Master of Arts in Digital Media Strategy

• A complete online graduate application.
• Application Fee of $50.
• Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale.
• Submission of official sealed transcript of all undergraduate and graduate course work completed.
• Completion of prerequisite coursework with a minimum grade of C or better:
  • An undergraduate course in media writing (BC’s COMM 255W fulfills this requirement.)
  • An undergraduate course in visual design (BC’s ART 120 fulfills this requirement.)

Applicants who have not completed these undergraduate courses may submit a portfolio of professional work for the admission committee to consider in lieu of coursework. Applicants may be accepted into the program contingent on completion of coursework in progress. Applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Sam Hamilton at shamilton@bridgewater.edu to discuss alternative ways to fulfill prerequisite requirements.

• PERSONAL STATEMENT:
  • Option 1: Write an essay no longer than 700 words in which you:
    • Demonstrate you have the ability to be successful in this program
    • Demonstrate how this program will help you achieve your career goals
    • Describe specific past experiences with digital media, citing examples of you producing multimodal messages and/or learning theories about digital technology.
    • Please cite academic, news and/or web articles in your discussion as appropriate
  • Option 2: You may submit a multimodal composition instead of a written essay that satisfies the same objectives listed above.
    • Please keep in mind the piece you submit should demonstrate the same level of structured argument and specificity that a written essay would display. (including appropriate oral or written citation of sources)
• OPTIONAL SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: You may submit a sample of a multimodal composition to demonstrate your production skills or an undergraduate writing sample to demonstrate your academic writing skills in addition to your personal statement.
• LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: Three letters of recommendation should be submitted with your application. At least one letter should be from an internship supervisor, field experience supervisor or employer. At least one letter should be from an undergraduate professor. Letters may not be written by faculty serving on the Admissions Committee during the application cycle when a student applies. Please view your application as a persuasive argument about why you will succeed in the program. Choose letter writers who can speak specifically to skills and knowledge you have that fit our program objectives. Your letter writers will be contacted automatically after you enter their name and email address into the online application.
• Current Bridgewater undergraduate students may apply for the MDMS program once they have completed 75 credits. Applicants must have completed all prerequisites with a grade of C or better in order to be admitted unconditionally to the program. Applicants who have not completed all prerequisites at the time they apply can only be admitted conditionally until prerequisites are completed (see page 5 of the Graduate Student Catalog).
• Admitted undergraduates (at BC or another institution) may begin taking cross-listed undergraduate/graduate electives once they are unconditionally admitted to the program. (Students enrolled at another undergraduate institution will pay the full graduate rate for all electives.)
• All admitted applicants must complete an undergraduate degree before enrolling in core MDMS courses.

For more information about Bridgewater College’s graduate admission requirements, visit the Graduate Student Admission page.

The MDMS program has rolling admissions, with all applications accepted until April 1.

The MDMS degree requires completion of 33 credit hours:

DMS 500 Studies in Digital Media (3 Credits)
DMS 505 Digital Writing Genres & Process (3 Credits)
DMS 515 Digital Media Production Strategies (3 Credits)
DMS 520 Multimedia Storytelling (3 Credits)
DMS 528 User Experience Web Design (3 Credits)
DMS 541 Consulting Strategies (3 Credits)
DMS 542 PR Strategies & Tactics (3 Credits)
DMS 546 Digital Media Campaign Targeting and Analytics (3 Credits)
DMS 551 Digital Persuasion (3 Credits)
DMS 591 Master’s Project Proposal (2 credit)
DMS 592 Master’s Project Implementation (3 Credits)
DMS 593 Master’s Project evaluation (1 Credits)

Cross-listed elective courses may also count towards an undergraduate degree from Bridgewater College, provided that the total credits earned for the undergraduate degree is at least 120 credits and the combined total credits for the undergraduate degree and master’s degree is at least 150 credits. Cross-listed courses taken at the undergraduate level may not be applied to the master’s program. Once the undergraduate level of the cross-listed course has been successfully completed, the student may not enroll in the graduate level of the course.

Admitted applicants who are not current Bridgewater undergraduates must have completed an undergraduate degree before taking MDMS electives.

All admitted applicants must complete an undergraduate degree before enrolling in core MDMS courses.

For detailed information about all courses (including prerequisites), please see the Graduate Student Catalog.

Additionally, institutional requirements for degree completion must be completed as follows. (Please see Graduate Student Catalog for more details.)

