Interactive Digital Media
Major: Interactive Digital Media
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Total Credit Hours: 188.0
Co-op Options: One Co-op (Four years); Three Co-ops (Five years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 11.0801
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 15-1250
About the Major
Effective 2020, the 4-year program with one co-op is no longer being offered.
Technology and your future career prospects are evolving at lightning speeds. Where it was once as simple as pursuing “website design” or “programming,” today’s world offers—and demands—more. To truly succeed in tech, you need creativity, versatility, and an interdisciplinary skillset. You need to be able to see through the eyes of the user and understand projects from start to finish. You need to be a unicorn.
Interactive Digital Media (IDM) helps you get there.
By combining principles from a range of disciplines, IDM gives you the tools not only to understand technology but also the human principles underpinning it. You’ll get exposure to:
- User Experience Design (UX)—Researching and advocating for the needs of people who will be using technologies, prototyping digital products, and working with agile methodologies
- User Interface and Interaction Design (UI/IXD)—Using tools like Adobe Creative Suite to create visual experiences for technology products
- Development—Programming the code (HTML/CSS, Javascript, PHP/MySQL, etc.) that makes products work in a variety of media (websites, apps, augmented and virtual reality, Internet of Things, etc.)
- Information Architecture (IA) and Content Strategy—Organizing and planning information systems for digital products
- Project Management—Managing workflows to keep teams on track
As a freshman, you learn the basics of design. In sophomore year, you learn the coding and development skills to bring those designs to life. Your junior and senior studies are focused on electives and interdisciplinary teamwork. You’ll spend six months working full-time within a company through Drexel’s Cooperative Education program, and your capstone project will result in a full-scale, industry-level product launch.
By the end of this program, you’ll have real-world experience, an enviable portfolio, and the highly adaptable skills to find your way in the uncertain, ever-evolving world of tech.
Additional Information
To find out more, visit the Westphal College’s Interactive Digital Media major webpage to see student projects and successful alumni.
Degree Requirements
General Education Requirements | ||
CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
COM 230 | Techniques of Speaking | 3.0 |
COOP 101 | Career Management and Professional Development | 1.0 |
ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
MATH 119 | Mathematical Foundations for Design | 4.0 |
PHYS 170 | Electricity and Motion | 3.0 |
PHYS 171 | Computational Lab for Electricity and Motion | 1.0 |
PHYS 175 | Light and Sound | 3.0 |
PHYS 176 | Computational Lab for Light and Sound | 1.0 |
PSY 330 | Cognitive Psychology | 3.0 |
UNIV A101 | The Drexel Experience | 2.0 |
Arts & Humanities-students elective | 3.0 | |
History (HIST) elective | 4.0 | |
Literature (ENGL) elective | 3.0 | |
Social Science Elective | 6.0 | |
Free electives | 23.0 | |
Art and Art History Requirements | ||
ARTH 103 | History of Art III | 3.0 |
ARTH 300 [WI] | History of Modern Design | 3.0 |
ARTH 314 | Contemporary Art | 3.0 |
VSST 108 | Design I for Media | 3.0 |
VSST 109 | Design II for Media | 3.0 |
VSST 110 | Introductory Drawing | 3.0 |
Business & Management Requirements | ||
EAM 211 | Strategic Management for Entertainment and Arts Management | 3.0 |
Media Requirements | ||
FMVD 206 | Audio Production and Post | 3.0 |
INFO 110 | Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction | 3.0 |
PHTO 110 | Photography | 3.0 |
PROD 215 | Design Thinking in Product Design | 4.0 |
WEST 107 | Maker Workshop | 3.0 |
Digital Media Core Requirements | ||
ANIM 115 | Introduction to Production with Animation & VFX | 3.0 |
DIGM 105 | Overview of Digital Media | 3.0 |
DIGM 475 [WI] | Seminar: The Future of Digital Media | 3.0 |
DIGM 490 | Digital Media Senior Project | 9.0 |
DIGM 491 | Digital Media Senior Project Studio | 3.0 |
GMAP 260 | Overview of Computer Gaming | 3.0 |
Interactive Digital Media Requirements | ||
IDM 211 | User Interface Design I | 3.0 |
IDM 212 | User Interface Design II | 3.0 |
IDM 213 | Interaction Design | 3.0 |
IDM 214 | Human Factors Engineering | 3.0 |
IDM 215 | User Experience Design I | 3.0 |
IDM 216 | User Experience Design II | 3.0 |
IDM 221 | Web Design I | 3.0 |
IDM 222 | Web Design II | 3.0 |
IDM 231 | Scripting for Interactive Digital Media I | 3.0 |
IDM 232 | Scripting for Interactive Digital Media II | 3.0 |
IDM 241 | Microinteractions | 3.0 |
IDM 250 | Content Management Systems | 3.0 |
IDM 371 | Interactive Digital Media Workshop I | 3.0 |
IDM 372 | Interactive Digital Media Workshop II | 3.0 |
IDM 401 | Professional Practices in Interactive Digital Media | 3.0 |
IDM 418 | Storytelling for User Experience Design | 3.0 |
Select three (3) of the following: | 9.0 | |
Digital Cultural Heritage | ||
Explorations in New Media | ||
Content Strategies for Digital Products | ||
History of Web Development | ||
Interactive Graphics | ||
Web Game Design | ||
User Interface Design for Immersive Media | ||
WebVR | ||
Interactive App Design I | ||
Interactive App Design II | ||
Interactive App Design III | ||
Interactive App Design IV | ||
Experimental Interactive Technologies | ||
Internet of Things | ||
Validating Product Ideas | ||
User Research Methodologies | ||
Special Topics in Interactive Digital Media | ||
Independent Study in Interactive Digital Media | ||
Total Credits | 188.0 |
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.
