Digital Communications Major

As a Digital Communications major, your hands-on work begins immediately. In your very first class, Introduction to Digital Communications, you will launch your own “brand” by creating your own personal logo and website.

In every class that follows, you’ll add more pages to your website with samples of your work using platforms such as YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Soundcloud, etc. – all branded with your logo. By the time you graduate, you will have:  

• Edited your website into an impressive portfolio to share with future employers
• Honed skills across a broad spectrum of platforms
• Gained solid knowledge of how to best represent yourself

In the program, you will also…

Earn Certifications! As part of your coursework, you can pursue industry-recognized certifications and badges to add to your resume:

• GA4 (the new Google Analytics), a platform for measuring website traffic
• HubSpot, software for marketers
• SEMRush Keyword Search, a platform for search engine optimization
• Hootsuite, for social media professionals
• X (formerly Twitter) Flight Deck, for social media professionals

Create Buzz-Worthy Social Media. Take what you already know about social media to the next level – learn how to develop, implement, and evaluate social media strategies, an integral part of every company’s modern business strategy.

Gain Real-World Experience. GMercyU's campus is situated in the middle of one of the top media markets in the country. Practice the skills you’ve learned in the classroom and intern for major companies in the Philadelphia, New York City, and perhaps even Washington, D.C. areas.

Find Community in our Digital Communications Labs. GMercyU's new studio and lab give Digital Communications majors the space to hang out and build skills together while creating, producing, and editing content. See more on this below.

4+1 MBA Degree Option
Apply for this option during your junior year
Gwynedd Mercy University makes it easy for our business graduates to earn an advanced degree. With GMercyU's 4+1 MBA program option, students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher can earn both a bachelor of science (BS) degree in digital communications and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) in just five years.

Skip the grad school entrance exams by taking graduate credits during your senior year – as part of your undergraduate tuition – and then seamlessly completing your MBA the following year. 

In addition to general education course requirements, our Bachelor of Science in Digital Communications students will complete the following courses as part of your graduation requirements. 

Pre-Requisites - 9 credits

Foundations of Business - 15 credits

Social Media & Digital Communications Core - 39 credits

Plus, select 2 major electives - 6 credits.

Credit Requirements
A minimum of 120 credits is required for the Bachelor of Science in Digital Communications degree.

Undergraduate Minors
Increase the value of your degree as a digital communication major by adding an undergraduate minor that best suits your personal and professional goals.

Wondering what your classes will look like as a Digital Communications major? Here are a few highlights.

COMD200 Digital Analytics & Visualization
Explore digital analytics, big data, and data visualization while earning a Google Analytics certification. Hands-on projects will focus on campaign tracking, tagging, web traffic measurement, dashboards, and more.

COMD 201 Branded Digital Content
Students are introduced to the creation of visual and audio content for use on social and digital media platforms utilizing the same smartphone they use everyday. Basic skills such as framing, composition, audio quality and website development will be covered in theory and with hands-on application. Students will host projects on their own websites. Smartphone and APP purchase required.

COMD301 Podcasting
Podcasting in journalism, publishing, and promoting continues to grow. In this course, you’ll build upon the basic audio skills developed in prior courses to produce audience-targeted and technically competent podcasts. We will explore planning, recording, interviewing, editing, structure and storytelling along with technical concepts. Hosting, distribution, and monetizing will also be covered.

COMD400 Digital Media Economics and Budgeting
Digital and social media, media convergence, connectivity and immediacy have disrupted media business models, created space for few major players in social and digital media, changed the way content is produced and distributed and altered advertising and public relations messaging and profit centers. This course explores the broad economic issues impacting digital and social businesses within today’s media landscape. We will discuss key economic principles influencing the communication and media industries including broadcasting, newspapers, motion pictures, music, video games, advertising, and public relations. Includes opportunity to earn Hootsuite Certification.

COMD400 Digital Communications Capstone
This capstone course is project oriented and will require students to apply skills in strategic planning, messaging to audience, gathering information, and producing content. (Students' projects are inspired by the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy; see the DigComCrew website for examples.)

For all digital communications program course descriptions, please refer to the undergraduate catalog.

Located in University Hall, the studio and lab are equipped with modern equipment and software that students use to create and edit audio and video content, and graphics.

In the labs, collaboration and community are key. Students review each other's creative work and pitch other ideas, but also just hang out. 

"We're all very close. After all of our classes, usually we're all in our lab just talking and working on things," said Digital Communications major Justin Henderson.

