Iowa State University added another innovative degree of the future when the Iowa Board of Regents approved a new Bachelor of Arts degree in digital storytelling on Sept. 18. Students with a major or minor in digital storytelling will graduate with skills essential to succeed in a multitude of fast-paced and quickly evolving professional fields. The degree is designed to prepare students for careers and entrepreneurial ventures with both digital literacy skills and the ability to communicate complex information at any scale.

Iowa State’s Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication collaborated with the Department of Music and Theatre to create the degree, interlacing a unique blend of courses and student experiences that build an extensive range of skills, from writing and stage presence to production and analytics. Students will build competencies for the wide variety of digital storytelling forms like television, documentary films, social media, podcasts, websites, news features, magazines, video games and extended, augmented, virtual and mixed realities.

“Employers want people who understand how to not just relay a message, but how to build complex stories that engage others across multiple platforms,” said Sherry Berghefer, teaching professor and chair of the Greenlee School’s Curriculum Committee. “It goes beyond brands. Digital storytelling connects people, and whether it’s a corporation looking to connect with its customer base on an emotional level or a nonprofit trying to encourage some type of social action, people are at the core of it all. Where we are technologically means that those telling the stories need to be able to tell them in a variety of ways and formats to reach people where they are.”

The degree will build on existing courses such as Media Literacy; Acting for the Camera; Directing, Brand Storytelling; and Social Media Strategy and Podcasting. The program will also adapt to student and employer demands for the development of new courses as digital technology rapidly evolves.

Students pursuing the digital storytelling degree will have the opportunity to develop specialty areas, including:

  • Data, immersive and emerging technologies – elective courses such as virtual reality and immersive media, launching a media brand, data storytelling and others.
  • Production and performance in documentary and commercial work – elective courses in animation, directing, acting for camera, screenwriting and others.
  • Community impact and social change – elective courses in grant writing, leadership in crisis communication and others.

Greenlee’s investment in the new degree includes renovations to Hamilton Hall for a new content creation suite and multi-camera studio, a podcast studio, social media listening lab, a one-button studio, audio booths, a broadcast and streaming studio with control room, and an LED production wall. Students will also have access to the Department of Music and Theatre’s rehearsal lab, design lab, puppetry lab, and Fisher Theater, as well as projection, lighting, sound, video, scenic, costume, and puppetry equipment.

The digital economy has more than doubled since 2020, now reaching $4.9 trillion — 18% of U.S. GDP — and supporting 28.4 million jobs in the United States, according to a 2025 report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

“Human attention is one of the 21st century’s most scarce and valuable resources,” said Brad Dell, chair of the Department of Music and Theatre. “Today, every company in the world needs to tell their story in the digital realm. This major, with a curriculum that combines courses from journalism and theatre, will make students cutting-edge innovators with skills that stand out to future employers.”

Enrollment in the on-campus program will open in fall 2026. Prospective students interested in learning more may email greenlee@iastate.edu.

-30-

Editor’s note: Some potential professional titles that graduates of this program may qualify for include: digital marketing specialist, digital strategist, virtual reality experience designer, podcast producer, documentarian, content strategist, video producer, content creator, social and influencer marketing strategist, content entrepreneur, social media strategist, and digital content writer.

Source link