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Emerging Media and Technology - M.S.

Tech up your skills, unleash your creativity, and shape the future of digital media with the M.S. in Emerging Media and Technology. With a curriculum that combines theory and practice, our program prepares graduates for careers in cutting-edge fields such as virtual and augmented reality, web design & development, computational social science, training technology, technical project management and data visualization. Join a dynamic community of innovators and apply today.

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EMAT Gives You the Skills To Tech Up Any Career Field

 

As an advertising undergraduate, Madelynn learned the creative and strategic side of marketing and communications. Now, she’s learning the technical side (coding and web design) as she pursues her master’s degree in Emerging Media and Technology.

Hear from some of our other EMAT graduates about how the program helped them tech up their skills.

 

 

Program Information for Emerging Media and Technology - M.S.

Program Description

Program Description

Full Description

The Master of Science degree in Emerging Media and Technology is designed to augment a student's skill set, affording new career opportunities for students from diverse undergraduate and professional backgrounds. Due to the program's STEM foundation and interdisciplinary nature, students learn quantitative and coding skills for emerging media platforms, including interactive websites and apps; data-based analysis, communication and visualization; theoretical understanding of the relationship between the technology industry and society; and the tools for working in and managing interdisciplinary teams on interactive technology projects.

Students in this program develop individual plans of study and engage in experiential learning through interdisciplinary elective graduate coursework in one of the following specialization areas: data analytics and coding; social scientific research; applied communication, information and strategy; applied creative technology; or training and development technology.

Admissions for Emerging Media and Technology - M.S.

Admissions

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
  • Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
  • Official transcript(s)
  • Goal statement
  • Two letters of recommendation from professional or academic evaluators
  • English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:1
    • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
    • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
    • Minimum 58 PTE score
    • Minimum 110 DET score

Admission decisions will be made by the graduate program coordinator with consultation from the members of the graduate faculty.

1

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall Semester
    • Application deadline: April 15 (international student) and July 1 (domestic student)
  • Spring Semester
    • Application deadline: October 1 (international student) and December 1 (domestic student)
  • Summer Term
    • Application deadline: April 1

Applications submitted after these deadlines will be considered on a space-available basis.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate competency in skills related to emerging media and technology, including technical problem-solving through
    1. coding;
    2. data-based analytics, communication and visualization; and
    3. interdisciplinary teamwork and project management.
  2. Apply interdisciplinary solutions to solving technical, social and human problems related to emerging media and technology.
  3. Demonstrate increased depth and breadth in applying emerging media and technology solutions in one of the areas of
    1. data analytics/coding;
    2. social scientific research;
    3. applied communication, information and strategy;
    4. applied creative technology; and
    5. training and development technology.

Coursework

On This Page

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements
EMAT 51510PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND TEAM DYNAMICS 3
EMAT 60010FOUNDATIONS OF EMERGING MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY 3
EMAT 60310CREATIVE CODING FUNDAMENTALS 3
or EMAT 52210 WEB APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
EMAT 62110INTERACTIVE DATA 3
Interdisciplinary Specialization, chose from the following: 112
Applied Communication, Information and Strategy
Applied Creative Technology
Data Analytics/Coding
Social Scientific Research
Training and Development Technology
Culminating Requirement
Choose from the following:6
EMAT 60999
PROJECTS IN EMERGING MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY
& Interdisciplinary Specialization Course
EMAT 60999
& EMAT 69992
PROJECTS IN EMERGING MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY
and INTERNSHIP IN EMERGING MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY
EMAT 69199
THESIS I
Minimum Total Credit Hours:30
1

For the interdisciplinary specialization, students develop a course plan with approval of their faculty advisor by the end of their first semester in the program. The makeup of this coursework is flexible, but each course should be designated under one of the five areas.

Graduation Requirements
Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA
- 3.000
  • No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
  • Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.
Program Delivery

Program Delivery

  • Delivery
    • In Person
  • Location
    • Kent Campus

STEM Status

The Emerging Media & Technology Master of Science degree is considered a STEM degree, and therefore does qualify for the 24-month STEM extension on Optional Practical Training (OPT).

More specifically, the EMAT MS degree falls under the broad United States government category of "Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies," and is assigned Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code 303101 Human Computer Interaction. This program classification is included in the STEM designated degree program list from the US Department of Homeland Security.

Customized Specializations

Every student will work with an advisor to build a customized specialization of interdisciplinary coursework. These pathways may explore the intersection of social data analytics and creative technologies with public health, education, politics, digital campaigns, technology, and/or immersive media storytelling.

Each student’s specialization will be unique. Some examples are below.

Data Analytics/Coding
Social Scientific Research
Applied Communication, Information and Strategy
Applied Creative Technology
Training and Development Technology

For the student with a technology background who wants to work more broadly across social media, content, technology and media market teams to craft policies and use data-based insights. Students in this specialization may take courses that grow skills in areas such as data science, management & visualization, business analytics or digital media management.

Subjects areas that students can find interdisciplinary elective options include:

For the student who wants to build on a background in data science and computational methods to study human behaviors. Students in this specialization may take courses that grow skills in areas such as theories of communication & media in society, human behavior theories, quantitative research methods, data science, and data management.

Subjects areas that students can find interdisciplinary elective options include:

For the student with a media and/or communications background looking to integrate data analytics into their work. Students in this specialization may take courses that grow skills in areas such as user experience (UX) design & research, digital marketing & campaign strategies, quantitative research skills, or data analysis.

Subjects areas that students can find interdisciplinary elective options include:

For the designer who would like to add emerging media and technology skills to their portfolio to pursue a career in web design and development. Students in this specialization may take courses that grow skills in areas such as visual design principles, typography & layout, user experience (UX) design & research, and web programming.

Subjects areas that students can find interdisciplinary elective options include:

For the human resources or education professional who wants to build a portfolio for delivering training in new and innovative ways. Students in this specialization may take courses that grow skills in areas such as online instructional design & pedagogy, human resource management training & development, and web programming.

Subjects areas that students can find interdisciplinary elective options include:

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries for Emerging Media and Technology - M.S.

Software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers

21.5%

much faster than the average

1,469,200

number of jobs

$110,140

potential earnings

Special effects artists and animators

4.1%

about as fast as the average

67,500

number of jobs

$77,700

potential earnings

Web developers and digital interface designers

8.0%

much faster than the average

174,300

number of jobs

$77,200

potential earnings

Computer and information systems managers

10.4%

much faster than the average

461,000

number of jobs

$151,150

potential earnings

Computer and information research scientists

15.4%

much faster than the average

32,700

number of jobs

$126,830

potential earnings

Computer systems analysts

7.4%

faster than the average

632,400

number of jobs

$93,730

potential earnings

Computer programmers

-9.4%

decline

213,900

number of jobs

$89,190

potential earnings

Sociologists

3.6%

about as fast as the average

3,200

number of jobs

$86,110

potential earnings

Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
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