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Take your journalism, publishing or content creation career to the next level with an online graduate certificate in interactive media from the University of Missouri (Mizzou).
Journalism and media remain rooted in traditional principles, but the internet, social media and digital technologies have rapidly transformed research, reporting, distribution and interaction with the surrounding community. As a current or aspiring media professional, you see the pace at which stories get released, how articles and visuals come together and the ways users interact with this content.
As a result of these shifts, storytelling now integrates visual, written and even video elements and varies by platform to capture an audience’s attention. Grow your skills to make a memorable impact in the digital realm, no matter if you come from a print, broadcast or web background. This 15 credit-hour program sets you up to diversify your content creation and audience engagement knowledge.
Students who complete the graduate certificate with a 3.5 GPA or higher will not be required to take the GRE to apply to one of Mizzou's online master of arts in journalism programs.
Quick facts
Official name
Graduate Certificate in Interactive MediaCampus
Program type
Graduate certificateAcademic home
Missouri School of JournalismDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning CommissionCredit hours
15Estimated cost
$16,537.50*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Why earn an online graduate certificate in interactive media?
We all consume a wider variety and greater quantity of media than we did two decades ago. This rate delivers more messages — many disposable and a handful you’re able to recall. At the same time, interactive media and content creation shape industries beyond news and publishing. Every website now needs to tell a story through graphics, copywriting and user experience. Brands further draw customers through a strong narrative and distinctive visuals.
Mizzou’s program trains you to craft these multifaceted messages. Building off and enriching your existing skillset, the online graduate certificate in interactive media:
- Offers comprehensive insight into the rapidly evolving media industry
- Prepares you to develop strategies involving interactive, digital and social media
- Delves into the psychological, social, ethical and legal issues around media creation
- Considers media consumption and influence, including the society-wide effects of digital news, advertising and public relations
- Emphasizes applied learning and the essential skills and digital technologies for working in a modern-day newsroom, media organization, corporate communications department or nonprofit setting
- Touches on the role of analytics in defining, developing and engaging audiences
- Goes over all elements of the digital media process and building an interactive media plan for your respective organization
- Explores how to create engaging, dynamic media through copywriting, visuals and video
- Considers social media from a professional angle, including for advertising, public relations, distributing news, research and finding sources
- Helps update your approach to storytelling, highlighting where visuals, text, video and user experience intersect
Career prospects
From news organizations releasing stories hourly to companies investing in their brand, media professionals are predicted to see an uptick in positions between 2020 and 2030 — about 14%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Venturing into the digital sphere is likely behind this growth.
For early- to mid-career professionals, the online graduate certificate in interactive media helps attest to your digital skills and storytelling abilities. Along with your existing knowledge, the program exemplifies your understanding of current techniques and relevant technologies for developing messages that resonate with specific audiences.
In combination with your background, this program opens the door to such roles as a:
- Broadcast news analyst
- Search marketing strategist
- Public relations specialist
- Editor
- Copywriter
- Postsecondary communications teacher
Program structure
The online graduate certificate in interactive media involves 15 credit hours: a nine credit-hour core followed by six credit hours of electives exploring higher-level topics. All courses can be completed online — no campus visits are required.
Courses are offered in an eight-week format, allowing students to finish in one year.
Course work
Advancing your digital and technical knowledgebase, the online graduate certificate in interactive media covers:
- Integrating digital and strategic communication efforts, particularly for website building
- Technology developments affecting journalism and media organizations
- How information gets shared online and ways journalists can use these trends to build community relationships
- Professional social media development and audience outreach techniques
- Strategic storytelling and content creation
- Processing and analyzing electronic information
- Visual communication and design, including layout and photo editing
Review all core and elective courses for the online graduate certificate in interactive media.
Delivery
100% onlineAccreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
Faculty spotlight
Jim Flink teaches core undergraduate courses and online graduate courses, focusing on emerging technologies, changing media business models, digital strategies, content marketing, sports journalism, and the capstone experience, AdZou. Flink teaches courses across multiple disciplines and schools. His course work covers AI, immersive media, drones and more.
Flink is also a consultant with the Reynolds Journalism Institute and works with MU Journalism Abroad and for MU Extension. He helped establish an Innovation Lab at the Trulaske College of Business to bring 5G to the Mizzou campus.
Flink previously worked for Newsy and Kansas City’s KMBC-TV. His work was featured on “Larry King Live,” “Good Morning America” and more. Flink has won many awards: an Emmy, Missouri and Kansas Broadcasters Association awards and more. Flink has international journalism experience, working for the Korean Broadcasting System, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and teaching in the Philippines.
Amy Simons teaches news literacy, multimedia journalism and advanced social media strategies. Since joining the faculty, Simons developed an interest in international journalism, training professionals on campus and abroad. She has traveled across China and the European Union, teaching web-first workflows, mobile journalism techniques and how to use social media as a reporting tool and a means to disseminate journalistic content.
She is an advisor to the University of Missouri (Mizzou) Women in Media, supporting members’ journalism, advertising and public relations careers. She advised ONA Mizzou and served as a mentor in student competitions.
Simons is known for her expertise in teaching online courses. She has won several awards for her innovative, interactive approaches, including the Mizzou Online Excellence in Teaching Award, the MU Connect Champion Award and more.
Simons hosts and produces Views of the News, a weekly program on KBIA-FM and KBIA.org.