Wilmington University's College of Technology - Online Master of Science in Digital Communication

Wilmington University’s College of Technology offers an online Master of Science in Digital Communication that is designed to prepare students for diverse roles in digital media and marketing, public relations, healthcare, business development, government, advertising, and nonprofit work. The curriculum combines STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) concepts with courses on digital communication strategies. Students of this program can select from six concentration options: Digital and Social Media Strategy, Healthcare Communication, Marketing, Public Relations, Web Design, and General Communication.

The curriculum for this program consists of 33 credits, divided between 18 credits of core coursework and 15 credits of concentration courses. The core curriculum features courses in Emerging Technology and Communication, Crisis Communication and Risk, Communication Writing, Legal and Ethical Issues, and Communication Analytics. For their sixth core course, students must choose between a course on Digital Content and Visual Data, and a Strategic Communication class. Through their core classes, students gain a foundation in how to integrate new media technologies, strategic communication concepts and tactics, and media data analytics to tackle complex digital communication challenges.

After completing the core courses, students progress to their concentration coursework. The Digital Media and Social Strategy concentration features classes in Social Media and Society, Digital Strategy and Campaigns, SEO and Digital Consumers, and Strategy and Decision-Making. The Healthcare Communication concentration requires students to take either the Social Media and Society class or the Digital Strategy and Campaigns course, before embarking on courses in Medical Writing, Marketing in the Healthcare Sector, and Communication and Teams. Students of the Marketing Concentration take courses in Global Marketing Management, Market Research and Consumer Behavior, Business-to-Business and Business-to-Government Marketing, and Marketing Analytics.

The Public Relations concentration includes courses in Public Relations Analytics, Multi-Media Communication, Strategy and Decision-Making, and either a course in Branding and Entrepreneurship or the Communication and Teams class. The Web Design concentration allows students to choose four courses from the following list: Web Design and Architecture, Web Design with JavaScript, Markup Languages Advanced Authoring, Database/Web Design Integration, Server-Side Web Development, Internet Development/Design for Competitive Advantage, and Topics in Web Design and Programming. Finally, the General Communication concentration is ideal for students who wish to craft an interdisciplinary and individualized program of study from the courses offered in the other concentrations.

The final graduation requirement for students is either a Communication Capstone or a Field Experience/Co-Op Experience. The Communication Capstone is a course that integrates everything students have learned in the program through job preparation activities (such as resume workshops) and a final professional project on a topic of students’ choosing. The Field Experience/Co-Op Experience is a supervised practicum that students can complete at their current place of work, or at another professional site that is relevant to their career interests. Students must identify their desired practicum site and apply for program approval prior to starting their field experience.

Both the Communication Capstone and the Field Experience give students the opportunity to apply the concepts and skills from their core and concentration coursework to concrete deliverables that can help them step into more advanced roles in their desired area within digital communication.

Wilmington University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).