►  Graduate School Policies and Procedures  apply to this program. 

Introduction

From social media and mobile phones to the algorithms in self-driving cars, digital and information technologies are everywhere. The Digital Studies Certificate provides both degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking post-baccalaureate students with the opportunity to investigate the relationships between new communication technologies and society and to develop skills creating digital media messages and products. Students who attend any CU Denver school or college, or others who have BA degrees in any discipline are welcome.

Social sciences and humanities students can use this certificate to develop and demonstrate their technical skills, while science and engineering students can use it to build expertise in understanding the social and cultural aspects of new technologies.

Degree-seeking graduate students, or non-degree seeking post-baccalaureate students

Students who earn the Digital Studies Certificate will be able to demonstrate to a wide range of potential employers or graduate schools that they have both technical skills and the ability to critically analyze new media.

Students who successfully complete the Digital Studies Certificate will be able to:

• Describe and analyze the relationships between digital media and their cultural, social, political, and ethical contexts
• Use digital media to communicate messages to a variety of audiences
• Use digital media to solve problems in a range of disciplines and situations
• Use digital media and related analytical skills as career-building tools

Program Delivery

• This is a hybrid program, with courses on-campus and online.

Admissions and Declaring this Certificate

• Eligibility: CU Denver graduate students in any discipline can enroll in the program at any point in their graduate studies. Non-degree-seeking students with who have a bachelor degree in any discipline are welcome to apply.
• The Certificate can be earned as a stand-alone University certificate, or it can be applied to a current or future degree program.
• CLAS’s Interdisciplinary Studies program sponsors the certificate, and the CLAS Director of Digital Initiatives will provide advising and administrative management.
• Any student wishing to declare the Digital Studies Certificate should schedule a certificate advising appointment with the CLAS Director of Digital Initiatives in order to register their intent to pursue it and to develop a curriculum plan.
• Application Procedures: Students enrolled in any CU Denver graduate program are encouraged to apply for the Digital Studies Certificate at any point in their studies. To apply, students in degree programs should print and complete a Digital Studies Certificate Application and submit it to the CLAS Director of Digital Initiatives. Non-degree-seeking students should also submit an official transcript from their undergraduate programs.
• Students who are not already enrolled at CU Denver must also complete an online Application for Non-Degree Admission prior to registering for courses.
• Individuals who are not currently admitted students seeking the graduate Public, Nonprofit, and Community Leadership Certificate would use the “quick admit” feature online or the extended studies admissions form previously developed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

General Requirements

• Click here  for information about Academic Policies

Program Requirements

1. A minimum of 12 hours of required credits: 1 course (3 credits) from each of the 3 clusters (for a total of 9 credits), plus the remaining 3 credits from any one of the three clusters. At least 9 credits must be in graduate-level courses. (See below for courses in the three clusters.)
2. To obtain the certificate, a student must achieve a 3.0 GPA average in all approved Digital Studies courses.
3. Credits applied to the certificate must be earned at CU Denver.
4. The certificate will be awarded when a student graduates with a bachelor’s degree.