Online BA in Liberal Studies: Digital Information Design & Society

This course will provide the theoretical basis and the problem solving experience needed to apply the techniques of descriptive and inferential statistics, to evaluate such daily inputs as organizational reports and to improve decision making over a wide range of areas. Topics include: descriptive measures, distribution shapes, concepts of probability of discrete and continuous random variables, hypothesis testing of one, two samples, chi-squared and f-test, regression, ANOVA, using Excel and SAS for solving and interpreting statistical problems.

Prerequisite: COM 112 and MAT 120

This course will provide an overview of the key concepts, applications, processes and techniques relevant to business analytics. This course shows how to interpret data involving uncertainty and variability; how to model and analyze the relationships within business data; and how to make correct inferences from the data (and recognize incorrect inferences). The course will include instruction in the use of software tools to analyze and present quantitative data. As the market demand for professionals with data management, analytical and problem-solving skills increases, this course provides an analytical toolset to address modern, data-intensive business problems.

Prerequisite: MAT 120

This course is aimed at beginning to intermediate computer users. It teaches a range of computer skills on the basics of using spreadsheets for various applications. Spreadsheet software remains one of the most ubiquitous pieces of software used in workplaces across the world. Learning to confidently operate this software means adding a highly valuable asset to your employability portfolio. Students will learn to navigate the user interface, perform basic calculations with formulas and functions, professionally format spreadsheets, and create visualizations of data through charts and graphs. Practical examples that demonstrate how useful spreadsheets are for presenting data, solving problems, and making business decisions will be highlighted.

Mass Communication is changing more rapidly now than at any time in the past century. Journalists, public relations practitioners, corporate communicators and professionals in any discipline or industry are expected to know how to use a range of storytelling forms to reach their audiences. Today’s professional (at all levels) should be able to gather and edit simple text, graphics, photos, audio and video as well as use the latest social media, and analytics dashboards. This interactive course will examine those changes and provide valuable “how-to” practice in communication technology and content delivery. As students learn about communication technology in the Media Lab, they will become more familiar with the hardware, software, and devices used in the industry as well as in varied disciplines and workplaces. Communication technology is the fusion of computer science and electronic media — offering skills and opportunity to present, share, distribute and manage information.

This course focuses on the role and utilization of new media from both a practical and theoretical vantage point. Students will examine how media technologies shape crucial facets of contemporary society—from business to politics, economics, corporate/organizational environments, and communities. Throughout the course, we will move from basic concepts of new media to more in-depth explorations of how digital media technologies have evolved, and their continued impact on modes and strategies of communication. Students will gain practical, “hands on” experiences with digital media technology throughout the course, gain experience applying these technologies towards creating digital content, and understand the implications of these technologies on practices of communication.

Prerequisite: CMS 130, ENG 114, ENG 124, ENG 134

This course emphasizes technical computing concepts and the development of skills in a technology driven world. It further provides students with skills to perform basic operations involved in system administration, with an understanding of the roles of an operating system, its basic functions, and the services provided by the operating system. An introduction to coding languages is provided. Finally, the course provides students with the ability to create simple scripts/programs to automate and perform simple operations.

This course introduces a systematic approach to programming. Specifically, this course teaches students to use Python to solve real world problems. By the end of the course, students will be able to construct a program from a series of instructions in Python.

In this course students will apply the practices for effective reading and writing introduced in ENG 114 to the distinctive language and forms of various disciplines. This course lays the foundation for academic and professional research and stresses the use of appropriate and effective information sources. Readings for a variety of academic audiences will provide students with strategies to communicate in the sciences, business and technology, psychology, liberal studies, and the social sciences. Research and documentation skills appropriate to the disciplines are stressed. In addition to leading students through the research process from start to finish, this course will examine the many ramifications of academic honesty.

Prerequisite: ENG 114

This course provides a basic introduction to the application of digital and computational technology to the study of the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Students will engage with theories and practices of the digital and computational humanities and the process of using computing skills towards the study of humanities-based issues and topics. This course will integrate foundational liberal arts skills of critical thinking, analysis, and written communication with key understandings of digital technology concepts such as data representation and visualization, digital archives, mapping, and text-mining. Students will be introduced to the process of digital engagement with cultural materials and reflect on the practical application of digital techniques to sociocultural inquiry.

