MA Certificate – Program of Study

Required courses for MA Certificate

(These courses can be taken in any order.)

TC 831 Theories of Games and Interaction for Design

(3 credits, fall semester)
Theories of mediated interaction including communication, learning, health, global and local development, and social justice to inform the design of social systems, games, and media products.

TC 841 Understanding Users

(3 credits, fall semester)
Research methods used by design teams for asking and answering questions related to digital media arts and technology–before, during, and after design of creative work. The design goals and the design prototype are tested to guide development and evaluate effectiveness.

TC 830 Foundations of Serious Games

(3 credits, spring semester)
Rationales, principles, processes and pedagogies for serious game design. Applications of serious game genres and simulations. Funding and distribution.

MSU MA students can substitute one of the following courses in place of TC841:

ADV 823 Consumer Behavior 4 credits
ASC 823X Augmentative Communication Systems 3 credits
AL 494 Learning in Museums 3 credits
CAS 825 Mass Communication and Public Health
CEP 817 Learning Technology through Design 3 credits
CSE 841 Artificial Intelligence 3 credits
COM 821 Mass Communication Theory and Research 3 credits
JRN 810 Visual Journalism 3 credits
JRN 824 Health and Science Writing 3 credits
PSY 803 Higher Order Cognitive Processes 3 credits
TC 802 Research Methods in Telecommunication 3 credits
TC 840 Foundations of Digital Media Arts and Technology 3 credits
WRA 415 Digital Rhetoric 3 credits