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The Digital Arts and Culture (DAC) BA is an interdisciplinary degree program, combining courses in the areas of arts, humanities, social sciences, and information studies. The major aims to empower learning communities by leading students to a variety of opportunities: to develop skills and understanding of new knowledge production and research methods; to operate with confidence as media practitioners and global communicators with a diverse range of media literacies; and to collaborate and contribute as creative problem solvers using digital media in a networked culture.

Students who complete the Digital Arts & Culture major will be able to:

  • Analyze digital and electronic media systems, explaining what these platforms do and how they do it.
  • Engage with complex digital issues: online, offline, via ubiquitous computing hardware and software.
  • Organize information, both architecturally and visually, structuring software, websites, advertisements, social media, and more.
  • Demonstrate hands-on, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary, media production with artists and designers.

Coursework is drawn from three schools/colleges at UWM: Peck School of the Arts, College of Letters and Science, and School of Information Studies, with an overarching interest in the study and practice of Arts, Information, and Media.

Five categories of courses define the themes of the major:

  • Core Culture, introducing students to essential cultural and historical dimensions of Digital Art and network practices.
  • Media Systems, providing an overview of media industries.
  • Digital Composition, building on the foundations of the 100-level core culture courses, encompassing courses that set out competencies in composing with concepts and tools of digital media for students to achieve.
  • Understanding Digital Culture, engaging at the upper levels to analyze more complex systems and issues.
  • Practicing the Digital Arts, also engaging at the upper levels, as a means of gaining practical experience organizing and collaborating in media production processes.

Program Type

Major

Program Format

On Campus

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Considering a Double Major?

Many students find that a double-major in DAC and another area of study makes them even more appealing to employers after graduation.

The DAC program is flexible making it relatively easy to double-major. Popular second majors for students with more technical interests include: information science and technology, data analytics, or data science.

Students more interested in graphic production lean towards art and design or JAMS with a concentration in advertising and public relations. English, communication, marketing, business, and history are also popular choices.

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Digital Arts and Culture Degree Requirements

You are strongly advised to consult both the DAC advisor and your L&S advisor to ensure you stay on track towards a degree. A total of 36 credits is required for the major, of which at least 15 upper-level L&S credits must be completed in residence at UWM. No more than 21 credits from a single curricular area may count toward the submajor. Students must earn a 2.0 GPA on all UWM credits that count toward the major. In addition, the College requires that students earn a minimum 2.0 GPA on all transfer work, counting towards the major.

Core Culture Courses
ART 118Digital Arts: Culture, Theory, Practice3
JAMS/DAC 113Internet Culture3
Media Systems Courses
Select one of the following:3
Entertainment Arts: Film, Television, and the Internet 1
Introduction to Information Science and Technology
Introduction to Mass Media
Digital Composition Courses
Select two of the following:6
Creative Technologies
Moving Images and Sound in Art & Design
Introduction to Design
Technical Writing
Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture:
Web Design I
Media Writing
Publication Design
Introduction to Digital Arts
Understanding Digital Culture Courses
Select one of the following:3
Issues in Contemporary Art:
Human Communication and Technology
Media and Society:
Human Factors in Information Seeking and Use
Media Ethics
Practicing the Digital Arts Courses
Select one of the following:3
Web Design
Writing, Speaking, and Technoscience in the 21st Century
Introduction to Application Development
Nonprofit Information Technology (application required before open enrollment)
Media Graphics
Capstone Seminar
DAC 661Digital Engagement Seminar (only offered in Spring semesters)3
Electives
Select at least 6 credits from the Understanding Digital Culture Expanded Electives and 3 credits from the Practicing Digital Arts Expanded Electives. The remaining 3 credits can come from either group. At least one course from each group should be numbered 300 or above.12
Understanding Digital Culture Expanded Electives
Games and Society
Anthropology and Popular Culture
Cultures of Online Games and Virtual Worlds
Multicultural America
Issues in Contemporary Art:
Entertainment Arts: Film, Television, and the Internet (if not selected above)
History and Theory of New Media Art
Communication in Organizations
Human Communication and Technology (if not selected above)
Intercultural Communication
Entertainment and Politics
Quantitative Research in Communication
Organizational Communication Technology
Rhetoric and the Internet
Contemporary Problems in Freedom of Speech
Contemporary Imagination in Literature and the Arts
Experiencing Literature in the 21st Century:
Literature and Film:
Independent Study
Advanced Independent Study
Science Fiction:
Introduction to Film Studies
Introduction to Television Studies
Game Culture
Topics in Film, Television and Digital Studies:
Film and Literature
Media and Society: (if not selected above)
Cinema, Television, and Genre:
Entertainment Industries:
Theories of Digital Culture:
Intermediate Topics in Film and Television Studies:
Introduction to Global Studies III: Globalization and Technology
Language, Media, and Social Practice in Global Communications
Introduction to Information Science and Technology (if not selected above)
Information Technology Ethics
Human Factors in Information Seeking and Use (if not selected above)
Introduction to Systems Analysis
Legal Aspects of Information Products and Services
Advanced Topics in Information Science & Technology:
The Search Engine Society
Information Technology and Organizations
Introduction to Mass Media (if not selected above)
Gender and the Media
Internet Culture (if not selected above)
Principles of Media Studies
News Literacy
Race and Ethnicity in the Media
History of Mass Media
Media Ethics (if not selected above)
Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age
Media Studies and Culture
Practicing the Digital Arts Expanded Electives
2D Studio: Concept, Color and Composition
Digital Arts: Culture, Theory, Practice (if not selected above)
Creative Technologies (if not selected above)
Moving Images and Sound in Art & Design (if not selected above)
Introduction to Design (if not selected above)
Introduction to Photography
Creative Coding
Digital Painting
Creative Interfaces
3D Environments and XR
Creative Electronics
Web Design (if not selected above)
Web Design II
Digital Media Workshop:
Topics in Web, Interaction and Screen Design:
Motion Graphics
Internship in Digital Arts and Culture, Lower Division
Internship in Digital Arts and Culture, Upper Division
Technical Writing (if not selected above)
Writing in the Professions: (if not selected above)
Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture:
Writing, Speaking, and Technoscience in the 21st Century (if not selected above)
Forms of Experimental Literature:
Topics in Advanced Communications:
Rhetoric and Professional Writing
Technical Documentation
Project Management for Professional Writers
Information Design
Grant Writing
Digital Filmmaking for Non-Majors
Foundation Production: Fiction
Foundation Production: Nonfiction
Introduction to Digital Arts (if not selected above)
Film Art for Non-Majors
Experimental Documentary
Appropriated Media
Introduction to Geographic Information Science
Geographic Information Science
Web Design I (if not selected above)
Web Design II
Introduction to Application Development (if not selected above)
Data Analysis and Visualization for the Information Professional
Multimedia Web Design
Nonprofit Information Technology (if not selected above)
Electronic Publishing and Web Design
Media Writing (if not selected above)
Introduction to Advertising and Public Relations
Publication Design (if not selected above)
Photojournalism
Introduction To Video Storytelling
Audio Storytelling
Introduction to Digital Documentary
Media Graphics (if not selected above)
Introduction to Social Media and Search Engine Optimization
On-Campus Internship ( DAC placement)
Topics in Social Media:
Studio Techniques
Interactive Electronic Music
Special Studies in Music: (Interactivity and Improvisation)
Computer Modeling and Graphics for Live Performance
Sound Production and Digital Editing for Stage and Studio
Sound Design and Digital Editing
Total Credits36
1

