Application deadline
Credits and costs
The Art World Has Gone Digital
Master the powerful combination of artistic knowledge and technical skills to create professional, high-quality digital portfolios. The Undergraduate Certificate in Digital Arts program focuses on the latest production techniques for generating computer-based graphics and media-rich web productions.
In this program, developing your technical proficiencies is just the beginning; you can also learn key concepts of multimedia and visual art as you acquire a practical understanding of the conventions, language, practices, and aesthetics that digital artists and designers use.
Why Digital Arts at Penn State?
Blending art theory with the latest Internet-based technologies, the digital arts certificate is an excellent way to build your digital résumé. We've designed the courses to help you gain a specialized set of skills that can be applied across industries and professions.
Throughout the certificate program, you will work in an award-winning virtual space called The Open Studio, which can be described as a marriage of web 2.0 technologies and art studio fundamentals.
Some of the credits you earn in this program may also apply toward the requirements for either an associate or bachelor’s degree from Penn State.
Who Should Apply?
The digital arts certificate is an ideal program if you:
- are interested in computer-based graphics, multimedia, art, or media-rich web design
- want to strengthen your existing skills to support your professional responsibilities
Courses
The online certificate program is a 15-credit program consisting of five 3-credit courses. Some of these courses may be taken to fulfill other requirements, e.g., undergraduate degree students may take ART 10 and ART 20 individually as GA courses.
Prescribed Courses (select 15 credits)
Note: Students must earn a grade of C or better in each course taken to be eligible for the certificate.
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Course Availability
If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.
Costs and Financial Aid
Undergraduate Tuition
Undergraduate tuition is calculated based on the number of credits for which you register and the number of total credits you have accrued at or transferred to Penn State. Tuition is due shortly after each semester begins and rates are assessed every semester of enrollment.
| How many credits do you plan to take per semester? | If you have 59 or fewer credits | If you have 60 or more credits |
|---|---|---|
| 11 or fewer | $620 per credit | $664 per credit |
| 12 or more | $7,527 per semester | $8,125 per semester |
Financial Aid and Military Benefits
Some students may qualify for financial aid. Take the time to research financial aid, scholarships, and payment options as you prepare to apply. Military service members, veterans, and their spouses or dependents should explore these potential military education benefits and financial aid opportunities, as well.
Paying for Your Certificate
Students pursuing a certificate are considered "nondegree," a status that is not eligible for federal student aid, including the Federal Direct Stafford Loan program. A private alternative loan may be an option to consider.
Additionally, Penn State offers many ways to pay for your education, including an installment plan and third-party payments. Penn State World Campus also offers an Employer Reimbursement and Tuition Deferment Plan. Learn more about the options for paying for your education.
Students pursuing a degree and meeting all other eligibility requirements may qualify for financial aid.
How to Apply
Deadlines and Important Dates
All supporting materials should be sent following the submission of your application.
For current and future course registration deadlines, visit the Registrar's website to view the academic calendar by semester.
Admissions Help
If you have questions about the admissions process, contact [email protected].
Admission Requirements
To apply for this program, you must be a high school graduate, or have completed your GED.
If you are already enrolled in a World Campus degree program, you can complete this certificate along with your degree program. If you are interested in using the digital arts certificate courses to help fulfill the requirements for an associate degree in information sciences and technology, talk to your assigned World Campus academic adviser to learn more.
If you are not enrolled in a World Campus degree program, you may still pursue this certificate as a nondegree student. Students pursuing a stand-alone certificate are classified as nondegree. (Nondegree students do receive full college credit for all courses taken in nondegree status; however, financial aid is not available to nondegree students.)
Technical Requirements
Review the technical requirements for this program.
Get the resources you need to make informed decisions about your education. Request information on this program and other programs of interest by completing this form.
Start or Advance Your Career
Start or Advance Your Career
You can use the knowledge gained from this program and the support of Penn State career resources to pursue careers in a variety of fields, depending on your goals.
