Interactive Digital Media (BA)

This program is offered by the School of Communications/Media Arts Department and is only available at the St. Louis main campus.

Program Description

The BA in Interactive Digital Media is a versatile and career-focused production-based degree program that gives students the creative problem-solving skills to build a variety of interactive experiences and push web-based enterprises to the next level. Students apply user-centered design principles, professional media production techniques and web-based programming languages to develop websites, apps, interactive exhibits and casual games.

Learning Outcomes

Successful graduates of this program will be able to:

• Conduct user and market research to inform proposed solutions.
• Produce clear and compelling visual representations of the design and structure of interactive applications using flowcharts, wireframes and prototypes. 
• Program interactivity using core web languages.
• Assess the effectiveness of interactive applications using data analytics, A/B testing, prototyping, and critiquing, and propose thoughtful solutions.
• Demonstrate facility with multiple forms of media (graphics, audio, video, animation, photo) and their associated software.

Degree Requirements

For information on the general requirements for a degree, see Baccalaureate Degree Requirements under the Academic Policies and Information section of this catalog.

• 51 required credit hours
• Applicable University Global Citizenship Program hours
• Electives

Required Courses

• DESN 1210 Design Concepts (3 hours)
• EPMD 1000 Introduction to Media Production (3 hours)
• MDST 1010 Media Foundations (3 hours)
• INTM 1600 Introduction to Interactive Digital Media (3 hours)
• EPMD 1001 Introduction to Adobe Photoshop (1 hour)
• EPMD 1002 Introduction to Adobe Illustrator (1 hour)
• EPMD 1101 Introduction to WordPress (1 hour)
• INTM 2200 Visual Design for Interactive Media (3 hours)
• COAP 2000 Introduction to Web Programming (3 hours)
  or INTM 3100 Introduction to Web Development (3 hours)
• DESN 3500 UI/UX (3 hours)
• INTM 3050 Information Visualization (3 hours)
• INTM 4200 User Experience Design in Theory and Practice (3 hours)
• MDST 3100 Social Media Strategies & Tactics (3 hours)
  or ADVT 3600 Social Media Content and Development (3 hours)
• ADVT 3700 Introduction to Digital Marketing Analytics (3 hours)
• MDST 2500 Professional Development for Media Careers (3 hours)
• ADVT 4040 Advertising Production (3 hours)
  or ADVT 4910 Advertising Campaign Production (
  or FTVP 3500 Production House (3 hours)
  or MDST 4950 Internship* (3 hours)

*Capstone Course

Skill Electives

A minimum of 9 credit hours should be taken from the following: 

• INTM 3150 Special Topics (3 hours)
• DESN 2200 Design Play (3 hours)
• DESN 2300 Type Dialogues (3 hours)
• DESN 3200 Design Theory and Methods (3 hours)
• ART 3060 Text and Image (3 hours)
• COAP 2100 Web Technology Principles (3 hours)
• COAP 2130 Web Scripting (3 hours)
• COAP 2190 Mobile Web Design (3 hours)
• COAP 3000 Advanced Web Scripting (3 hours)
• COAP 3110 Interactive Site Development (3 hours)
• COAP 3120 Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) (3 hours)
• COAP 3200 Advanced Web Programming (3 hours)
• COSC 2070 Introduction to Mobile Technology (3 hours)
• GAME 1500 Introduction to Video Game Design (3 hours)
• GAME 1000 Analog Game Design (3 hours)
• GAME 3000 Video Game Design I (3 hours)
• GAME 4000 Video Game Level Design (3 hours)
• GAME 4500 Video Game Design II (3 hours)
• CSIS 1500 Introduction to Business Technologies (3 hours)
• CSIS 2300 Electronic Commerce (3 hours)
• MNGT 2700 Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (3 hours)
• MNGT 3740 Global Entrepreneurship (3 hours)
• ANIM 2200 3D Modeling (3 hours)
• ANIM 3200 3D Animation and Rigging (3 hours)
• ANIM 4400 Photorealistic 3D Animation (3 hours)

Although any combination of these courses can be taken to fulfill the skills elective degree requirements, courses can be grouped by the following areas for students who want to focus on a particular aspect of interactive digital media:

User Experience Design

• DESN 2200 Design Play (3 hours)
• DESN 2300 Type Dialogues (3 hours)
• DESN 3200 Design Theory and Methods (3 hours)
• ART 3060 Text and Image (3 hours)

Web and App Development

• COAP 2100 Web Technology Principles (3 hours)
• COAP 2130 Web Scripting (3 hours)
• COAP 2190 Mobile Web Design (3 hours)
• COAP 3000 Advanced Web Scripting (3 hours)
• COAP 3110 Interactive Site Development (3 hours)
• COAP 3120 Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) (3 hours)
• COAP 3200 Advanced Web Programming (3 hours)
• COSC 2070 Introduction to Mobile Technology (3 hours)

Game Design

• GAME 1500 Introduction to Video Game Design (3 hours)
• GAME 1000 Analog Game Design (3 hours)
• GAME 3000 Video Game Design I (3 hours)
• GAME 4000 Video Game Level Design (3 hours)
• GAME 4500 Video Game Design II (3 hours)

Online Business/Entrepreneurship 

• CSIS 1500 Introduction to Business Technologies (3 hours)
• CSIS 2300 Electronic Commerce (3 hours)
• MNGT 2700 Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (3 hours)
• MNGT 3740 Global Entrepreneurship (3 hours)

Virtual and Augmented Reality

• ANIM 2000 3D Modeling (3 hours)
• ANIM 3200 3D Animation and Rigging (3 hours)
• ANIM 4400 Photorealistic 3D Animation (3 hours)