M.A. in Digital Media

Program Description

The M.A. Program in Digital Media at Sam Houston State University focuses on digital media in a multi-platform, multimedia environment. Changes in communication, storytelling, and information technologies are reshaping not only ways in which audiences receive and interpret media, but also the construction and delivery of messages. The union of digital, print, and analog media challenges practitioners to create messages that can reach audiences in multiple ways on many platforms. These practical challenges in a dynamic and changing media landscape offer new opportunities for media education.

The program offers a choice between digital media production and digital media studies. The digital media production emphasis is designed for students who want to create and manage digital media projects, and the digital media studies emphasis is designed for students who want to research and understand digital media.

DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION – Students explore the digital combination of text, graphics, audio and video into engaging stories and interactive environments. Students learn advanced production practices needed to work in executive management and upper-level reporter, producer, filmmaker and creative manager media positions.

DIGITAL MEDIA STUDIES – Students apply mass communication research methods and theories to the study of digital media. Students learn how to critically reflect on digital media practices, audiences, law, policy and products leading to continued studies at the PhD level or to teach at the college level.

Admissions

Students seeking admission to the graduate program in Digital Media must meet the following requirements and submit all documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

Graduate Application
Application fee
An official transcript from the baccalaureate degree granting institution
GRE scores
A 500-word personal statement outlining your goals and objectives for this program.
For Digital Media Production: A digital media portfolio or a link to a digital media portfolio is required. Students without a portfolio or undergraduate coursework in digital media production may need to take additional undergraduate courses as determined by the faculty. Email a link of your portfolio to robin.johnson@shsu.edu if you plan to pursue the emphasis in digital media production.

A holistic review of each student’s application file will be completed on a competitive basis.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts in Digital Studies (Thesis)

Plan 1 - M.A. in Digital Media Studies (Thesis)
Requirement	Options		Hours Required
Specified Courses	Choose all* from:*		24
	MCOM 5300	Digital Media History and Theory
	MCOM 5310	Critical Approaches to Media
	MCOM 5320	Digital Media Law and Ethics
	MCOM 5330	Advanced Digital Writing
	MCOM 5340	Social Media
	MCOM 5350	Topics in Digital Media
	MCOM 5360	Mass Communication Theory
	MCOM 6360	Mass Communication Research Methods
Free Electives	Choose six from any approved graduate courses		6
Thesis	Choose all from:		6
Thesis	MCOM 6098 Thesis		6
Total Hours Needed For Degree:			36

Master of Arts in Digital Media Production (Non-thesis)

Plan 2 - M.A. in Digital Media Studies (Non-Thesis)
Requirement	Options		Hours Required
Specified Courses	Choose all* from:*		21
	MCOM 5300	Digital Media History and Theory
	MCOM 5320	Digital Media Law and Ethics
	MCOM 5330	Advanced Digital Writing
	MCOM 5340	Social Media
	MCOM 6300	Advanced Preproduction
	MCOM 6330	Digital Editing
	MCOM 6373	Digital Video Production
Restricted Electives	Choose one from:		3
	MCOM 5350	Topics in Digital Media
	MCOM 6310	Advanced Multimedia Production
	MCOM 6320	Documentary Scriptwriting
	MCOM 6340	Digital Entrepreneurship
	MCOM 6350	Narrative Scriptwriting
Free Electives	Choose six from any approved graduate courses		6
Thesis	Choose all from:		6
Thesis	MCOM 6099 Thesis Project		6
Total Hours Needed For Degree:			36