LEADERSHIP

CREATIVITY

PRINT

COMPUTER GRAPHICS

WEB DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY

These are the areas that are explored in Digital Media in the College of Technology at the University of Houston. By using your leadership talents, you can create a communications tapestry by weaving together people and the technologies of print, photography, videography, multimedia, and web design. Effective contemporary graphic communication requires a mix of communications technologies; still- and motion-multimedia and web sites in addition to printed media.

Digital Media

The Digital Media program prepares technologically-savvy leaders for supervisory positions in the digital media industry. Students who enroll in this program will gain competencies in various graphic-related technologies that support the digitization of graphic and text context as well as a broad background in leadership and supervision. Much of the curriculum is devoted to the utilization of digital-media-oriented information technology as it impacts the graphic workflow. Graduates from this program move into positions of service support in businesses specializing in communication through print, internet, multimedia, and video technologies. Service support positions that graduates assume are typically part of the larger sales function of digital media firms and include titles such as customer service representative, estimator, planner, supervisor, and scheduler. For graduates to move into sales person positions, they generally build upon the skills they have mastered in other service-support positions within digital media firms. Digital Media, part of the Graphic Communications cluster of industries, is a dynamic and ever-changing field and is ranked among the latest industries in the United States.

Digital Media (DIGM) courses are offered by the Information and Logistics Technology Department in the University of Houston's College of Technology. DIGM courses cover bitmapped and vector computer graphics, digital photography, videography, visual design concepts, prepress technologies, web design, multimedia technologies, image transferring, and industry trends. Courses include theory-rich lectures as well as hands-on and enjoyable activities conducted in our state-of-the-art laboratories on the latest equipment. Each student also completes a senior project and an internship. You can learn more about the graphic communications specific classes and assignments by browsing www.digitalmedia.tech.uh.edu.

Program Design

Your degree in Digital Media is designed to be completed in four years and consists of 120 semester of undergraduate credit. The program requires 42 hours of university core courses. In addition to meeting the 42 semester hours of university core curriculum requirements, students must complete major core requirements and approved electives. The Digital Media major covers computer graphics, web design, digital photography, visual design, print production control, videography, multimedia/animation, information technology, leadership and supervision, quality control, logistics, and sales. The program also provides for six hours of electives.

In addition to completing a 60-semester-hour core that consists of digital media fundamentals, information technology essentials, sales, and leadership courses, students also select a 12-semester-hour area of emphasis. Emphases include print media, eMedia (requires calculus), video production, eCommerce, and packaging.

Many of the lower-division DIGM courses can be completed at cooperating community college campuses, including Houston Community College, Lone Star College, and Austin Community College. If you are a community college student, please speak with your instructor or counselor transferability to UH.

Your Future

The Digital Media program provides extensive internship opportunities for its students as well as opportunities to network with industry professionals. In particular, the UH chapter of the International Graphic Arts Education (IGAEAUH) sponsors bi-annual and "meet and greet" opportunities so that students can learn about career opportunities first-hand from industry practitioners.

All majors and minors in the Department of Information and Logistics Technology must earn a grade of C or better in all major/minor courses. No grade lower than C will be accepted on any courses applicable to the major transferred to the University of Houston.