What
is the definition of digital media?
For this degree program, digital media are defined as any
medium that uses digital interactive technologies as the engine
for communication.
What are
your minimum requirements in order to apply?
Prospective students must meet the minimum requirements of
a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university
in the U.S. or its equivalent from a foreign institution,
and having earned at least a 3.0 or B grade-point-average
in the most recent two years of study. The Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) is required of all applicants; scores must
be received directly from the Educational Testing Service
(ETS). International applicants must also take the Test of
English Fluency (TOEFL) attaining minimum scores of 237 (computer-based)
or 580 (paper-based). The code for University of Washington
is 4854 and for the program code (Communication) is 4502.
What is the
average GRE score?
While GRE scores are required, they are not the most important
criteria for admission to the program.
What
if I cannot take the GRE and get my score mailed before January
15, 2005, for International Students and April 1, 2008, for
United States residents?
Ask the director for approval at cmumedia@u.washington.edu.
What
do you look for in an applicant?
We look carefully at everything you send us. Beyond verifying
that you meet the minimum requirements, we review your letter
of intent and references for evidence that you have the capability
and desire to develop professionally in the emerging field
of digital media communications.
How many
applicants do you admit?
We have spaces for up to 25 graduate students per year.
Can I get
financial support?
Maybe. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer financial assistance
to all our graduate students. If your financial need is severe,
you should see if you qualify for need-based financial aid
from the UW Office of Student Financial Aid. For international
students, there is no financial aid available. For information
visit the OSFA Website:
http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa.
Can I
go part-time? Can I start mid-year?
Yes, you can attend part-time. The program is set up so you
can take only 5-credits per quarter and take three years to
complete. You may find that one or two quarters you will have
to do 10 credits in order to complete course requirements.
International students must attend full-time (10 credits minimum
per quarter). Starting mid-year is not always appropriate
because some courses are sequential.
Can
I take a single course without applying to the program?
You may take up to ten credits in graduate non-matriculated
(GNM) status, which provides access to graduate courses for
those who are not now seeking a graduate degree, but who may
later want to apply these credits toward the Master of Communication
in Digital Media degree. A bachelor's degree is required to
gain GNM status. Anyone pursuing a graduate degree at another
institution and planning to transfer credit to that institution
toward a degree may apply as a visiting graduate student.
Visiting graduate students and GNM students will be admitted
on a space-available basis. International students currently
enrolled in a graduate degree program outside the U.S. may
apply as a visiting graduate student. Contact the Graduate
Admissions office at (206) 543-7097 or visit the following
website for more information:
http://www.grad.washington.edu/admissions/adminfo.html
What
about the statistics requirement?
The program does not have a statistics requirement. However,
you may find that to pursue your interests you need to take
a basic statistics course, and then you will want to take
at least a junior/senior level statistics course, preferably
one with a social science orientation.
When do classes
meet?
Classes meet only in the evening to fit the schedules of working
professionals.
Will the
program allow me to use my work experience towards class project
requirements?
In general the answer is yes, because the program is designed
to draw on and be applied to the workplace. However how much
you can do this in any individual course will depend on the
nature of the project and the requirements established by
the faculty member.
What is
the program's relationship with the industry?
We have established an advisory board consisting of executives
of major digital media businesses nationally and globally,
as well as government officials involved in supporting the
digital media industry. They include executives from Microsoft,
RealNetworks, SeattleTimes.com, and USAToday.com. This advisory
board offers career information, support for teaching, guest
speakers, and research opportunities.
How might
this degree help me with employment opportunities?
Your experience prior to entering the Master's degree program
may have some influence on your employment opportunities when
you finish:
(1) Those who have no digital media work experience and limited
work experience, the benefits are that the degree will help
to open doors to a digital media career and expand career
choices.
(2) Those who have no digital media work experience but have
several years of work experience (midcareer professionals),
the program will enhance their career in the fast developing
digital media field and help to expand the scope in their
daily work, which may lead to a promotion because almost all
companies have to develop strategies to adopt appropriate
technologies to prepare for the transformation of the companies.
(The digital media terminology today is: the so-called "first
mover" advantage.)
(3) Those with digital media work experience and several years
of work experience, the program will help them synthesize
their existing experience, i.e., instead of "knowing what
to do" in the digital media environment, they also can explore
"the reasons why they do things in such a way"; or "explore
ways to do things differently." (That is what we call, creativity,
innovation, or simply problem-solving).
4) It may help students to start up their own businesses.
We think that acquired knowledge is not an end in itself.
Students learn best by learning new skills and putting them
into practice. Therefore we encourage students to experience
the special challenge of entrepreneurship such as launching
their own digital media business.
5) In addition, the digital media program provides a good
network to meet professionals of similar interests, because
this is a specially designed program. Unlike in an MBA program,
they may meet generalists, such as accountants and human resource
managers. So, our digital media MC program can develop a strong
personal and professional network for their future career
moves.
Our program emphases, i.e., (a) content creation, (b) management
and (c) policy, offer the most complete training in preparing
for a digital media career. First, the failure of most dotcoms
is due to a lack of good content. As they say, "Content is
king/queen"; we approach the study of digital media from the
communication discipline. After content is created, we need
to find effective and efficient ways to deliver it, that's
why we need to study management theories and practices. However,
because dotcom and media content will have an impact on everyone,
it is important to study policies and ethics. Finally, the
purpose of getting an advanced degree is for intellectual
pursuit and to enhance our critical and analytical thinking
abilities.
What
if I have more questions?
Contact the Counseling Services Coordinator via email cmumedia@u.washington.edu
or phone 206-543-6745. If you have general questions about
graduate study costs and policies, financial aid or other
academic departments, visit the University of Washington (http://www.washington.edu)
or the UW Graduate School (http://www.grad.washington.edu)
websites.
