Digital Media and Design
Design a Better Digital Experience
What jobs can you do with a
digital media and design degree?
Make a living as a digital designer and practice your passion in any of these career areas:
Architecture Design
Graphic Designer
User Experience (UX) Designer
User Interface (UI) Designer
Digital Strategist
Web Designer
What's the Difference?
- DWU is the only university in South Dakota that teaches UI and UX design.
- Choose from a graphic design, web design, digital marketing or architecture and design concentration.
- Work in our student-centered 24-hour design lab.
- Assist real-life business owners with creating social media plans.
- Organizations love to hire DWU grads! Find a creative, fulfilling job with a large regional corporation: Innovative Systems, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Sanford, Furniture Mart USA, and others.
Perks
You will have 24-hour access to our cutting-edge labs to ensure you can learn on your schedule. Digital Media and Design majors also enjoy free subscriptions to software that can be installed on your own devices. Graduates are prepared for a smooth transition right into a professional design job upon graduation.
Internships and Hands-on Experience
You will have an opportunity to intern, or complete other outside-the-classroom learning. An internship will allow you to work alongside businesses and organization in the region to develop business-used projects and build authentic client-designer relationships before you graduate.
- Participate in Dark Lab, our student-run creative agency. Build your portfolio by working with local organizations and on-campus departments for their design and marketing needs.
- Explore our partnership with Innovative Systems. We connect you with a local telecommunications and engineering company who is eager to provide internships and potential employment to design students.
View DWU student work at facebook.com/dwu.designs.
Digital Media and Design Courses
Check out the design classes you'll take at DWU. You'll review topics such as color theory design, social media strategy, UX design, and website design.
DMD 101 Introduction to Design
DMD 203 Digital Imaging
DMD 247 Web Page Design
DMD 305 Color Theory Design
DMD 330 Communication and Social Strategy
DMD 456 Digital Media/Design Portfolio
ENG 215 Business and Technical Writing
ENT 224 The Entrepreneurial Mindset
Get to Know Your Professors
In our program, you will learn directly from professionals in the field. A teaching assistant or graduate assistant will never supplement your education. You will leave confident, knowing that what you learned will be relevant to your career.
Kyle Herges, MFA
Find Your Creativity in
Digital Media and Design
Become a more marketable asset to your field with area of interest in Digital Media and Design. Choose from a graphic design, web design, digital marketing or architecture and design concentration.
Concentration in Graphic Design
Create visual representations of your voice. Use techniques like typography, visual arts and page layout to tell your story.
Graphic designers are always in demand as visual storytellers. You will learn to combine your creativity with the latest technology to create art, ads, brochures and other marketing materials.
The concentration in graphic design will expose you to the cultural, aesthetic, technical and business aspects of graphic design. Grow confidence in your skills, as well as in critical and analytical thinking to help you grow as a designer.
Take classes like:
- Computer Graphics
- Advanced Digital Imaging
- Desktop Publishing
- Photography
Apply your skills in a career as a graphic designer, digital strategist or product designer.
Concentration in Web Design
Use your creativity to help improve the experience of websites, mobile apps, every-day products, and more. Learn how to use technology to connect, inform and impress your audience.
Design websites, apps and mobile sites from start to finish. The concentration in web design will introduce innovation and technology to creativity and design. If you are a creative, strategic designer and thinker, you will be energized by the new and existing technologies in this field.
Take classes like:
- User Experience (UX) Design
- Mobile Applications
- Advanced Media Design
Apply your skills in a career as a frontend designer, user experience (UX) designer or user interface (UI) designer.
Concentration in Digital Marketing
Create with intent and deliver through numerous digital channels like search engines, websites, social media, mobile, and more.
Learn to target a specific audience with intentional designs. The concentration in marketing is designed to take advantage of tangible design skills while having the ability to elicit an emotional response from your audience. Learn to harness your creativity and engage audiences through digital channels such as search engines, websites, social media, mobile, and email.
Take classes like:
- Consumer Behavior
- Content Strategy
- Interaction Design
Apply your skills in a career as a digital strategist, marketing specialist, social media analyst.
Concentration in Architecture and Design
In partnership with Mitchell Technical College, the Architecture and Design concentration blends hands-on design experience with essential architecture and construction courses. Starting with a strong foundation in design principles and drafting software, you will learn computer-aided drafting (CAD) and develop skills in both digital media and conceptual building processes. In addition, you will gain exposure to key techniques and knowledge in commercial construction, building materials and methods, graphic design, architectural design and more. This concentration offers a comprehensive approach to both the creative and technical aspects of architecture.
Take classes like:
- Building Design
- Architectural Design
- Computer Graphics
With this concentration, you’ll have classes at DWU and Mitchell Technical College.
Apply your skills with a career as an architectural designer (working under licensed architects), drafter, project manager, construction manager, urban planning, or continue on to architecture graduate school.
Power To Design Scholarship
Turn your love for design into a reality with the Power To Design Scholarship. High school students interested in majoring in Digital Media and Design are encouraged to apply for this unique scholarship opportunity.
Qualifications:
- Must be a high school senior and major in Digital Media & Design.
- Deadline to apply is April 1.
Power to Design Scholarship Form
Related Majors & Minors
Creative Writing
Calling all storytellers! Refine your writing ability and passion for words with a creative writing minor.
Communication
When you pursue a communication degree at DWU, you will find countless ways to enhance your talent for speaking, writing, performing, or persuading.
Business Administration
A degree in business administration will prepare you for a variety of career choices in the professional world.
