Degree candidates must successfully complete 60 credits, including all required courses, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0. A residency of two academic years is required.

In the first year, students will be given advanced instruction in a variety of authoring skills, such as writing, editing, criticism, typography as a visual language, Film and new media directing, visual journalism and book and magazine publishing. Along with these skills-based classes, courses in marketing, research, advertising, promotion, publicity, intellectual property and networking will be offered. 



The goal of the second year is product-oriented. Participants are required to devise and develop a viable idea for a specialty market. Students will write and design a proposal for a product that will be presented to a panel of "guest faculty" who will decide whether it has enough merit to progress to the developmental stage. At the developmental stage, students will produce a prototype for backers, publishers, producers or distributors. Working individually, this final proposal, dummy or prototype will be professionally produced for presentation purposes.