• Earn a minimum GPA of 3.0 in courses required for the graduate program.
• Complete a minimum of 90% of all credit hours from graduate courses in residence at Bridgewater College. Students may not transfer credits into the program in the final semester or term of the program.
• Filing of an application for graduation and the final plan of study with registrars’ office by the end of the first week of classes in the term/semester prior to which the degree will be granted.
• Payment of all accounts owed the College. Transcripts of students owing money to the College will be held until the account is cleared.
• All the above requirements must be met by the deadlines stated in the academic calendar. Some graduate programs may have additional requirements not listed above but explained in materials supplied by the program.
• It is the responsibility of the student to enroll in the appropriate courses to meet the degree requirements.

The MDMS program can be completed full-time, part-time or as a 4:1 B.A./B.S. + M.A. in five years. The program offers flexible entry points that begin in summer, fall and spring. The only restrictions are that (1) DMS 500, 505 and 515 must be taken before all other core courses and (2) DMS 592 may not be taken until DMS 541 and a total of 18 master’s credits are completed.

A few common degree completion paths are outlined in the chart below. However, interested students should contact the program director, Dr. Sam Hamilton (shamilton@bridgewater.edu), to discuss an individualized degree completion plan.

^[1] Part-time students may take any number of the non-project sequence core courses during the Fall & Spring semesters of their first and second years. The project sequence courses (DMS 591, DMS 592, and DMS 593) must be taken in order during the student’s last year in the program.

DMS 500 Studies in Digital Media (3 Credits)
DMS 505 Digital Writing Genres & Process (3 Credits)
DMS 515 Digital Media Production Strategies (3 Credits)
DMS 520 Multimedia Storytelling (3 Credits)
DMS 528 Interactive Web Development (3 Credits)
DMS 541 Consulting Strategies (3 Credits)
DMS 546 Digital Media Campaign Targeting and Analytics (3 Credits)
DMS 551 Digital Persuasion (3 Credits)
DMS 591 Master’s Project Proposal (1 credit)
DMS 592 Master’s Project Implementation (3 Credits)
DMS 593 Master’s Project evaluation (2 Credits)

For a list of tuition, fees and indirect costs please click on the button below.

Program Tuition & Fees

The indirect cost calculation on the graduate fees page includes the following equipment that students should bring with them to the program:

Laptop and Software

Suggested minimum system requirements:

• Windows:
  • Intel i5 or i7 processor 6th generation or newer.  Model number i5-6XXX or i7-6XXX or higher.
  • Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 (64bit)
  • 8GB Ram (16GB recommended)
  • 512GB internal hard drive
  • 1TB USB 3.0 external hard drive for backup of digital media
  • Display capable of displaying a minimum resolution of 1280×800 (1920×1080 or larger recommended)
• Mac:
  • Intel i5 or i7 processor 6th generation or newer.  Model number i5-6XXX or i7-6XXX or higher.
  • macOS X  v10.11, v10.12 or v10.13
  • 8GB Ram (16GB recommended)
  • 512GB internal hard drive
  • 1TB USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt external hard drive for backup of digital media
  • Display capable of displaying a minimum resolution of 1280×800 (1920×1080 or larger recommended)
• Software requirements: Will be communicated to students in early core courses.

Headphones 

• 1 pair of professional studio headphones, model AKG K240 or comparable. (Headphones must have 1/8” plug with a 1/4” adapter to use with both professional and consumer audio equipment. Earbuds or bluetooth consumer headphones are not permissible.)

Camera 

• 1080p HD video recording. 4K video is okay but not required
• Raw image capture (still images)
• Manual focus
• Manual exposure controls
• Microphone port
• Headphone port
• 3 batteries
• At least 2 32gb or 64gb memory cards.

A few DSLR camera options (students only need one DSLR or mirrorless camera):

• Canon EOS Rebel T7 (w/ 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS II lens) or T7i (w/18-55 F4-5.6 IS STM lens)
• Entry-level Nikon DSLRs equivalent to the Canon T series
• Older Canon T-series and entry-level Nikon DSLRs are fine, too

A few mirrorless camera options:

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85
• Fujifilm X-T20 (The predecessor X-T10 is not recommended for video)
• Sony a6300 (The older a6000 is okay too.)

Best resource for researching cameras: https://www.dpreview.com/. Look especially for cameras under the “Camera Hub” link. They also have some “Buying Guides” which are helpful but not comprehensive.