Our Approach to Online Learning
Our online programs provide students with content developed by the Bellisario College’s world-renown faculty and instructional experts at Penn State’s World Campus. This partnership produces courses that are:
- Rigorous
- Current with industry trends
- Practical
- Instructor-led
- Interactive
- Easy to navigate
- Accessible
- Designed with adult learners in mind
All our programs are fully online, meaning you never need to come to campus to complete coursework. And our courses are asynchronous, which means you don’t attend remote classes on specific days and times. Instead, you complete assignments—including readings, discussions, individual or group projects, and exams—based on weekly deadlines. You can determine when you’ll work on most of your assignments, and this approach provides maximal flexibility to support successful degree completion.
You will have access to Student Services at the World Campus and have career support through the Bellisario College’s Office of Internships and Career Placement.
And when you complete your degree, your diploma will say Penn State University, because a Penn State degree is a Penn State degree, whether you earn it in residence or online.
BA in Digital Journalism and Media
Students in our online Digital Journalism and Media program learn foundational skills in journalism writing and multimedia journalism, including AP Style and editing skills. They can customize their degree with course options in visual media and media management. Students also gain hands-on experience in photojournalism and video production, along with important knowledge related to media law and ethics. MORE INFO
BA in Digital Multimedia Design
The Bellisario College partners with Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture and the College of Information Sciences and Technology to deliver an online BA in Digital Multimedia Design. Housed in the College of Arts and Architecture, this program integrates hands-on courses in digital arts, photography, media writing, website design, and visual arts. Students create projects using current multimedia applications and programming languages in this project-based curriculum. Students can collaborate with each other to further apply what they are learning. MORE INFO
BA in Strategic Communications
Students in our online Strategic Communications program learn how to construct powerful persuasive messages using current industry software and tools. Students are introduced to the principles of integrated marketing campaigns, laws and regulations that affect strategic communications and research and analytics skills. Students also gain expertise in social media content creation and can take courses in digital audience analytics. MORE INFO
MPS in Strategic Communications
For learners who would like to advance their knowledge and skills in strategic communications, we have a Master of Professional Studies program in Strategic Communications. An MPS degree, different from an MA or MS, focuses primarily on professional knowledge and skills for industry practitioners, rather than focusing on learning to conduct academic research. Students in our MPS program do not need to have a strategic communications background to apply, but their career goals and interests should align with our course offerings, which include digital media analytics, social media, ethics, and strategic communications campaign development. Students can also customize this degree through elective courses in a variety of fields. MORE INFO
Media Studies Minor
Our 18-credit Media Studies Minor is theory-based and focuses on the mass media through a variety of lenses, including humanistic, social behavioral, and legal. All students in the minor take a foundational course in the mass media and society and then customize their remaining courses based on a framework provided to them. This minor can complement a variety of majors and deepens students’ understanding of the mass media in culture. MORE INFO