Digital Storytelling: Program Details – Asbury University
Shapemaximize playTriangle
Watch The College Tour
Contact Us
Visit
Apply
Give
Search

Digital Storytelling: Program Details

Welcome to Asbury University’s Master of Arts in Digital Storytelling program! This M.A. program will prepare you to craft compelling narratives for a variety of contexts, including social media and web-related platforms. The program combines theoretical knowledge with the practical skills and technology knowledge needed for exceptional digital storytelling.

Our program is uniquely faith-based, encourages collaboration between students, and provides students with powerful feedback from peers, faculty, and industry professionals. You’ll have the chance to meet industry expert guest speakers and project leaders, and you’ll have access to unique opportunities like media apprenticeships that will help you build a phenomenal portfolio to showcase your talents. The Digital Storytelling program is built on the idea that learning how to tell a story crafted for your audience is more fundamental than the ever-changing technologies used to share that story. As a result, you’ll develop the skills necessary to adapt to any emerging technology.

The program itself is based on these four pillars:

  1. The fundamental principles of storytelling as an art form
  2. Research
  3. The theoretical dynamics and interaction of communication and narrative, and
  4. Technology as a tool for message transmission.

Who Can Apply?

Anyone can apply for the M.A. in Digital Storytelling program—regardless of how much media experience you have! If you don’t have previous media experience, you may need to take a few prerequisite courses to give you the knowledge necessary for the other courses in the degree program.

If you completed undergraduate courses in multi-camera studio television, single camera (film-style) shooting & editing, and basic audio production, you can move directly into the online Digital Storytelling M.A. degree and complete the program in 30 credit hours.

If you’re a media professional or have extensive media experience in television studio production, single camera shooting and editing, and audio production, you can move directly into the online Digital Storytelling M.A. degree and complete the program in 30 credit hours.

If you don’t have prior media experience and have not completed media classes, you’ll need to take three prerequisite courses: Multicam Television Production, Single Camera Production, and Audio Production. This means you’ll be required to take the 9 credit hours of prerequisites plus the 30 credit hours in order to complete the M.A. program. These three prerequisite courses can be taken on campus during the Fall and Spring semesters or as intensive two-week classes during the summer.

Credit for Professional Experience: Up to 3 hours of credit for professional experience may be considered in place of a specific course. Talk to your faculty advisor for more information.

Projected Program course cycle: Students can pursue their coursework at different rates. If you’re a full-time student, it’s possible to complete the program in three semesters (Fall, Spring, and Summer). Other students, especially those with families and professional obligations, choose to spread the program out over two-three years.

Degree Requirements

Ready to get started? Here are the classes you’ll need to take. Please note that if you have not completed prerequisites MC 121 (Audio Production), MC 261 (Television Production), and MC 302 (Single Camera Production), or their equivalent, you’ll need to take them as part of your degree path. All three courses are offered as two-week intensives during the summer, and are also available online.

Digital Storytelling Core (12 Credit Hours)

  • DSG 502 – Intro to Grad. Communication
  • DSG 550 – Master Storytellers Seminar
  • DSG 630 – Viral Marketing Methods
  • DSG 640 – Comm. Research Methods
  • DSG 642 – Media Ethics & Criticism

Experiential Courses (Choose 1 course = 3 Hours)

  • DSG 612 – Summer Film Production
  • DSG 613 – Summer Television Production
  • DSG 710 – Directed Apprenticeship

Media Writing Courses (Choose 1 course = 3 Hours)

  • DSG 582 – Feature Film Screenwriting
  • DSG 585 – Cross-Platform Storytelling
  • DSG 614 – Writing the One-Hour Drama
  • DSG 616 – Writing the Half-Hour Comedy
  • MCG 533 – Advanced Journalistic Research/Writing

Industry Courses (Choose 1 course = 3 Hours)

  • DSG 625 – Deconstructing the Documentary
  • DSG 650 – The Business of Media
  • MCG 530 – Media Ministry & the Church

Elective Courses (Choose 3 courses = 9 Hours)

You may choose any DSG or MCG course (not previously used), an IDG course, or an MBA or NPM 500-level course. Below are some examples of courses you could choose.

  • DSG 610 – Cinematography Theory & Practice
  • DSG 620 – Rewriting the Script
  • DSG 655 – Directing for Television & Film
  • DSG 799 – Master’s Thesis/Creative Project
  • MCG 525 – Sports Storytelling
  • MCG 532 – Sundance Film Festival
  • MCG 560 – Underwater Cinematography
  • IDG 550 – Project Management
  • MBA 516 – Strategic Marketing

The degree requirements are also available for download as a PDF.