Contact Us
To learn more about the Undergraduate Certificate in Digital Arts, offered in partnership with the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture, please contact:
World Campus Central
Phone: 814-865-1146
[email protected]
Faculty
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Benjamin Andrew
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DegreeM.F.A., Mount Royal School of Art, Maryland Institute College of Art
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DegreeB.F.A., Painting, Pratt Institute
Benjamin Andrew is an assistant teaching professor at Penn State, specializing in online education and interdisciplinary design. He has worked as a graphic and web designer for clients ranging from political campaigns to research teams at NASA. His fine art practice explores the frontiers of storytelling by leveraging participatory art and digital media to imagine strange new futures. He previously taught at the Maryland Institute College of Art and Johns Hopkins University; though he misses Baltimore, he enjoys his new home on the internet.
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Kenneth Ian Brill
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DegreeM.F.A., New Media, Penn State
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DegreeB.A., Studio Arts, University of Pittsburgh
Ian Brill is an instructor of digital art for Penn State World Campus. His work focuses on the accumulation of form through process. Through the design of interactive, performative, and multisensorial environments, he considers boundaries of becoming (versus being) and our immersive relationship with technology. His installations, performances, and writing have been presented internationally at conferences, festivals, and galleries.
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Jamie DiSarno
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DegreePh.D., Visual Studies, University of Buffalo
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DegreeM.F.A., New Media, Penn State
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DegreeB.F.A., Painting and Sculpture, State University of New York at Fredonia
Dr. Jamie DiSarno earned a Ph.D. from University of Buffalo in 2020. She teaches digital art practice and theory as well as modern and contemporary art history and visual culture. Dr. DiSarno has presented her research at national and international conferences, including the College Art Association Conference, the Latin American Studies Association Congress, and the Association for Art History Annual Conference. She published in Wanderlust: A History of Walking in 2018. She taught at Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Buffalo, and State University of New York at Fredonia.
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Anna Divinsky
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DegreeB.A., Studio Arts, Art History, University of Pittsburgh
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DegreeM.F.A., Printmaking, Penn State
Anna Divinsky is an assistant teaching professor of art at the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture Office of Digital Learning. She is also the digital arts certificate and digital multimedia design program coordinator. Her passion and research focus on exploring best teaching and learning practices in online art education.
As a recent Innovator in Residence grant recipient from the Center for Pedagogy in Arts and Design, Divinsky continues to share best practices in online teaching, assessment, and engagement through the College of Arts and Architecture Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching, fostering a place for growth and community for graduate students within the college. Being an artist inspires and informs Divinsky’s approach to pedagogy, integrating studio techniques, appreciation of detail, love for design, and hands-on art-making.
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Eduardo Navas
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DegreePh.D., University of California
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DegreeM.F.A., California Institute of the Arts
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DegreeB.F.A., Otis College of Art and Design
Dr. Eduardo Navas teaches on the principles of cultural analytics and digital humanities in the School of Visual Arts, College of Arts and Architecture, at Penn State, researching the creative and political role of recyclability and remix in art, media, and culture. He has lectured internationally, and he produces art and publishes on remix studies.
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Courtney Redding
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DegreeM.F.A., Ceramics, Marywood University
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DegreeB.A., Studio Art, Shippensburg University
Courtney Redding is an adjunct lecturer with the School of Visual Arts and teaches courses in the digital multimedia design program and the digital arts certificate program. Her work encompasses the art and design world, with a focus on multiple media forms of expression. Redding's influences are from a diverse array of disciplines. From science and history to the natural world and technological field, her imagery integrates these backgrounds into a philosophy of symbols and a personal typographic and textural array.
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Christine J. Shanks
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DegreeM.F.A., Photography, University of Delaware
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DegreeB.S., Visual Communications, Towson University
Christine J. Shanks teaches and creates work in both traditional studio and digital media. She applies her design background to her multifaceted work in academia by utilizing user-experience principles, creativity, and design thinking in her curriculum and pedagogy. As an educator, her primary goal is to establish a supportive classroom that emboldens students to explore and refine their process, motivations, and skills. She feels her work in academia and design are intertwined; new projects and pursuits in one field develop from ideas and exploration in the other.
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