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Eastern’s New Media Studies (NMS) major offers students an innovative program of study that is structured in three tiers. All majors take a core set of classes covering the range of new media theories and practices. Then, students select courses from among five Interdisciplinary Exploration categories, clustered around common themes and spanning several fields of study. Concurrently, students choose one of five concentration areas – Digital Media Design; Communication Media; Computation Media; Multimedia Writing, Form, and Analysis; and Performance Media—as their primary area of study and professional preparation.
All courses incorporate conceptual and hands-on learning to build students’ critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills, and promote development of competencies in digital and print media practices. Particular emphasis is placed on the dynamic, interactive, immersive, and creative applications of digital media forms in order to prepare students to enter careers and meet the challenges of ever-evolving developments in media technologies. Students are encouraged to take internships, and participate in dynamic, cross-disciplinary, creative projects at every level of their academic development.
New Media Studies majors will be prepared for careers in such fields as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality development, Motion Capture, digital motion graphics, game and app design, social media applications for advertising and marketing, digital projections and special effects for live performance, audio/video production, 2-D and 3-D animation, and as creative mixed-media artists working primarily with digital technologies.
New Media Studies students complete 16-19 credits of Core Requirement courses drawn from five disciplines, 15 credits of courses drawn from three Interdisciplinary Explorations categories, 15-17 credits of a chosen concentration, and a capstone course of 3 or 4 credits, for a total of 49-56 credits.
NMS Learning Outcomes
By the time of graduation, students will have acquired the following skills/competences that will be assessed through a combination of methodologies such as essays, exams, and digital portfolios, among others:
| Associate Professor & Co-Director Garrett Dancik Science, Rm. 257 (860) 465-4587 dancikg@easternct.edu |
Associate Professor & Co-Director Jordan Youngblood Webb Hall, Rm. 248 (860) 465-4587 youngbloodj@easternct.edu |
| Computer Science Office Cheryl Le Beau Science, Rm. 168 (860) 465-4510 lebeauc@easternct.edu |
English Department Office Miranda Lau Webb Hall, Rm. 225 (860) 465-4570 laum@easternct.edu |
The Digital Art and Media Design concentration in the Art major familiarizes students with computer skills and graphic design and offers advanced courses in animation, magazine design, illustration, and motion graphics. A minor in Digital Art and Design is also available to non-Art majors.
The Integrated Communication Media concentration in the New Media Studies major prepares students for careers in radio, video and television production. Courses in digital photography and motion graphic design ensure graduates are well-rounded and prepared to succeed in today's workforce.
The Media Computation concentration in the New Media Studies major offers students courses in computer science, programming, data mining, and computer and video game development.
Students in the Multimedia Writing, Form and Analysis concentration in the New Media Studies major learn electronic literature, writing for digital environments, digital game studies and copyright in the digital age.
The Performance Media concentration in the New Media Studies major offers courses and hands-on learning in performance, music, multimedia composition, digital 3-D, and theatre lighting and sound.
