Contact Information
Program Requirements
Typical Program - Web Production Track
Typical Program - Video and Audio Production Track
Degree/Certificate: Associate in Science
HEGIS Code: 5012
SUNY Code: 1599
Major Code: DIGM
The Career
Digital Media has become an integral part of life in the 21st century. Companies rely on the web, social networks, e-commerce, and mobile apps to grow their markets and compete on a global scale. Practitioners in this field combine creativity and technology to produce media for sales, marketing, training, education, and entertainment. Digital media developers utilize their knowledge, skills, and imagination to produce engaging content for websites, blogs, podcasts, TV, video and audio streaming, mobile devices, and gaming systems.
The SUNY Niagara Digital Media associate degree program is the first step to prepare for a career in this exciting field. With further education, you could find employment as a media developer, social media manager, video producer, director and editor, media project manager, web designer, or audio production specialist, to name just a few of the career options.
The SUNY Niagara Approach
The associate in science degree program prepares students for transfer to a four-year college or university. A liberal arts-based program, the AS in Digital Media provides students with the general education they need for transfer. A core of digital media foundation courses gives students the technical skills they need to pursue a career in web production, TV and video production, film production, and audio production. Students choose to follow one of two tracks: Video and Audio Production or Web Production, depending on their interests and career goals.
Students in the Video and Audio Production track learn creative techniques to produce video and audio content for both traditional and new media including: TV, radio, the web, mobile devices, audio/video podcasting, streaming, digital filmmaking, photography and imaging. Students get hands-on experience with professional film and video production equipment and industry-standard editing software such as Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, After Effects, and Pro Tools. The program also offers a multi-camera TV studio with green screen production capabilities.
Students in the Web Production track gain practical experience planning, creating and designing websites, social media strategies, and mobile apps. Students learn to code websites using Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript. They also utilize photo, video, and audio editing software and a variety of online tools to access, create, share, and secure content for the web. Emerging technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, as well as artificial intelligence, are also explored.
Admission
Students admitted in fall, spring and summer.
Program Mission Statement
The Digital Media Program strives to provide students with the skills and knowledge to be successful in an ever-changing technology-based world by emphasizing adherence to industry standards, encouraging creativity, and developing students’ capacity for life-long learning.
Program Goals and Objectives
- To prepare students for successful transfer to four-year institutions in digital media-related fields
- To assist students in meeting all of the SUNY General Education requirements
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Associate in Science Degree or Certificate program in Digital Media, a graduate will be able to:
- Identify digital media technologies and their use in the creation of digital media content
- Demonstrate the application of design principles in the development of digital media content
- Edit and electronically manipulate digital audio, video, and graphic images
- Create a digital portfolio of his/her work
Depending on a student’s career track, he/she will be able to:
- Produce and edit video and audio projects for digital distribution OR
- Design and develop a website which includes interactive elements and applies current industry standards for coding
Transfer Information
Students should work closely with their academic advisor to ensure a smooth transition into a related four-year degree program such as New Media, Digital Media, Multimedia or Media Arts. Dual admission agreements are in place for Canisius College’s Digital Media Arts program and SUNY Fredonia’s Visual Arts and New Media program. Students most often transfer into Canisius College’s Digital Media Arts program, SUNY Fredonia’s Visual Arts & New Media program, and SUNY Buffalo State University’s Media Production or Public Communication program.
Facilities
Digital Media students have access to a state-of-the-art digital media computer classroom. In addition, students have access to a high-definition TV studio with green screen capabilities and digital video and audio production facilities.
Software
The following software applications are used in the Digital Media program:
Adobe Creative Suite including Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere and Dreamweaver; Apple Final Cut Pro X, Apple iLife Suite including iMovie and GarageBand; Avid Pro Tools; Microsoft Office Suite; and a variety of Web 2.0 tools such as WordPress, Wix, Animoto, Jing, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, blogs and wikis.
