Preparing for a Career in Digital Communications
With this master’s degree, graduates should be prepared to:
- Create action plans and make decisions about the use of digital communications based on analysis of media metrics.
- Produce and publish professional-level communications content to achieve identified goals.
- Engage clients and coordinate resources to achieve identified project goals.
- Mentor team members to achieve identified project goals and develop team members.
Digital Communications Management course rotation
The program is designed for students to begin at any point in the course rotation. So join us in fall, spring or summer—even mid-semester.
Course Rotation Table
You can make a copy of the DCM course rotation. A text description is also provided following the table.
| Fall – 7WK1 | Fall – 7WK2 | Spring – 7WK1 | Spring – 7WK2 | Summer – 7WK1 | Summer – 7WK 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCM 500: Projects | X | |||||
| DCM 510: Content | X | |||||
| DCM 520: Clients | X | |||||
| DCM 530: Teams | X | |||||
| DCM 599: Capstone | X | |||||
| DCM 570: Practicum | X (full semester) | X (full semester) | X (full semester) | X (full semester) | X (full semester) | X (full semester) |
DCM 500: Projects:Â available in Fall 7WK1. DCM 510: Content: available Fall 7WK2. DCM 520: Clients: available Spring 7WK1. DCM 530: Teams: available Spring 7WK2 semester. DCM 599: Capstone: available Summer 7WK1 semester. DCM 570: Practicum: This course is available throughout the entire year, spanning all semesters.
Build digital communication skills
DCM 500 Managing Projects
- Learn traditional, agile, and hybrid project management processes
- Become competent with scheduling concepts and processes
- Create action plans about use of digital communications to meet project outcomes
- Create a budget and budget narrative to align with project goals and present to clients
DCM 530 Mentoring Teams
- Evaluate major ideas around mentoring teams
- Identify communication problems in a variety of team contexts
- Apply various perspectives to team settings and situations
- Utilize state of the art practices to further our understanding of team management
DCM 510 Creating Content
- Learn advanced knowledge and skills associated with creating communications content
- Learn written messaging, visual graphics, audio files, photographs and video content
- Learn media and social media implementation of content to accomplish project goals for the client
DCM 570 Practicum
- Earn credit through hands-on learning
- Explore professional opportunities such as shadowing someone in a position or industry of interest to you
- Incorporate experiential learning into your professional portfolio
DCM 520 Engaging Clients
- Assist communication specialists in advancing their knowledge of client relationships
- Develop skills to manage client relations and processes to meet project outcomes
- Address how working with clients also defines project objectives or messaging through visual efforts
DCM 599 Capstone
- Assemble projects from your program into a cohesive portfolio
- Assess your industry and articulate your expertise as relevant to your industry
- Prepare materials to launch into the next phase of your career
Specialize your skillset
Specialize your skillset with an emphasis or customize your own.
Conflict Management Emphasis
Complete the following:
- CONFLICT 510: Conflict Management
- CONFLICT 513: Mediation and Negotiation
- CONFLICT 514: Conflict Coaching and Facilitation
- CONFLICT 515: Culture and Conflict
Customize an Emphasis
Complete the following:
- Take at least 12 credits of graduate-level courses from DCM
- Coordinate with your Program Coordinator for approval
User Research Emphasis
Complete the following:
- ANTH 540: Fundamentals of Design Anthropology
- ANTH 541: Ethnography for User Experience Research
- ANTH 542: Emerging Digital Cultures
- DCM 570: Digital Communications Practicum
More program information
Why this program?
Develop your skills in the workplace.
One thing distinguishing our program from others is our commitment to experiential learning. Practicum integrates on the job training and professional development with faculty-guided reflection.
You find a professional opportunity such as shadowing or working with someone with expertise in an area you want to develop. For example: you might have a lot of content creation expertise but want to develop your team mentoring or client engagement expertise.
First, find an organization and a person with the expertise you want to develop.
Second, negotiate the specifics with your practicum mentor. Once you have those details, complete the practicum intake form. In fact, you may want to look at the form before discussing things with your potential mentor to give you so you know what information to discuss with them.
Third and once you complete the form, contact Todd Norton at DigitalCom@boisestate.edu to finalize things.
Last, sign up for DCM 570.