New Media Production: Digital Marketing, AAS (NDGM-AAS-NMP)

CT State Community College Catalog 2023-2024 New students enrolling for the first time in Fall 2023 will begin as students of Connecticut State Community College under this catalog.  Continuing students from one of the 12 community colleges will be transitioned into a CT State program in this catalog as of the start of the Fall 2023 term. The policies, courses and programs described are applicable as of the Fall 2023 term and may be updated as circumstances require.

The New Media Production Applied Associate of Science (A.A.S.) degree qualifies students to work in the many industries that require skills in digital media production. Before the end of their first semester students are required to enroll in a certificate, specializing in one of seven areas of media production targeted to the employment needs of the state’s media businesses:

• Audio and Music
• Corporate Media
• Digital Marketing
• Film and Video
• Multimedia
• News and Sports
• Web Design and Development

Media is a collaborative creative business. To foster collaboration in an educational setting, the New Media Production program is designed as a cohort program. Students in their first semester are in a single cohort, taking the same courses which provide identified skills that all media production professionals should have including foundational digital media production skills, an understanding of media literacy and aesthetics, shooting and editing digital video, and knowledge about the various careers in media. At the end of that first semester, students declare their area of specialization by enrolling in one of the certificate programs. During the second and third semester, students break into smaller cohorts in their area of specialization. The larger cohort comes back together in the final semester to meet graduation requirements through the production of a capstone project of professional quality, collaborating with other members of the cohort who can bring their specialized skills to these portfolio productions. At least one internship is required to graduate from the program. Students graduate with two credentials, an AAS degree and a certificate that attest to their specialization in their selected area of production.

Students learn in a professional production environment, the $2.5 million Center for New Media (CNM) on the Middlesex campus. CNM features advanced media production studios, labs and classrooms outfitted with the latest professional production equipment and instructional technology. A loan pool in the Center provides students with digital cinema and high-definition broadcast cameras, wireless microphones, professional light kits, audio mixers, camera dollies and other equipment needed to complete projects. There are 80 media production workstations in the Center with the latest industry-standard professional software, and a fast network infrastructure to access, manage and move large media files. CNM staff, educational assistants and student workers provide tutoring assistance, perform equipment certifications, and provide other educational support.

Students can intern with either outside businesses or the award-winning Center for New Media Productions. Center for New Media Productions’ full-time media producer assigns crew positions and projects to students, something they would not normally get at an external internship.

The New Media Production Associate of Applied Science degree will provide students the opportunity to complete 21 credits of general education coursework. There are 24 credits of core program requirements divided into 12 credits of core courses that all New Media Production majors must take including 2 capstone courses and 12 credits of Program Requirements in their area of specialization. Further specialization is provided by 15 credits of Directed Electives.

NMP courses can only be taken at the Middletown campus.

New Media Learning Outcomes

• Effectively use a variety of industry standard tools and processes for producing contemporary forms of digital media across multiple delivery platforms and systems.
• Use advanced technologies within a chosen area of specialization with the goal of successfully transitioning from school to working in the industry
• Plan, create and maintain a professional portfolio highlighting and marketing professional skills and capabilities. Showcase this portfolio via websites, blogs, and social media to achieve employment and educational goals.
• Demonstrate key competencies in media writing, video production, audio production, graphic design, interactive media, photography and other technologies within digital media arts.
• Apply critical thinking and aesthetic judgments in creating collaborative Digital Media projects.
• Communicate clearly, concisely, visually, verbally and in writing, using techniques appropriate for the intended audience.
• Apply course knowledge and gain media production experience in a work environment through experiential learning including internships, practicums and community engaged learning.

In addition, Digital Marketing students will:

• Understand and apply segmentation, targeting, positioning, branding, and the marketing mix in pursuit of long-term marketing objectives.
• Develop and apply integrated marketing strategies for all channels.
• Analyze principles, techniques and major functions of management and business organizations.
• Create Search Engine Marketing (SEM) & Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) techniques (campaigns), evaluate their effectiveness and recommend changes that will improve an e-commerce campaign’s conversion rates.
• Understand the various methods of online display advertising and create online display ad campaigns and measure its return on ad spend based on budgeting) for an e-commerce site.
• Understand and interpret web analytics; determine the appropriate KPIs for any type of website and make appropriate recommendations to an e-commerce website based on the conversion funnel and analytics.
• Understand and implement best practices in marketing to a database of current and potential customers via email.
• Create compelling content including titles, bylines and copy and utilize knowledge of social media tactics to design an effective social media campaign.
• Use new media including social media, blogs, web sites and online portfolios for course presentations and job preparation.
• Effectively use a variety of industry standard tools and processes for producing contemporary forms of digital media across multiple delivery platforms and delivery systems.