ARTHIST 111/ENGLISH 111/FILMSTD 111 can be used either to fulfill the Media Systems requirement, or as an elective, but cannot be used to satisfy both.

Advising

You are strongly advised to consult both the DAC advisor and your L&S advisor to ensure you stay on track towards a degree.

Letters & Science Advising

During your time at UWM, you may have multiple members of your success team, including advisors, peer mentors, and success coaches. Letters and Science students typically work with at least two different types of advisors as they pursue their degrees: professional College Advisors and Faculty Advisors. L&S College Advisors advise across your entire degree program while departmental Faculty Advisors focus on the major.

College Advisors are located in Holton Hall and serve as your primary advisor. They are your point person for your questions about navigating college and completing your degree. College Advisors will:

  • assist you in defining your academic and life goals;
  • help you create an educational plan that is consistent with those goals;
  • assist you in understanding curriculum, major and degree requirements for graduation, as well as university policies and procedures;
  • provide you with information about campus and community resources and refer you to those resources as appropriate; and 
  • monitor your progress toward graduation and completion of requirements.

Faculty Advisors mentor students in the major and assist them in maximizing their development in the program. You will begin working with a Faculty Advisor when you declare your major. Faculty Advisors are an important partner and will:

  • help you understand major requirements and course offerings in the department; 
  • explain opportunities for internships and undergraduate research and guide you in obtaining those experiences; and 
  • serve as an excellent resource as you consider potential graduate programs and career paths in your field.

Students are encouraged to meet with both their College Advisor and Faculty Advisor at least once each semester. Appointments are available in-person, by phone or by video. 

Currently enrolled students should use the Navigate website to make an appointment with your assigned advisor or call (414) 229-4654 if you do not currently have an assigned Letters & Science advisor. Prospective students who haven't enrolled in classes yet should call (414) 229-7711 or email let-sci@uwm.edu.

Get Advising
  • Currently enrolled majors with questions about general degree requirements? Make an appointment with your assigned Letters & Science College Advisor through Navigate or email your advisor.
  • Currently enrolled majors with questions about the major specifically? Email your faculty advisor or the department directly.
  • Currently enrolled UWM students not yet in the College of Letters & Science? Email ls-advising@uwm.edu.
  • Haven’t started classes yet at UWM? Email our admissions counselor at let-sci@uwm.edu.
Letters & Science Degree Requirements

In addition to the requirements for the major (in the Requirements tab of this page), students must fulfill a number of other requirements. Students must take a minimum of 120 credits to graduate. These can be thought of as falling into one of three "buckets:" major, general requirements, and electives, which is where a minor could fall. Many classes fall into more than one bucket at the same time. This is why it is important to talk to your advisor, so you can take advantage of those double-counting opportunities.

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Contact

Prospective Students (not yet enrolled at UWM)

Prospective students, contact our admissions counselor at let-sci@uwm.edu or 414-229-7711.

Current Students

General questions such as how to declare, how to change a major, general education requirements, etc. should be directed to the College advising office at ls-advising@uwm.edu or 414-229-4654.

Specific questions about Digital Arts & Culture, such as research opportunities, internship opportunities, major requirements, etc., should be directed to Marc Tasman.