Explore the intersections of technology, creativity and artistry with a focus on audio, video and web-based media.
What is digital media?
Digital media is a highly interdisciplinary field with foundations in the theory and ethics of media technologies. Students explore the design and technology of modern digital media content and learn how to create audio, visual and web-based content. Digital media attracts both creative-minded and tech-savvy students, preparing them with the skills and experience for success in the industry.
Why study digital media at UNH Manchester?
The communication arts: digital media option combines media interests with computing skills, exploring topics like audio and video production, social media and public relations, ethics and law in the digital age, motion graphics, web authoring and multimedia. Through coursework and hands-on learning in our editing studios, digital media students examine the intersections of technology, creativity and artistry with a focus on audio, video and web-based media. Students gain a comprehensive overview of the different stages of a digital media project, from writing and pre-production to production and post-production. Through a required internship, students gain the real-world media experience that employers and graduate schools look for.
Potential careers
- Corporate communications manager
- Creative media specialist
- Digital marketing specialist/manager
- Digital video producer/editor
- Independent videographer
- Motion graphics artist
- Multimedia artist
- Social media coordinator/manager
- Web content specialist
Curriculum & Requirements
For more information, contact Jeff Klenotic, program coordinator or contact the UNH Manchester Office of Admissions, (603) 641-4150.
This degree plan is a sample and does not reflect the impact of transfer credit or current course offerings. UNH Manchester undergraduate students will develop individual academic plans with their professional advisor during the first year at UNH.
Sample Course Sequence
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| UMST 401 or UMST 402 | First Year Seminar or Transfer Seminar | 1-2 |
| ENGL 401 | First-Year Writing | 4 |
| CMN 455 | Introduction to Media Studies | 4 |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 17-18 | |
| Spring | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning | 4 | |
| CMN 456 | Propaganda and Persuasion | 4 |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| CMN 457 | Introduction to Language and Social Interaction | 4 |
| Major Elective | 4 | |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Major Elective | 4 | |
| Major Elective | 4 | |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Major Elective | 4 | |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| Major Elective | 4 | |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Major Elective | 4 | |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| Major Elective | 4 | |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Total Credits | 129-130 | |
Degree Requirements
All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.
Major Requirements
Students must complete all of the Communication Arts major requirements and will work with their academic advisor to select courses that also satisfy option requirements.
Digital Media Option Requirements
The option in Digital Media consists of 24 credits as distributed below. Note that some courses may also be used to fulfill the requirements of the Communication Arts major. Courses applied to the option must be completed with a minimum grade of C- and overall GPA of 2.0. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 12 credits, including the Digital Media Internship, at UNH Manchester.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| I. Select three of the following (one must be COMP): | 12 | |
COMP 405 | Introduction to Web Design and Development | |
COMP 415 | Mobile Computing First and For Most | |
CA 500 | Media Writing | |
CA 514 | Fundamentals of Video Production | |
CA 515 | Advanced Video Production | |
CA 517 | Fundamentals of Audio Prod | |
CA 518 | Advanced Topics in Digital Media Production | |
| II. Select one of the following: | 4 | |
CA 531 | History and Organization of Advertising | |
CA 540 | Public Relations | |
CA 542 | Social Media for Organizations and Business | |
COMP 560 | Ethics and the Law in the Digital Age | |
| III. Select one of the following: | 4 | |
CA 610 | Communication Technologies and Culture | |
CA 720 | Seminar 1 | |
CA 795 | Independent Study 1 | |
| IV. Complete one, four-credit Digital Media Internship with advisor approval | ||
| CA 501 | Internship/Communication in the Urban Community 1 | 4 |
| Total Credits | 24 | |
- 1
Topic must be related to digital media
Upon completion of the Communication Arts program, students will be able to:
- Analyze how creativity, artistry, narrative, identity, persuasion, and ethics shape messages and relationships produced within a variety of social, organizational, and industry contexts.
- Demonstrate knowledge and skills that give them expertise and proficiency in areas such as human relations, social media, digital video, audio production, graphic design, writing, and speaking.
- Know the history of communication practices and understand how media technologies and messages have impacted societies, cultures, organizations, and businesses.
- Effectively research and creatively explore communication practices, experiences, and trends using high quality sources of information, multiple modes of inquiry, and multiple presentation formats.
- Identify professional interests or career paths by working with the Internship and Career Planning Office and by engaging with communication settings outside the classroom through internships, service learning, field trips, and independent studies.
Explore Program Details
As a communication arts major, you’ll have access to state-of-the-art sound recording and video production studios, a high-definition editing lab and a brand-new digital media screening room with surround sound.
From script to screen, bring your work to life in our state-of-the-art video studio and editing lab. Explore the artistry of digital media with high-definition cameras, green screen technology and industry standard editing software.
The audio studio gives you the tools to record, edit and produce your original projects. Equipped with a digital recording booth, editing stations, control room and more, the studio is your haven for both audio and video production.
Our campus is in the heart of the region’s cultural, economic, entertainment and government activity — putting unlimited internship opportunities at your doorstep. We’ve partnered with local businesses to give you the real-world experience that sets you apart. Communication arts majors have interned at many high-profile organizations in the area, including:
- Granite United Way
- NH1 News Network
- New Hampshire Public Radio
- N.H. Department of Environmental Services
- Verizon Wireless Arena
- WMUR-TV
Communication arts majors gain the interpersonal and communication skills that employers in all industries look for. With a highly flexible curriculum and the ability to personalize your studies, your communication arts degree will open doors to unlimited career and graduate education opportunities.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects positive growth in many communications-related professions between 2012 and 2024. Make an impact with career possibilities in any industry, from media to healthcare, education, counseling and beyond.
| Job Title | Job Growth | Average Salary |
| Advertising, Promotions or Marketing | 9% | $124,850 |
| Film/Video Editor or Camera Operator | 11% | $58,900 |
| Graphic Designer | 1% | $46,900 |
| Multimedia Artist or Animator | 6% | $63,970 |
| Producer or Director | 9% | $68,440 |
| Writer or Author | 2% | $60,250 |
Add breadth to your degree with a communication arts minor, giving you the interpersonal and communication skills that will set you apart to employers in any industry.
In partnership with the New Hampshire community colleges below, we've developed curriculum guides to show you which courses at your community college will transfer into UNH Manchester's communication arts program.
Click on a community college below to see transferable communication arts requirements.
Questions? Contact an admission counselor for help.
Program News