This course examines trajectories of scientific thought from a humanistic and ethical perspective. Students will question the “myth of objectivity” in science and analyze how scientific developments have centered privileged perspectives as the human default. Additionally, students will focus on the ways in which scientific movements are impacted by the historical moments in which they are embedded, hold a mutually constitutive relationship with sociopolitical and cultural issues, have been used as tools to legitimize systems of oppression, and are built from frameworks that extrapolate privileged experience and modes of inquiry as the “objective norm” of scientific validity. Topics on the exclusionary and biased design of scientific developments will be explored, along with ethical issues of bias in contemporary scientific fields.

Prerequisite: HUM 210

This course introduces students to the applications of digital and computational technology and design thinking to humanistic research. Students will learn to use digital research methods to develop and explore strong humanistic research questions, will develop skills in using digital tools to conduct original research, and will analyze the efficacy of a variety of digital research methodologies by critiquing examples of humanities-based research projects that utilize these tools. Students will also learn how to organize and present stories with data, develop charts, analyze and use spatial and network visualizations, and use basic text analysis tools to explore qualitative data.

This course is intended for students to produce critical and creative projects that apply digital technologies to a field of inquiry in the humanities and/or social sciences. Students will continue to develop their skills in analyzing humanities research questions through digital, computational, and design technologies. Students will develop a research question, develop a research agenda and project plan, and produce a proof of concept for a new digital humanities project. This course will culminate in producing a digital project and a written rationale with theoretical grounding, as well as explanation of practical decisions and applications.

This course introduces students to foundational principles of design thinking as a tool for innovative problem-solving and strategy development across industries. Students will learn about different methodologies for developing and applying empathy-based solutions to user and stakeholder challenges. Students will engage in exercises and projects in which they model the different steps of design thinking, including: identifying user challenges, conducting empathy fieldwork, brainstorming user-centered solutions based on qualitative and quantitative data, creating prototype concepts, and role-playing end-user testing.

The BA in Liberal Studies: Digital Information Design and Society program requires 38 general electives. Learn more about which courses apply to these credits by speaking with an enrollment counselor.

Data analytics deals with inferring and validating patterns, structures and relationships in data, as a tool to support decisions in the business environment. The course introduces the techniques necessary to successfully implement analytic and visualization projects using the modern software tools. The course offers an insight into the main methodologies for the visualization and analysis of business and market data, providing the skills for specific tasks such as data cleansing and preparation, visual design best practices, and statistical methods. Data visualization topics covered include design principles, perception, color, statistical graphs, maps, trees and networks, data visualization tools, and other topics as appropriate.

Prerequisite: BUS 328

Students will learn throughout this course the overall market around the Internet of Things (IoT), the expansive quantity globally, the technology used to build these kinds of devices, how they communicate, how they store data, and the kinds of distributed systems needed to support them. Students will further understand and appreciate the role big data, cloud computing and data analytics in a typical IoT system. This course will also explore the basics of modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) and some of the representative applications of AI, as well as exposing students to the basic ideas, challenges, techniques, and problems in AI.

Emily holds an MA in English Literature from George Mason University and is a Ph.D. Candidate at UMass Amherst, specializing in English Renaissance drama and theatre history. Her other areas of interest include performance studies, body studies, affect theory, posthumanism, and decolonized pedagogy. Her dissertation studies the affective encounters between stage and spectator during staged bodily violence in Tudor and Stuart tragedy.

Choosing a major for your degree allows you to gain career-ready skills in a specific area of expertise. These specialty skills will allow you to stand out among other professionals in your field and better compete for the position you want.

You’ll complete 120 total credits to earn the online BA in Liberal Studies: Digital Information Design & Society major. You can review the courses now.

No, a major is not required for the online BA in Liberal Studies program. You may choose the standard Liberal Studies degree or one of six major options, which include:

1. Digital Information Design & Society
2. Early Childhood Education Licensure
3. Early Childhood Leadership
4. Education Studies, Non-Licensure
5. Elementary Education Licensure
6. Health Foundations

You can learn more about coursework for this program on our courses page.

The requirements for the online BA in Liberal Studies program include:

• Submit your application.
• Submit official high school transcripts and college transcripts if applicable.
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

You can learn more about our admission requirements on our admission page.

No. All of the Liberal Studies major core courses are specific to your chosen concentration. You may only move from your chosen concentration to the general Liberal Studies program without losing credits.

Those who hold an online BA in Liberal Studies: Digital Information Design & Society degree often pursue careers such as content producer, film editor, technical writer, and more. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the field of media and communications to grow 6% by 2031. Learn more about your career options by visiting our careers page.