Sample Plan of Study
Effective 2020, the 4-year program with one co-op is no longer being offered.
Four year, One Co-op
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
DIGM 105 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | VACATION | |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | IDM 212 | 3.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
IDM 211 | 3.0 | PHTO 110 | 3.0 | IDM 213 | 3.0 | ||
PROD 215 | 4.0 | UNIV A101 | 1.0 | INFO 110 | 3.0 | ||
UNIV A101 | 1.0 | VSST 108 | 3.0 | MATH 119 | 4.0 | ||
VSST 110 | 3.0 | WEST 107 | 3.0 | VSST 109 | 3.0 | ||
17 | 16 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
EAM 211 | 3.0 | ANIM 115 | 3.0 | IDM 215 | 3.0 | ARTH 103 | 3.0 |
FMVD 206 | 3.0 | IDM 214 | 3.0 | IDM 232 | 3.0 | COM 230 | 3.0 |
GMAP 260 | 3.0 | IDM 222 | 3.0 | IDM 241 | 3.0 | COOP 101 | 1.0 |
IDM 221 | 3.0 | IDM 231 | 3.0 | IDM 418 | 3.0 | IDM 216 | 3.0 |
PHYS 170 | 3.0 | PHYS 175 | 3.0 | Elective | 3.0 | IDM 250 | 3.0 |
PHYS 171 | 1.0 | PHYS 176 | 1.0 | IDM Elective | 3.0 | ||
16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ARTH 300 | 3.0 | ARTH 314 | 3.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
DIGM 475 | 3.0 | IDM 372 | 3.0 | ||||
IDM 371 | 3.0 | Arts & Humanities Elective | 3.0 | ||||
PSY 330 | 3.0 | IDM Elective | 3.0 | ||||
IDM Elective | 3.0 | Social Science Elective | 3.0 | ||||
15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
DIGM 490 | 3.0 | DIGM 490 | 3.0 | DIGM 490 | 3.0 | ||
DIGM 491 | 1.0 | DIGM 491 | 1.0 | DIGM 491 | 1.0 | ||
IDM 401 | 3.0 | History (HIST) Elective | 4.0 | Free Electives | 9.0 | ||
Literature (ENGL) Elective | 3.0 | Free Electives | 8.0 | ||||
Social Science Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
16 | 16 | 13 | |||||
Total Credits 188 |
Five year, Three Co-ops
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
DIGM 105 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | VACATION | |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | IDM 212 | 3.0 | COOP 101 | 1.0 | ||
IDM 211 | 3.0 | PHTO 110 | 3.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
PROD 215 | 4.0 | UNIV A101 | 1.0 | IDM 213 | 3.0 | ||
UNIV A101 | 1.0 | VSST 108 | 3.0 | INFO 110 | 3.0 | ||
VSST 110 | 3.0 | WEST 107 | 3.0 | MATH 119 | 4.0 | ||
VSST 109 | 3.0 | ||||||
17 | 16 | 18 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
EAM 211 | 3.0 | ANIM 115 | 3.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
FMVD 206 | 3.0 | IDM 214 | 3.0 | ||||
GMAP 260 | 3.0 | IDM 222 | 3.0 | ||||
IDM 221 | 3.0 | IDM 231 | 3.0 | ||||
PHYS 170 | 3.0 | PHYS 175 | 3.0 | ||||
PHYS 171 | 1.0 | PHYS 176 | 1.0 | ||||
16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
IDM 215 | 3.0 | ARTH 103 | 3.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
IDM 232 | 3.0 | COM 230 | 3.0 | ||||
IDM 241 | 3.0 | IDM 216 | 3.0 | ||||
IDM 418 | 3.0 | IDM 250 | 3.0 | ||||
Elective | 3.0 | IDM Elective | 3.0 | ||||
15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ARTH 300 | 3.0 | ARTH 314 | 3.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
DIGM 475 | 3.0 | IDM 372 | 3.0 | ||||
IDM 371 | 3.0 | Arts & Humanities Elective | 3.0 | ||||
PSY 330 | 3.0 | IDM Elective | 3.0 | ||||
IDM Elective | 3.0 | Social ScienceElective | 3.0 | ||||
15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Fifth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
DIGM 490 | 3.0 | DIGM 490 | 3.0 | DIGM 490 | 3.0 | ||
DIGM 491 | 1.0 | DIGM 491 | 1.0 | DIGM 491 | 1.0 | ||
IDM 401 | 3.0 | History (HIST) Elective | 4.0 | Free Electives | 9.0 | ||
Literature (ENGL) Elective | 3.0 | Free Electives | 8.0 | ||||
Social Science Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
16 | 16 | 13 | |||||
Total Credits 188 |
Co-op/Career Opportunities
Students who study interactive digital media can move on to careers as web designers, graphic designers, digital media designers, user research and experience specialists, multimedia artists, interactive designers, web programmers, and web user interface designers.
Co-op Experiences
Some past co-op employers of Interactive Digital Media students include:
- Brownstein Group
- Comcast
- Digitas Health
- eCity Interactive
- Electronic Ink
- Happy Cog
Visit the Drexel Steinbright Career Development Center webpage for more detailed information on co-op and post-graduate opportunities.
Facilities
Digital media program facilities include a motion capture and green screen studio, a screening room, DSLR digital still cameras, HD video cameras and lighting equipment, triple boot PowerMac stations (Mac / Windows / Unix) with dual monitors, wacom tablets, game consoles, mobile devices, and two undergraduate open labs with 24/7 access.
Additionally, the program houses the RePlay Lab in the URBN Center which is a collaborative effort between the Digital Media program and the Computer Science department (in the College of Computing & Informatics). At Drexel University, game development does not "live" in solely one department, and so mirrors the true nature of game development in commercial settings.