Digital Communication and Social Media Major

Cabrini’s Digital Communication and Social Media degree prepares students to excel in a variety of communication-related careers that require keen knowledge and experience in digital media technologies.

This degree is highly competitive and widely transferable to many different careers in many different industries. Students studying Digital Communication and Social Media at Cabrini are ready to work in television, video production, film; radio, digital audio; journalism; digital marketing and advertising; public relations; social media; event management; sports communication, and more upon graduation. Students are also prepared to continue their education and complete grad-level studies or law school.

Our accomplished graduates of this program are working in careers for many well-known and well-regarded organizations such as CBS 3 Philadelphia, ESPN, The Washington Post, The Brownstein Group, Stream Companies, and the list goes on.

Digital Communication and Social Media majors at Cabrini are hands-on from day one in the program. They build stellar online portfolios of their media work as a result and also develop good leadership and problem-solving skills by working to produce their own media stories. Students also work collaboratively in the major and build strong relationships with their peers in the program, as well as their professors. This nurturing atmosphere fosters students’ creativity and innovation.

Students in the major not only learn how to tell compelling stories through audio, video, text, photography, and graphics; they also learn how to apply their media skills to produce stories that matter. These stories are ones that foster positive systemic change and social justice in our nation and world.

Finally, Cabrini’s Communication Department builds students’ career focus within the major over all four years. Students in the program are required to take a half-credit career development course each semester to explore careers in the media and develop the job search tools necessary to successfully land an internship or job. Most programs refer students to their university’s career center for assistance with the internship or job-search process. Cabrini Communication does it differently, embedding a strong career development focus within its four-year curriculum. The result is a 95+ percent job placement rate for our majors after graduation.

Requirements for the Major in Digital Communication and Social Media
(all courses 3 credits unless noted)

COM 101 – Introduction to Media Communication
COM 250 – Journalism 1: Reporting and Writing (4 credits)
COM 251 – Journalism 1: Digital/Web Editing and Production (4 credits)
COM 270 – Video Production (4 credits)
COM 275 – Multimedia Story Creation
COM 360 – Public Relations OR COM 365 – Advertising
COM 369 – Integrated Marketing Communication
COM 231 – Introduction to Digital and Social Media
COM 232 – Social Media for Strategic Communication
COM 325 – Social Media Evaluation and Analytics

Advanced Courses in Journalism OR Video

COM 352 – Advanced Reporting and Writing AND
COM 353 – Advanced Journalism Digital Production (8 credits)
OR
Two advanced video courses beyond COM 270 (6 credits)

COM elective (e.g., Digital Audio for Media, Event Photography, Sports Communication, Presentation Communication, Research for Communication, etc.)

COM 103, 203, 303, 403 – Communication Professional Development (half credit per semester; 4 credits total)
COM 487 – Career Preparation & Job Search Techniques
COM 472 or 474-475 – Senior Convergence Capstone Project

Total Credits for Major: 52-57

Internships
An extensive internship program encourages all students to work during several semesters or summers at the many digital media organizations in the Philadelphia area.

Students are eagerly sought after to work in—and in some cases lead—an organization’s digital communication and social media efforts.

Students have worked at most of the Philadelphia-area media, ad agencies, and public relations firms, as well as in many cutting-edge digital communication departments.

Special Requirements

QPA of 2.33 required in communication
No course with a grade of 'C-' or lower is counted toward the major.

Learning Outcomes

Digital Communication and Social Media majors will:

achieve the ability to communicate in multiple media (Multimedia Learning)
promote understanding, compassion, and action for the common good through their media creations (Social Justice Learning)
articulate their transferable and professional skills, supported by examples of their attainment (Professional Skills Learning)
attain a superior level of competency in written communication (Writing Learning)
achieve competency in Communication Project Management (Project Management Learning)