In the labs, learn things like...

• Audio for video
• Composition
• Editing
• Framing
• Interviewing
• Lighting
• Microphone placement
• Post-production
• Recording
• Story-telling

...and more!

DigComCrew is the Digital Communications student content production team. The team covers events and issues around campus and publishes their articles, videos, and podcasts (like the ones below) on the DigComCrew site website throughout the year. 

Margaret Rakus, EdD
Position: Assistant Professor, Program Coordinator of the Digital Communications and Marketing programs
Did You Know? Dr. Rakus has held various industry positions in marketing and public relations. She is also an avid kayaker and hiker, and has hiked the Andes Mountains.
Read bio

Alan Harper, MBA, PhD
Position: Associate Dean of Operations in Academic Affairs; Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, Finance and Management Programs
Did You Know? Dr. Harper has 20 years of management experience and has published more than 15 peer-reviewed articles.
Read bio

Melissa Dennis, DBA
Position: Assistant Professor, Marketing
Did You Know? Dr. Dennis spent 15 years working for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products in customer relationship and customer engagement, supporting Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Vacation Club, and the Disney Cruise line businesses.
Read bio

Maddie Herman, EdD
Position: Instructor and Program Coordinator, Sport Management
Did You Know? Herman has worked for the Philadelphia 76er's and Wells Fargo Center, and ran GMercyU's Intramurals and Recreation program.
Read bio

Luigi Corrado, Jr., CPA, MT
Position: Professor of Practice and Program Coordinator, Accounting
Did You Know? Professor Corrado spent nearly 20 years in the accounting industry as a financial statement auditor, corporate controller, and senior consultant with a variety of firms.  
Read bio 

Philadelphia is the home of Comcast, a Fortune 500 media giant, but there are many more local organizations where you could intern and network. Our students have recently interned for these companies.

• Donna A. Heckler Group
• ESPN Radio
• GMercyU's Marketing department
• Juma Entertainment television studio
• Malvern Retreat House
• Millennium Radio New Jersey
• NBC10 / WCAU Philadelphia
• Philadelphia Freedoms
• Public Relations at GMercyU
• Redeemer Health
• Saile & Saile LLP
• Special Olympics Pennsylvania
• Univest Corporation
• WMMR - Preston and Steve

The field of digital communications is broad, so you can pursue a career path that best suits your interests. If you’re a “people person,” you may thrive as a communications or public relations manager, while data-driven students may enjoy working as an SEO specialist. Visual types may prefer crafting images and videos for social media – as full-time work or a side hustle. (You might even launch your brand as a social media influencer or YouTuber!)

Here are just a few of the many opportunities for Digital Communications majors.

Communications/Public Relations Manager

Description: Help organizations build and maintain a positive public image by working with the press, sponsoring events, managing crises, and more.
Degree Requirements: A bachelor’s degree
Average Salary: The national median annual pay was $134,760 in 2023.
Source

Search Engine Optimization Manager

Description: Once you’ve learned the language of SEO, SEM, CTR, and Google Analytics, you can help boost a website’s rankings with search engines, improving their traffic and consumer reach.
Degree Requirements: A bachelor’s degree. Certifications in platforms such Google Analytics can help boost employment and salary opportunities.
Average Salary: The median annual pay is $77,021.
Source

Social Media Manager

Description: Build brand awareness by developing compelling, clickable, and culturally competent social media. Opportunities abound in this field, with a surge in job growth of 23.2 percent over the next 10 years, much faster than the national average.*
Degree Requirements: A bachelor’s degree
Average Salary: The national median annual pay is $57,838.
Source

Other Possible Careers for Digital Communications Majors

• Assistant Editor
• Booking Agent
• Camera Operator
• Content Marketer
• Copywriter
• Data Analyst
• Designer
• Editor, writer
• Electronic Publishing
• Graphic Artist
• Marketing Specialist
• Media Director
• Online Strategist
• Producer – radio/television/movies
• Public Relations Specialist
• Publisher
• Reporter
• Social Media Specialist
• Speech Writer
• Sports Promoter
• Technical Writer
• Video Editor

*This is only a partial list and not meant to limit you. Some of these careers may require additional education.

Wondering Where You Might Eventually Work?

GMercyU communications alumni have recently made their mark at these organizations.

• CBS Interactive
• Harlem Globetrotters
• NBA
• Philadelphia Freedoms
• The Walt Disney Company
• University of Florida
• Us Media, LLC