Level-up your digital content creation skills. This certificate is Ideal for artists, designers, educators and professionals in a range of fields.
Program Start: Spring 2025
How to Enroll: Register for a class
Program Length: 1 year (Part-time)
Location: 100% Online
Cost: $4,600
MassArt’s Digital Media Certificate is a one-year, non-credit program offering courses in photography and video production and post-production, animation, and experience design.
Students craft a customized program, choosing from concentrations in Lens-Based Media (focusing on digital photography and video) and Experience Design (including classes in coding languages, digital design, object design, and mixed reality).
Concentrations
The Lens+Time-Based Media Concentration develops strong foundational skills in digital photography and video, with the option to explore modes of lens-based storytelling ranging from traditional documentary film to virtual reality (VR) video experiences.
The Experience Design track creates fluency in various modes of visual communication, from web broadcast to interactive object-making.
Foundational Courses
To successfully complete the program, all students must have foundational digital literacy skills. These skills are covered in two required courses. However, students who can demonstrate proficiency may be exempt and instead take additional electives in any area of Digital Media.
- Digital Fluency (or equivalent skills) – Offered Summer Only
- Digital Making (or equivalent skills) – Offered Summer Only
Lens-Based Media (Photography and Video) Focus
Students interested in both Digital Photography and Video may opt for a Lens-Based Media focus that builds skills in both of these increasingly connected areas. Students who come to the program with foundational digital literacy skills may be exempt from one or both of the foundational requirements, opening the opportunity for more elective courses in any area of digital media.
Courses Include:
- Digital Photography: The Camera (Offered Fall and Spring)
- Digital Photography: Post-Production (Offered Fall and Spring)
- Digital Video: Camera + Sound (Offered Fall and Spring)
- Digital Video: Editing + Post-Production (Offered Fall and Spring)
- Lens-Based (Photography or Video) Elective
- Additional Open Elective (if exempt from Digital Fluency)
- Additional Open Elective (if exempt from Digital Making)
- Capstone: Digital Media Portfolio
Experience Design Focus
Students interested in Experience Design explore the basics of this wide-ranging field including media basics and design principles. Elective blocks offer the freedom to explore specific interests more deeply, including Mixed Reality, AI, Data Visualization, and Interactive Art. Students who come to the program with foundational digital literacy skills may be exempt from one or both of the foundational requirements, opening the opportunity for more elective courses in any area of digital media.
Courses Include:
- Digital Media + Design (Offered Fall only)
- Intro to Experience Design (Offered Spring Only)
- The Language of Code (Offered Fall and Spring)
- Experience Design Elective
- Experience Design Elective
- Additional Open Elective (if exempt from Digital Fluency)
- Additional Open Elective (if exempt from Digital Making)
- Capstone: Digital Media Portfolio
Sample Elective Courses
- Digital Compositing and Collage
- Data Visualization
- Interactive Video
- Advanced Projects in Lens-based Media
- Design for 3D Printing
- Introduction to AI and Machine Learning
- Responsive Objects
- Introduction to Max/MSP
- Intro to VR: Unity
- Websites for Artists and Makers
- Gain and hone digital skills, including a detailed understanding of basic hardware, operating systems, and file management/backups.
- Gain professional skills in digital photography and video production.
- Build skills and agility in digital photography and video post-production using industry-standard software and techniques.
- Understand the varied meanings and facets of Experience Design.
- Learn the language of coding for digital design and interactive artmaking.
- Use coding languages to create interactive artworks and applications.
- Gain an understanding of contemporary trends in media art and design, in relation to the student’s own practice and goals.
- Expand an existing tactile/analog art practice to include digital tools and techniques.
- Build a professional portfolio for further education or professional development.
- Professional development for marketing, social media, and visual storytelling.
Program Costs and Enrollment
Each 7-week class costs: $575
Total cost: $4600
Three-credit classes: $1413.
Supplies: Costs vary. See FAQ answer for more information.
Choose “Workshop and Enroll in Certificate Program” when you register for any Digital Media class to enroll in the certificate program.
FAQs
No. You pay “as you go”—when you register for a course, you’ll pay for that class.
This program is not eligible for financial aid.
The certificate can be completed in one calendar year, or can be spread out over a longer period (18 months to 2.5 years) for students who wish to move at a slower pace.
Students should have a home computer with a minimum of 8G RAM (16-32G is ideal), a webcam, and a stable internet connection. Students focusing on Photography and Video should consider investing in a DSLR or mirrorless camera (recommendations can be made by the Program Director based on student budget and goals). For advanced lens-based media classes, students may be encouraged to invest in additional accessories including high-speed memory cards, external lighting units, and microphones, if their goals include professional commercial photography and video production.
The Digital Media Certificate may be completed online with no in-person coursework, and all foundational and other required classes are offered online only. However, several in-person classes offered on-campus satisfy the elective requirements for the certificate.
For each individual 7-week class, students should expect to spend 1-3 hours working outside of scheduled class time each week.
Students who are already working digitally may be exempted from Digital Fluency, by providing the Program Director with background information and completing a short online exemption survey that demonstrates requisite knowledge. The same is true for Digital Making, though exemption from this foundational class is generally for students with a strong digital background and practice.
Cost of materials varies widely depending on the individual student’s interests, concentration, and goals. Equipment investment is generally optional, though students working toward a professional career in lens-based media will be encouraged to consider investing in camera equipment, with the guidance of the Program Director.
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