Digital Media

What it’s about:

Digital media is an interdisciplinary major that combines new communication technology with art, business, English and computer science. A degree in digital media prepares you to develop and manage digital communications media for a wide range of applications.

What the study of this major is like:

Digital media blends theoretical and applied concepts. The major requires you to develop skills in many different areas, some of which will be new to you when you begin college. Few high school students are familiar with the complete digital media field, including the computer programming, graphics, business, and writing topics that most colleges teach in this major.

Early on in your first semester, you should be ready to do a lot of reading in your studies. Although a digital media program has many hand-on applications, the theory behind the field comes from your readings. Most programs teach only basic math; they focus, instead, on creative projects. Because you take fewer math courses than computer science and engineering majors, the digital media course load is generally more manageable.

You do much of the creative work-writing, art, and media programming-in a computer lab. Here you transform an idea into a completed project. Other ways of approaching digital media, such as from business, law, and ethics perspectives, are usually presented in a lecture or discussion format. Students are sometimes stressed by the amount of creative projects they are expected to complete in a semester. Developing texts, graphics, and media programs for several courses can be a strain, especially for students who are not used to using computers as instruments for stimulating the imagination.

Because digital media is an emerging field, content of majors varies among colleges. Many colleges teach only visual and written components; they focus on the design of a communication instead of its technology or commercial elements. Some colleges combine technology andcommercial elements into a program that stresses business technology. Other schools do not treat the program as interdisciplinary and offer it form the art department, with an emphasis on graphic design.

Career options and trends:

Multimedia designer; information architect; web site content manager;e-business analyst; graphic artist; public relations manager; technology support specialist; sales and marketing specialist; Webmaster; e-business manager.

Some technology positions need network or application certifications that are relevant to the type of products the company uses or installs.

There is demand for digital media specialists in all areas where communication is a primary function-marketing, public relations, advertising, government, education, the arts-but to be successful requires an understanding of the need s of business and the commercial world.

Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors