The Digital Arts and Culture (DAC) undergraduate certificate is an interdisciplinary degree program, combining courses in the areas of arts, humanities, social sciences, and information studies.
The program aims to empower learning communities by leading students to a variety of opportunities: to develop skills and understanding of new knowledge production and research methods; to operate with confidence as media practitioners and global communicators with a diverse range of media literacies; and to collaborate and contribute as creative problem solvers using digital media in a networked culture.
Students in the Digital Arts & Culture program will be able to:
- Analyze digital and electronic media systems, explaining what these platforms do and how they do it.
- Engage with complex digital issues: online, offline, via ubiquitous computing hardware and software.
- Organize information, both architecturally and visually, structuring software, websites, advertisements, social media, and more.
- Demonstrate hands-on, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary, media production with artists and designers.
Coursework is drawn from three colleges at UWM: College of the Arts & Architecture (specifically the Peck School of the Arts within the College), College of Letters and Science, and the College of Community Engagement & Professions (specifically the School of Information Studies within that college), with an overarching interest in the study and practice of Arts, Information, and Media.
Five categories of courses define the themes of the program:
- Core Culture, introducing students to essential cultural and historical dimensions of Digital Art and network practices.
- Media Systems, providing an overview of media industries.
- Digital Composition, building on the foundations of the 100-level core culture courses, encompassing courses that set out competencies in composing with concepts and tools of digital media for students to achieve.
- Understanding Digital Culture, engaging at the upper levels to analyze more complex systems and issues.
- Practicing the Digital Arts, also engaging at the upper levels, as a means of gaining practical experience organizing and collaborating in media production processes.
Eligibility
The certificate program is open to all students seeking a bachelor's degree from UWM, to students who previously received a bachelor's degree from UWM or any other accredited college or university, and to those who do not plan to pursue a college or university degree (non-degree students) but who have a strong interest in this subject. To be admitted to the university as non-degree students, individuals must meet regular university admission requirements. Students who complete the certificate as part of their undergraduate work are awarded the certificate at the time of graduation. Students already possessing a bachelor's degree and non-degree students receive the certificate upon completion of the program requirements.
Requirements
To obtain the certificate, students must complete a minimum of 24 credits with a GPA of 2.0 or above; at least 9 of these credits must be at the 300 level or above. At least 12 credits must be in courses from the College of Letters and Science, and at least 6 of the L&S credits must be at the 300 level or above. No more than 15 credits from a single curricular area may apply toward satisfaction of the certificate requirements. The following requirements must be met. All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Culture Courses | ||
| Select one of the folllowing: | 3 | |
| Digital Arts: Culture, Theory, Practice | ||
| Internet Culture | ||
| Media Systems Courses | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Entertainment Arts: Film, Television, and the Internet | ||
| Introduction to Information Science and Technology | ||
| Introduction to Mass Media | ||
| Understanding Digital Culture Courses | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Issues in Contemporary Art: | ||
| Human Communication and Technology | ||
| Media and Society: | ||
| Human Factors in Information Seeking and Use | ||
| Media Ethics | ||
| Practicing the Digital Arts Courses | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Web Design | ||
| Writing, Speaking, and Technoscience in the 21st Century | ||
| Introduction to Application Development | ||
| Nonprofit Information Technology (application required before open enrollment) | ||
| Media Graphics | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Electives
Select 12 additional credits from the lists below, including at least 6 credits from Understanding Digital Culture and 6 credits from Practicing the Digital Arts. At least one of these courses should be numbered 300 or above.
Understanding Digital Culture Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Enroll in and complete 6 credits: | ||
| Games and Society | ||
| Anthropology and Popular Culture (if not selected above) | ||
| Cultures of Online Games and Virtual Worlds | ||
| Multicultural America | ||
| Issues in Contemporary Art: (if not selected above) | ||
| History and Theory of New Media Art | ||
| Communication in Organizations | ||
| Human Communication and Technology (if not selected above) | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Entertainment and Politics | ||
| Quantitative Research in Communication | ||
| Organizational Communication Technology | ||
| Rhetoric and the Internet | ||
| Contemporary Problems in Freedom of Speech | ||
| Contemporary Imagination in Literature and the Arts | ||
| Experiencing Literature in the 21st Century: | ||
| Literature and Film: | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Advanced Independent Study | ||
| Entertainment Arts: Film, Television, and the Internet (if not selected above) | ||
| Science Fiction: | ||
| Introduction to Film Studies | ||
| Introduction to Television Studies | ||
| Game Culture | ||
| Topics in Film, Television and Digital Studies: | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| Media and Society: (if specific title not selected above) | ||
| Cinema, Television, and Genre: | ||
| Entertainment Industries: | ||
| Theories of Digital Culture: | ||
| Intermediate Topics in Film and Television Studies: | ||
| Introduction to Global Studies III: Globalization and Technology | ||
| Language, Media, and Social Practice in Global Communications | ||
| Introduction to Information Science and Technology (if not selected above) | ||
| Information Technology Ethics | ||
| Human Factors in Information Seeking and Use (if not selected above) | ||
| Introduction to Systems Analysis | ||
| Legal Aspects of Information Products and Services | ||
| Advanced Topics in Information Science & Technology: | ||
| The Search Engine Society | ||
| Information Technology and Organizations | ||
| Introduction to Mass Media (if not selected above) | ||
| Gender and the Media | ||
| Internet Culture (if not selected above) | ||
| Principles of Media Studies | ||
| News Literacy | ||
| Race and Ethnicity in the Media | ||
| History of Mass Media | ||
| Media Ethics | ||
| Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age | ||
| Media Studies and Culture | ||
Practicing the Digital Arts
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Enroll in and complete 6 credits: | ||
| 2D Studio: Concept, Color and Composition | ||
| Digital Arts: Culture, Theory, Practice (if not selected above) | ||
| Creative Technologies | ||
| Moving Images and Sound in Art & Design | ||
| Introduction to Design | ||
| Introduction to Photography | ||
| Creative Coding: | ||
| Digital Painting | ||
| Creative Interfaces: | ||
| 3D Environments and XR | ||
| Creative Electronics | ||
| Web Design (if not selected above) | ||
| Web Design II | ||
| Digital Media Workshop: | ||
| Topics in Web, Interaction and Screen Design: | ||
| Motion Graphics | ||
| Internship in Digital Arts and Culture, Lower Division | ||
| Internship in Digital Arts and Culture, Upper Division | ||
| Digital Engagement Seminar (only offered in Spring semesters) | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Writing in the Professions: (Writing and Social Media for Careers) | ||
| Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture: | ||
| Writing, Speaking, and Technoscience in the 21st Century (if not selected above) | ||
| Topics in Advanced Communications: | ||
| Rhetoric and Professional Writing | ||
| Technical Documentation | ||
| Project Management for Professional Writers | ||
| Information Design | ||
| Grant Writing | ||
| Digital Filmmaking for Non-Majors | ||
| Foundation Production: Fiction | ||
| Foundation Production: Nonfiction | ||
| Introduction to Digital Arts | ||
| Film Art for Non-Majors | ||
| Experimental Documentary | ||
| Appropriated Media | ||
| Introduction to Geographic Information Science | ||
| Geographic Information Science | ||
| Web Design I | ||
| Web Design II | ||
| Introduction to Application Development | ||
| Data Analysis and Visualization for the Information Professional | ||
| Multimedia Web Design | ||
| Nonprofit Information Technology (if not selected above) | ||
| Electronic Publishing and Web Design | ||
| Internet Culture (if not selected above) | ||
| Media Writing (if not selected above) | ||
| Introduction to Advertising and Public Relations | ||
| Publication Design | ||
| Photojournalism | ||
| Introduction To Video Storytelling | ||
| Audio Storytelling | ||
| Introduction to Digital Documentary | ||
| Media Graphics (if not selected above) | ||
| Introduction to Social Media and Search Engine Optimization | ||
| On-Campus Internship (DAC placement) | ||
| Topics in Social Media: | ||
| Studio Techniques | ||
| Interactive Electronic Music | ||
| Special Studies in Music: (Interactivity and Improvisation) | ||
| Computer Modeling and Graphics for Live Performance | ||
| Sound Production and Digital Editing for Stage and Studio | ||
| Sound Design and Digital Editing | ||
Credits earned at other institutions equivalent to courses in the certificate program may be accepted in partial fulfillment of the program requirements, subject to review by the Certificate Program Committee.