Named an “Apple Distinguished School” for 2021-2024
Ranked a “Best National University” for 2022 by U.S. News & World Report
Online Bachelor’s in Digital Media Program Guide
When you create and design in the digital space, you do more than give it color and shape. You act as a guide. You inspire and motivate. You find limitations — then break them.
New technological developments and aesthetic trends have changed the way design and digital media fit into our lives and careers. As communication evolves to meet our digital needs, there’s opportunity for digital media professionals to design apps, enhance the user interface and experience, create stunning outreach campaigns, and expand our visual language.
If your goal is to establish yourself as a creative professional in the digital world, we can help. The Maryville University online bachelor’s in digital media is career-focused and experiential, so you can develop in-demand skills with cutting-edge tools and software. Prepare to pursue your passion and design your digital future. Be brave, and start here.
Start your journey
At a glance
Apply with no application fee and no
SAT/ACT required
Explore transfer options — Maryville is
transfer credit friendly
Access 100% online coursework that is
NASAD accredited
Evolve your digital media skills with industry-leading Adobe tools
Complete project-based courses and an
optional internship
Create a dynamic portfolio with
professional faculty feedback
Curriculum
Maryville’s online Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Media comprises 128 credit hours and includes coursework in general education, your digital media major, and electives. The major is designed to help you develop skills through a digital media core, then expand your knowledge and add context to your skills through art history and interdisciplinary coursework.
Required Digital Media Major Courses
ADDM 100 | Foundation Design |
ADSA 101 | Drawing for Design |
ADGD 230 | Design Research, Theory, and Process |
ADGD 265 | Introduction to Digital Media |
ADDM 200 | Designing for Meaning |
ADDM 300 | Typography, Grid, and Hierarchy |
ADDM 210 | Icon and Identity |
ADGD 275 | Digital Illustration |
ADIN 380 | Intro to Motion Graphics |
ADDM 220 | Digital Photography |
ADGD 310 | Web Design I |
ADIN 440 | Motion Graphics |
ADIN 300 | Principles of Game Design |
ADIN 450 | UX/UI Design |
ADDM 320 | Sequential Art |
ADDM 400 | Digital Media Capstone I: Ideate, Research, and Prototype |
ADDM 410 | Digital Media Capstone II: Produce, Refine, Reflect, and Review |
ADDM 420 | Professional Practices: Portfolio Development |
ADDM 430 | Internship |
Art History Core Courses
ADAH 100 | World Arts and Ideas I |
ADAH 225 | Myth, Meaning and Symbol in Art |
ADAH 330 | Graphic Design History I |
ADAH 335 | Graphic Design History II |
Interdisciplinary Core Courses
COMM 121 | Introduction to Contemporary Communication |
COMM 232 | Introduction to New and Social Media |
MKT 365 | Marketing and Digital Media |
PSYC 230 | Psychology of Design: Why People Tweet, Play Games, and Have Favorite Colors |
To ensure the best possible educational experience for our students, we may update our curriculum to reflect emerging and changing employer and industry demands.
View full course descriptions
Admission requirements
- High school diploma or GED
- Minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (high school) / 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (college)*
- Official transcripts from all colleges or universities previously attended
- Official high school transcript (required for applicants with fewer than 60 transfer hours from a regionally accredited school)
*Applicants who do not meet the GPA requirement may be considered for provisional admission.
Transfer credit policy
- Eligible transfer credits accepted; associate degree completion may satisfy general education requirements
- The acceptance of transfer credit is at the discretion of Maryville University
- No standardized tests required
Explore our additional resources to help guide your admissions journey.
Accreditation and rankings
Why Maryville Online?
We’ve been progressively challenging the norms of higher education for nearly 150 years. We started as one of the first universities to educate women. Today, we continue to push the boundaries and prepare students like you for a digital world. At Maryville, we understand what it takes to step beyond your comfort zone.
Maryville University is a nationally ranked private college recognized for comprehensive and innovative education focused on student learning, outcomes, and success — both online and on campus. We’re located just 22 miles from downtown St. Louis.
Early Access program
Did you know that Maryville undergraduates can qualify for graduate level credits? Once you are accepted — and you have not yet completed your elective requirements — we invite you to explore Early Access as an option.
Through Early Access, you can get a head start on earning a graduate degree by taking master’s level courses that count toward your undergraduate and graduate degrees. Graduate-level Early Access courses are billed at the undergraduate tuition rate — so you can save time and money.
You can learn more at our Early Access page.
Faculty spotlight
Johnathan Fahnestock, MFA
Program Director of Graphic and Interactive Design
When you earn your BFA in Digital Media online at Maryville, you’ll learn from industry-leading creative professionals like Professor Fahnestock. He has extensive experience as a graphic designer, art director, and multimedia specialist in the advertising, marketing, and e-learning industries.
His teaching practice focuses on the aesthetic, technical, and theoretical aspects of design across a variety of mediums and specialties. He can help you develop foundational creative skills in areas like graphical user interface design, usability, web design, interactive application development and scripting, motion, and instructional interactive media.
He’s an inspiring role model — and he’s driven to help students like you develop the creative chops to shape the future of visual storytelling. This is your chance to learn from him. Let’s be brave together.
View all Maryville Online faculty
Start your journey today
Learn more about the Maryville University online bachelor’s in digital media.