The Digital Studies Minor at James Madison University creates a space for students who are eager to get hands-on experience with the latest digital technologies, passionate about discussing the implications of these technologies with a like-minded community of thinkers, and unafraid to cross disciplinary boundaries.

At JMU, Digital Studies is understood to be theories about how the digital impacts our everyday lives and local and global communities, and exploration of the methods used across different disciples to open up new perspectives in the social sciences and humanities. Courses in the minor are welcoming to students of all academic backgrounds and technical skills. Through our program, you will become familiar with digital practices, think critically about design, ethics, languages, and cultures from a variety of perspectives, and learn to communicate effectively across digital media. With courses from across the College of Arts and Letters, students are able to carve out their own individual curricular path that matches their professional and personal interests, while also joining a welcoming community of faculty, staff, and fellow students through a foundation course, student-faculty research practica, and workshops.

Successful Digital Studies students will be transforming today’s dynamic workplaces by building interdisciplinary connections and enriching their future careers through their experience and practice within the digital landscape.

The minor is 18 credits and includes courses from across the College of Arts and Letters. There is one required course: DS 101 Foundations in Digital Studies. This course can be taken at any point in the minor, but earlier is better. The full list of courses will be available in the 2025-2026 Course Catalog.