In response to a growing demand for understanding Internet and mobile communication technologies, a 12-credit graduate certificate program in communication and new media will be offered by Wayne State University's Department of Communication beginning January 2010. Students will have the opportunity to examine and experience new media across multiple formats, and will be able to complete all of their coursework online.

"New media culture represents a fundamental shift in human interactions," says faculty member Karen McDevitt, who has been examining digital communications for the past 10 years. "The study of mediated messages - from Facebook to Twitter, and other increasingly mobile technologies - is no longer limited to the fringe, but is in fact a necessary component for learning about most all communication processes and their implications."

The graduate certificate is intended to enhance the value of an earned degree in a broad range of disciplines while also increasing the student's level of marketable communication skills. Professor Matthew Seeger, Department of Communication chair, points out, "Many professions are embracing new media as a tool to accomplish their goals. Health professionals, for example, are using new media to disseminate information more effectively to patients and to the general public." The communication and new media graduate certificate "provides a unique opportunity for students as well as working professionals who want to study and apply new media communication strategies," Seeger says.

The certificate would serve as either an addition to a degree or as a stand-alone program for anyone seeking advanced training in technology and communication skills. Students will complete two required three-credit courses - New Media Practices (COM 5280) and New Media Theory (COM 6270) - and two elective three-credit courses. The electives include selective communication and instructional technology classes.

For more information about the communication and new media graduate certificate, contact Loraleigh Keashly, graduate officer, at (313) 577-2943, or e-mail l.keashly@wayne.edu.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 32,000 students.