Advising FAQ

Declaring is easy! Any student who has taken at least ONE Digital Studies elective or core course can meet with an advisor to declare the major. Students should make an in-person meeting with the Digital Studies advisor to declare. Appointments can be made here. Please note that in-person advising is only available during the Fall and Winter terms.

Students are welcome to declare their Digital Studies Minor once they have taken at least ONE Digital Studies elective or core course, and have a declared major.

Students DO NOT need to take a core course before declaring the minor.

Students are encouraged to declare programs as early as they have interest, since declaring allows students to plan and track progress in the major, and to make connections with Digital Studies faculty and students!

Per LSA requirements, students must first declare a major before declaring a minor. If you wish to minor in Digital Studies but do not yet have a major, you are welcome to meet with an advisor to talk about your future plans for the minor, but you will not be able to formally declare.

Students in other schools at UM should consult with their advisor regarding rules for LSA minors.
 

Appointments can be made through our advising page! 

No -- you can take your DS core course at any point in your course of study. You DO need to take it in order to complete your minor! Core courses include: DIGITAL 202/AMCULT 202; FTVM 202; ENGLISH 280. Remember, you can only get DS credit for ONE of these three courses.

Many companies are now looking specifically for people with expertise in this field of study.  Your Digital Studies advisor can talk to you about trends in the current job market.

LSA requirements only allow ONE course to be shared between a major and a minor. No courses may be shared between 2 minors. Make an advising appointment to discuss your specific situation!

Depending on your program abroad, you may be able to use study abroad to meet Digital Studies minor requirements. If you hope to use study abroad courses to meet Digital Studies requirements, you should plan on the following:

Before you go:
1) When planning your Study Abroad Program, check with the Study Abroad office to ensure that all courses will transfer back to UM. If UM does not accept a course for credit, it cannot be used towards your Digital Studies minor. Courses used for majors and minors must be taken for a grade (not Pass/Fail). Remember: you may only use 6 credits outside of UM towards your Digital Studies minor.

2) When looking for courses, remember that DS-eligible courses must have over 50% Digital Studies content, and must be a 200+ level course. Consult an advisor for approval of specific courses.

3) Prior to taking your courses, contact an advisor to secure pre-approval for any courses you hope to use towards your major/minor. Retain any emails that confer approval for specific courses. In general, Digital Studies Institute does not have a list of all approved study abroad programs and courses, so you should look at the course offerings at your intended program and talk with the advisor about specific courses you would like to take. Remember: Courses that are not pre-approved by an advisor may not count towards your major/minor!

When you return:
When you return from your study abroad and all credits have been transferred to UM and appear on your transcript, meet with a Digital Studies advisor to formally include the course in your degree credits. You may also complete your degree audit at this time.
 

In the semester prior to your graduation (usually the Fall term of your senior year), you should meet with your Major advisor(s) and your Digital Studies advisor to discuss what requirements, if any, you still need to fulfill to complete your program. This meeting is called a “senior audit.” At the end of the meeting you will receive a “minor release” that officially tells you and the auditing office what requirements you must meet to graduate with the minor.