digital Pedagogy | ||
| Trends and Issues in Learning Design and Technology | ||
| Philosophy of Media and Technology | ||
| Complete one of the following Digital Media Production cluster courses: | 3 | |
| Advanced Topics in Writing, Rhetoric, & Linguistics (topic must be pre-approved by director) | ||
| Introduction to GIS | ||
| Cartography | ||
| Designing Online Learning Experiences | ||
| Learning with Digital Stories | ||
| Developing Self-Paced Online Modules | ||
| Producing Media for Learning | ||
| 3D Design, Computation and Prototyping | ||
| Computational Foundations of Innovation | ||
| Complete one of the following Integration cluster courses: | 3 | |
| Special Topics in Medical Anthropology | ||
| Digital Health Narratives | ||
| Advanced Topics in Writing, Rhetoric, & Linguistics (topic must be pre-approved by director) | ||
| Introduction to Digital Studies | ||
| Working With Data | ||
| Creative Designs for Instructional Materials | ||
| Human-Centered Design, Innovation and Prototyping | ||
| Inworks: Choose Your Own Adventure: Experiences in Design, Innovation and Prototyping | ||
| Data Science for Innovators | ||
| Innovation and Society | ||
| Strategic Communications for Public Engagement | ||
| Complete one additional course from any one of the three course clusters. | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.