Digital Studies Undergraduate 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 students with the opportunity to investigate the relationships between new communication technologies and society and to develop skills creating digital media messages and products.
Social sciences and humanities majors 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. Students from any CU Denver school or college 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:
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Describe and analyze the relationships between digital media and their cultural, social, political, and ethical contexts
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Use digital media to communicate messages to a variety of audiences
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Use digital media to solve problems in a range of disciplines and situations
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Use digital media and related analytical skills as career-building tools
Program Delivery
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This is a hybrid program, with courses on-campus and online.
Declaring This Certificate
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Eligibility: CU Denver students in any discipline can enroll in the program at any point in their undergraduate studies.
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CLAS's Interdisciplinary Studies program sponsors the certificate, and the CLAS Director of Digital Initiatives will provide advising and administrative management.
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Application Procedures: Students are encouraged to apply for the Digital Studies Certificate at any point in their undergraduate studies. To apply, students should print and complete a Digital Studies Certificate Application and submit it to the CLAS Director of Digital Initiatives.
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For questions about the Digital Studies Undergraduate Certificate contact Dr. John Tinnell (John.Tinnell@UCDenver.edu).
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.
General Requirements
Students must satisfy all requirements as outlined below and by the department offering the certificate.
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Certificate Requirements
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Students must complete a minimum of 12 credits 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.
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Students must complete a minimum of six upper division (3000-level and above) credits, taken from the approved courses below.
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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.
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Students must complete all credits applied to the certificate with CU Denver faculty.
Certificate Restriction, Allowances and Recommendations
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The certificate will be awarded when a student graduates with the bachelor's degree.
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Co-curricular requirement: Students must attend at least three Career Center sessions, which can include events, workshops, or one-on-one appointments.
Digital Studies Certificate Course Clusters
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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
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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.
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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 | |
| Exploring Culture through Social Media | ||
| Information Systems Strategy | ||
| Digital Democracy | ||
| Media and Society | ||
| Communication, Media, and Sex | ||
| Queer Media Studies | ||
| New Media and Society | ||
| Introduction to Writing & Digital Studies | ||
| Launching Innovative Digital Businesses | ||
| Video Games, Story and Society | ||
| Introduction to Mapping and Map Analysis | ||
| Digital Teaching and Learning | ||
| Games and Learning | ||
| Technology In Business | ||
| Music and Entertainment Business in the Digital Age | ||
| Philosophy of Media and Technology | ||
| From Killer Apps to Killer Bots: Technology and Social Change | ||
| Complete one of the following Digital Media Production cluster courses: | 3 | |
| New Media Production and Management | ||
| Media Writing Skills | ||
| Digital Writing and Storytelling | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Advanced Topics in Writing, Rhetoric, & Linguistics (topic must be pre-approved by director) | ||
| Multimedia in the Community | ||
| Digital 3D Foundations | ||
| Animation Foundations | ||
| Introduction to Digital Photography | ||
| Introduction to Digital Design | ||
| Introduction to Digital Art & Imaging | ||
| Designing for Web and Mobile Apps | ||
| Digital Painting | ||
| Introduction to GIS | ||
| Cartography | ||
| Learning with Digital Stories | ||
| Developing Self-Paced Online Modules | ||
| Producing Media for Learning | ||
| Fundamentals of Computational Innovation | ||
| 3D Design, Computation and Prototyping | ||
| Complete one of the following Integration cluster courses: | 3 | |
| Special Topics in Medical Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Strategic Communication | ||
| Social Media for Social Change | ||
| Digital Health Narratives | ||
| Advanced Topics in Writing, Rhetoric, & Linguistics (topic must be pre-approved by director) | ||
| Technologies of Writing | ||
| Introduction to Digital Studies | ||
| Working With Data | ||
| Creative Designs for Instructional Materials | ||
| Business Problem Solving Tools | ||
| 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.