Pre-2020: Digital Sciences

The School of Emerging Media and Technology was formerly called the School of Digital Sciences. Students who enrolled at Kent State prior to Fall 2020 and who have not elected to switch to the new catalog can find undergraduate Digital Sciences degree information on this page.

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree offered by the School of Digital Sciences is designed to provide students with the ability to adapt and succeed in a rapidly changing digital world.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Digital Sciences Bachelor's program provides a broad overview of digital technologies, often from multiple points of view. For example, a student may study the content and visual layout of a web page with a journalism professor and later study the programming aspects of a web page with a business professor. A course with an architect adds more material on design, and a course with a computer scientist adds additional programming skills. This multidisciplinary skill set adds the flexibility needed for many of today's careers.

Building on this broad overview, the program adds further depth in technical topics, societal issues, and project management. Students gain additional technical competency by studying information management, database systems, and digital security. They also study information ethics and societal issues to better understand how technology can be adapted for different needs. Finally, students learn how to work on a team by studying requirements engineering, project management, and team dynamics.

The program culminates with a multidisciplinary group capstone project. Students put theory into practice in this integrative experience by applying their new knowledge and skills on a large group project. Moreover, this capstone class meets concurrently with a class in another major, with each group contributing their disciplinary expertise to create a richer product than either group could create individually. As a result, both sets of students receive practical experience working on a diverse project team, much as they will do later in the workplace.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Master of Science (MS)

This page contains general information for students who are in the process of completing the Master of Digital Sciences (M.D.S.) degree program. This program has been continued, though those in the program will finish their degree coursework they started in the program.

This information provided is historical in nature and does not apply to any new students to the School of Emerging Media and Technology in any capacity. For information about your program, please view the catalog entry that is applicable.

Further information for international applicants please contact the office of Graduate Admissions.

Application Deadlines

Applications for both full-time and part-time admission are accepted for the fall or spring semester. Applications for full-time admission are not accepted for the summer semester, but applications for part-time admission are accepted.

The School of Digital Sciences does not have a formal application deadline, but processes graduate applications on a continuous basis. However, to maximize your chance of securing a seat in your preferred classes, we highly recommend that students submit their applications based on the below dates. Please note that there are different dates for domestic and international applicants.

Domestic Applicants

July 1 (for fall admission)
November 15 (for spring admission)
April 15 (for part time summer admission)

International Applicants

May 15 (for fall admission)
October 1 (for spring admission)
March 15 (for part time summer admission)

Application Requirements

Applicants for the Master of Digital Sciences degree are expected to have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale.

Applicants must submit:

official transcript(s) from each institution attended in which 8 or more semester hours were attempted
current resume
three letters of recommendation
a statement of goals and objectives for pursuing this degree
Official GRE Scores
- may be waived for those with a prior US Master's degree or 36 months relevant work experience - please contact the Advising office for more information
International Applicants may also need to submit: Evidence of proficiency in the English language, usually through the TOEFL IBT 79, IELTS band 6.5 or MELAB score of 77.

The (required) statement of goals and objectives should explain the applicant's goals and objectives for pursuing this advanced degree. For example, the applicant may want to better prepare for a particular career, to update knowledge in a specific area or to add expertise that will make the applicant more valuable in a current career.

Application Process

For more information about the application process, see the Graduate Studies web page, which includes information about the admission process. You can also use their submit documents page to submit your resume, recommendation letters, goals statement, etc.

Tuition, Fees, and Payment

For information on tuition, fees, due dates and payment options, see the One Stop for Student Services web page. Their tuition page includes estimates of tuition, fees, and living expenses for the current academic year.

STEM Status

The Master of Digital Sciences (M.D.S.) degree is considered a STEM degree, and therefore does qualify for the 24-month STEM extension on Optional Practical Training (OPT).

More specifically, the Master of Digital Sciences degree falls under the broad United States government category of "Computer and Information Sciences", and is assigned Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code 110101 Computer and Information Sciences, General. For this same reason, I-20's issued for the Master of Digital Sciences will also list Computer Science as your "Major" even though our students have been admitted into the Master of Digital Sciences program.