Beginning in fall 2025, the new undergraduate program will help equip students with the creative, strategic and technical skills to lead content creation and strategy across digital platforms.
The School of Communications will launch a new undergraduate major, digital content management (DCM), to prepare students for careers in digital storytelling, content strategy, and audience engagement across emerging platforms. The major – the school’s first new undergraduate program in more than 10 years – will welcome its first students in fall 2025.
Designed for the next generation of content creators and strategists, the program equips students to manage the full content lifecycle – from creation to distribution and analysis – across platforms like social media, websites, apps and streaming services. With a curriculum that blends analytics, branding, multimedia storytelling, and emerging technologies like AI, students will graduate prepared to navigate the opportunities — and ethical challenges — of today’s digital landscape.
Built on cross-disciplinary collaboration and real-world experience, the major includes a professional internship and a capstone project addressing real industry challenges.
“This program was developed in direct response to the evolving needs of the digital media industry,” said Staci Saltz, chair of the Department of Cinema and Television Arts and co-proposer of the major. “We designed DCM to bridge creative storytelling with strategy and data, empowering students to become thoughtful leaders in the digital space.”
The major draws on existing strengths within the School of Communications and integrates coursework from cinema and television arts, communication design, journalism, media analytics, and strategic communications. Students will take foundational courses in branding, persuasive messaging, and visual storytelling before progressing into specialized courses on digital strategy, audience insights, and multiplatform production.
“Designed with flexibility in mind, the DCM major encourages students to pair it with a double major in any other undergraduate field, including other majors in the School of Communications.”
– Vic Costello, DCM’s program director
The program also introduces two new courses: a gateway class titled Digital Content and the Creator Economy and a senior capstone in which students develop comprehensive digital strategies for real-world clients or projects. Like other School of Communications programs, the major includes an internship requirement to ensure students gain professional experience before graduation.
National labor trends and industry projections reflect rising demand for professionals skilled in digital content creation, strategy and management. A 2023 Goldman Sachs report estimates the creator economy will approach $480 billion by 2027, while LinkedIn lists digital marketing and content strategy among the fastest-growing career paths.
“The DCM major reflects Elon’s forward-thinking approach to education,” said Vic Costello, associate professor of cinema and television arts and director of the school’s curriculum core and minor, who co-proposed the major. “We’re not just preparing students for their first jobs – we’re equipping them with the skills to lead, adapt and thrive in industries that are constantly evolving.”
Costello, who will serve as DCM’s program director, noted that one of the new major’s signature elements is its appeal as a double-major option. Students pursuing this option can apply up to 12 credit hours from their second major toward DCM electives – enabling them to complete the DCM requirements in 45 hours while gaining added depth and specialization in another area of interest.
Students interested in the digital content management major can enroll in the school’s core communications courses immediately, with full implementation of the major in place by fall 2025. The first offering of Digital Content and the Creator Economy is planned for the 2025–26 academic year.
Curriculum overview
- Communications Core Curriculum (17 hours)
- Major Requirements (28 hours)
- DCM 2500 Digital Content and the Creator Economy
- CDE 2580 Principles of Design
- STC 2600 Brand Identity
- MEA 2800 Data-Driven Strategies for Digital Media
- COM 3000 Persuasive Messaging
- CTA 3230 Media Production for Digital Platforms
- DCM 4970 Digital Content Management Capstone
- Electives (12 hours)