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The Creative Advertising concentration provides students with the knowledge and skills to create and manage creative advertising campaigns emphasizing new media. The concentration is designed for students interested in careers that combine advertising and creative multi-media communications with emerging social media and new communication technologies. 

In addition to the theoretical concepts underlying advertising, students learn creative writing, effective message design, strategic planning, implementation and evaluation of new media technologies, research and analysis of current trends and applications, media production, and team collaboration. 

The program trains students to become creative thinkers for a broad range of agency, media and corporate environments geared toward the advertising industry. Emphasis is placed on innovative and creative careers as copywriters, social media designers, and art directors working in the converged and digitally integrated global workplace. 

Students are exposed to the “big-idea” conceptual process and offered opportunities for hands-on project creation. The program also reviews ethical and legal issues involving the creative advertising process and the use of new media. 

By the end of the program, student should expect to have a professionally developed portfolio, teamwork experience, and exposure to professional organizations. Students planning careers in creative advertising should obtain a broad liberal arts education to better understand the characteristics that make the diversified communication process effective across various media and organizations.

Advising Checklists:

These documents are provided as advising resources only. Official curriculum requirements are listed in the JMU Undergraduate Catalog. In the case of discrepancies, the University Catalog is the official curriculum students must follow. This document was reviewed by the SMAD Director on August 1, 2023.

Checklist for students accepted into SMAD in Spring 2021-Spring 2023:
SMAD 2021-Spring2023 Advising Checklist

Checklist for students accepted into SMAD starting with transfer studentsin Fall 2023 and later:
SMAD Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Advising Checklist

The core mission of the Digital Video and Cinema concentration is to prepare students to be visual storytellers. Students will develop a broad understanding of the aesthetics, techniques and technologies that embody the visual storytelling process as well as a critical perspective of how media tools are used to create content, convey information and impact audiences. 

The program offers preparation in writing, development, production, and post-production in various genres, and an exploration of the continuously evolving commercial and artistic potential of visual media and story. Digital Video and Cinema students are encouraged to complement their concentration with a robust liberal arts experience that could include a minor and/or a second major. An internship is also recommended.

Advising Checklists:

These documents are provided as advising resources only. Official curriculum requirements are listed in the JMU Undergraduate Catalog. In the case of discrepancies, the University Catalog is the official curriculum students must follow. This document was reviewed by the SMAD Director on August 1, 2023.

Checklist for students accepted into SMAD in Spring 2021-Spring 2023:
SMAD 2021-Spring2023 Advising Checklist

Checklist for students accepted into SMAD starting with transfer studentsin Fall 2023 and later:
SMAD Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Advising Checklist

The Interactive Design concentration serves students interested in digital convergence – the delivery of content via multiple media formats such as text, images, audio, video, and interactive websites. Students are involved in content creation and distribution using diverse communications media and are prepared for a variety of roles in media industries. Class work and practical experiences are grounded in online media and provide students with opportunities to develop additional skills using other media formats. At the same time, the program encourages students to obtain a broad liberal arts education so they will understand the theories, design, legalities, and applications of convergence in society.

Strong candidates for the Interactive Design concentration are passionate about the internet as a means of communication. They are interested in learning to create and assemble multimedia components including photographs, videos, infographics, and audio pieces into compelling stories with digital media. Interactive Design provides students with an opportunity to combine creative and artistic skills with web code and current trends in media arts and design. Interactive Design graduates find careers in graphic and web design, interactive media development, user experience design (UX), web content management, and project management.

Advising Checklists:

These documents are provided as advising resources only. Official curriculum requirements are listed in the JMU Undergraduate Catalog. In the case of discrepancies, the University Catalog is the official curriculum students must follow. This document was reviewed by the SMAD Director on August 1, 2023.

Checklist for students accepted into SMAD in Spring 2021-Spring 2023:
SMAD 2021-Spring2023 Advising Checklist

Checklist for students accepted into SMAD starting with transfer studentsin Fall 2023 and later:
SMAD Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Advising Checklist

Preparing students to tell stories that matter is the core mission of the journalism concentration.

Even with our history of embracing cutting-edge technology, we never lose sight of the basic skills and knowledge essential to journalists and transferable to many other careers. We emphasize the ability to gather, analyze, organize and present information across multiple platforms. Each student will have multiple classes in design, writing and editing, and videography.

These practical skills combined with the study of media law, ethics, and the social impact of the media have helped our alumni in many fields other than journalism including education, public relations, management and law.

Research shows that the two critical factors most strongly connected to career satisfaction are having hands-on internships and finding effective mentors. We believe that practical media experience on campus or in the community prepares students to compete for internships and connect to mentors. Many students work for the independent twice-weekly campus newspaper, the campus yearbook, one or more of the eight campus or student-produced magazines, or the video opportunities through the campus cable system or Madison’s sports promotions. These publications and outlets also have related websites and social media channels.

Attention to the fundamental skills while practicing story-telling utilizing state-of-the-art technology has been a hallmark of this program that has helped produce two Pulitzer Prize winners and a host of successful alumni eager to engage with current students.

Advising Checklists:

These documents are provided as advising resources only. Official curriculum requirements are listed in the JMU Undergraduate Catalog. In the case of discrepancies, the University Catalog is the official curriculum students must follow. This document was reviewed by the SMAD Director on August 1, 2023.

Checklist for students accepted into SMAD in Spring 2021-Spring 2023:
SMAD 2021-Spring2023 Advising Checklist

Checklist for students accepted into SMAD starting with transfer studentsin Fall 2023 and later:
SMAD Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Advising Checklist

Many students who major in Media Arts and Design select a minor or second major in a complementary discipline.

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