The School of Communications' master of science program in interactive communications focuses on the principles and practices of creating content for specific distribution through the Internet, portable media devices and related digital platforms. Through a balance of courses that teach students how to create and deploy animation, audio, graphics, still images, text, video and user-generated content into a single narrative, students learn how to transform traditional media forms and create a non-linear, multimedia experience for the audience.
Students completing the program can compete for opportunities as producers for advertising, entertainment, information and news organizations engaged in the creation and distribution of their content through digital platforms. The program encourages applications from prospective students who want to apply skills acquired during their undergraduate education or professional careers to multimedia content development to mirror the audience shift from traditional, linear media such as broadcast and print to interactive, non-linear media found online.
To earn the master's degree, students must complete 36 credit hours with a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average. It is possible to complete the program in one calendar year. Students admitted to the program may enroll for full-time (three or more courses per semester) or part-time study.
Students learn to create story text, graphics, audio, video, animations and interactivities and to assemble the components into a single, engaging narrative story. That outcome combined with rigorous coursework covering leading theoretical developments and innovative thinking in the field positions graduates to work as content producers or content managers in the interactive space for companies and institutions engaged in news, strategic communications, entertainment and information services.
In addition to traditional course work, students are offered the opportunity to enroll in a three-credit internship. Graduate students have served as interns at local, regional, national and global media companies and Web development firms.
Specific courses cover practical areas such as visual aesthetics, writing for interactive media, video and still imaging, audio creation and animation development. Seminars in media law, communications and society, and current topics, among others, provide the intellectual structure for leadership in the field. Students must complete the program with an individual capstone, either in the form of a master’s project, such as an interactive narrative presentation, or a thesis that advances knowledge of the field.
View the curriculum (Adobe PDF)
For more information, please contact:
Rich Hanley
Quinnipiac University
School of Communications
Graduate Program Director
275 Mount Carmel Avenue
Hamden, CT 06518
Telephone: 203-582-3739
E-mail: gradcomm@quinnipiac.edu
Information on the application process and requirements is available from the Graduate Admissions Office. Please contact:
Graduate Admissions Office
Quinnipiac University
275 Mount Carmel Avenue
Hamden, CT 06518
Telephone: 203-582-8672
E-mail: graduate@quinnipiac.edu
Students may earn the degree in the traditional program that blends on-campus with online courses or select the new online-only version of the program offered through Quinnipiac University Online. The online-only program requires students to serve brief residencies during their program of studies, but otherwise all courses are offered online. The online-only program follows a seven-week sequence. Students take one course in each of the two seven-week modules in the Fall and Spring and take two courses during the summer, for a total of six courses per calendar year. Students complete the program in two years.
Learn more about the online-only ICM program