Graduate Certificate in Emerging Media Design and Development

The Center for Emerging Media Design and Development offers an 11-month Graduate Certificate focused on three areas: design thinking, transmedia storytelling, and human-computer interaction.

Through applied research and cross-disciplinary project work, you will be trained in a diverse set of skills including interaction design, usability testing, product development, project management, and innovative storytelling.
 
The certificate program gives you the applied and theoretical skills necessary in an ever-evolving workplace and provides a foundation for the soft skills employers want, including collaborative problem-solving, design thinking, and research methods.

Mode of Delivery

The Emerging Media Design and Development Certificate is obtained via our low-residency program. The majority of your coursework will be online, four days at the start of each semester you will meet in person in the Greater Indianapolis area to work in a small group setting with your professors and classmates.

This experience allows you the flexibility you need for your workplace, as well as the benefit of face-to-face interaction. The face-to-face sessions are held at Ball State’s Center for Academic and Economic Innovation at Launch Fishers, just a few miles north of Indianapolis (map).

Meeting times are the first week of Ball State’s academic session in the fall, spring, and summer semesters and generally take place on: 

• Wednesday from 2 to 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Courses Requirements

You will take two classes per semester in the fall, spring, and summer. Or, you may opt to take one course at a time and spread over two years.

Fall

• EMDD 600 Usability and Evaluation Research Methods (3 credits)
• EMDD 620 Emerging Media and Design Thinking (3 credits)

Spring

• EMDD 610 Theories and Frameworks in Human-Computer Interaction (3 credits)
• EMDD 630 Nonlinear and Interactive Storytelling (3 credits)

Summer

• EMDD 640 Transmedia Storytelling and Publishing (3 credits)
• EMDD 650 Interactive Media Design and Development (3 credits)

Should you wish to take this certificate experience to the next level, all of these courses can be applied to the master's degree in emerging media design and development.

For a complete list of program requirements and courses, see the course catalog.

View Catalog

More about Online Learning

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Admission to Ball State is selective, and we carefully evaluate all application on an individual basis. Applying for admission is easy. Use our convenient, comprehensive, and secure online application.

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Students from Other States

Ball State is authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to accept online students from all U.S. states. However, if you are considering a program that leads to professional licensure, some states may have additional regulations. Review our state authorization website if you live outside of Indiana and contact us if you have questions.

International Applicants

If the degree is offered only in an online format, U.S. policies will not allow you to come to the U.S. and take only online courses. However, you may be able to study online from your home country. 

International Students Studying Online Only

If you’re an international student, in addition to meeting the requirements above, you will first need to meet the admission requirements for international graduate students. For information about the international admission process, contact International Admissions.

If you are receiving sponsorship from your government for your studies, please confirm with your sponsor that you are permitted to enroll in online education courses. It is your responsibility to determine if you can enroll in online courses per your sponsor (if applicable), and the laws and policies of your nation and the United States.

International Students Studying on Campus 

You can only study on campus if the degree has either an on-campus or blended option. Online only degrees cannot be taken on campus. If you’re an international student and wish to study on our main campus in Muncie, Indiana, you will first need to meet the admission requirements for international graduate students. For information about the international admission process, contact the International Admissions. 

Admission deadlines for international students are earlier. 

Please review the admission deadlines from International Admissions so that there is plenty of time to review your application before enrollment deadlines.