Future Students

The Digital Media Program seeks to bridge the arts and sciences by providing students with technical knowledge, an understanding of aesthetics and practical experience in digital media.  The program endeavors to bring together students, faculty and industry professionals to prepare students for the professional challenges of the 21st century in careers in 3D visualization, animation, interactive design, game design, and digital video.

Undergraduates in the Digital Media Program at East Tennessee State University earn a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media and will be able to:

• Effectively communicate orally, graphically, and in writing;
• Work effectively in a team;
• Adapt to, learn and apply new technologies and techniques;
• Demonstrate knowledge of the principles, tools and processes related to visual, motion, interactive, and aural media;
• Understand the business, legal, and ethical issues in the digital media disciplines.
• Think critically to solve technical and aesthetic challenges, in their work and the work of others;
• Assess the state and direction of the industry.

For in-state freshman, a typical semester would cost approximately $3,264.50 in tuition and digital media fees, while out-of-state students would pay approximately $10,383.50 in tuition and fees.  You can do your own estimate using ETSU’s Tuition Estimator.

It’s possible for out-of-state residents to pay in-state tuition as digital media majors. If your state is part of the Academic Common Market Agreement, an out-of-state undergraduate digital media major can qualify for in-state tuition, giving you a very large savings.  The current list of states in the Academic Common Market for digital media are:

• Alabama
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• West Virginia

You can read the official list, and get information on how to apply.  There are also options for students in the border counties of Virginia and North Carolina to pay in-state tuition.

 

Basler Incentive Scholarhip
The Wayne G. Basler Incentive Scholarship was established in 1992 by a long-time friend of the university, Mr. Wayne G. Basler. The merit-based scholarship is specifically designed for students who have a declared academic major in the Department of Engineering Technology, Surveying and Digital Media.  The Basler Incentive Scholarship is intended to provide financial assistance to the student for four years of undergraduate education. As a means of providing incentive to the student, the scholarship amount will increase annually according to the scale below. The scholarship amounts are as follows:

1. First year $2000 ($1000 per semester)
2. Second year $2500 ($1250 per semester)
3. Third year $3500 ($1750 per semester)
4. Fourth year $5000 ($2500 per semester)

Scholarship FAQ
Scholarhip Application

 

Students taking courses in the Digital Media program will pay a program fee of $100 per credit hour for each DIGM course taken to cover program costs for software, hardware and other learning expenses. The income from this fee goes directly back into the program without any administrative overhead and is strictly for use in student’s education. It provides for:

• Very powerful computers (Quadcore CPUs, dual monitors, 64-bit os, 8Gb ram, large HD) in all the labs.
• Current versions of industry leading software from Autodesk, Adobe, Unreal, and Massive among others.
• A full lab of Cintiq monitors.
• HD cameras for checkout.
• Markerless motion capture.
• Qube render farm.
• Green Screen and lighting.
• 18 MP raw still cameras for checkout.
• Wacom tablets.
• Large format photographic printers.
• A learning library of CDs and DVDs for checkout.
• Drawing supplies.
• Visiting artists.
• Some student travel.

ETSU’s Digital Media Program is located in the mountains in the northeast corner of Tennessee, close to Virginia and North Carolina.

Locally, we’re across State of Franklin Rd. from the main campus and our building is part of the Johnson City Millennium Center. There’s a pedestrian bridge that takes you directly to campus and a large, grassy lawn in front of the building that is perfect for throwing frisbees.

Our recent grads speak for themselves:

 

Ryan (M.S. Digital Media 2011)
Special Effects Artist, Vicious Cycle Games

“I’m a special effects artist at Vicious Cycle. What I like about my job is that there’s always a challenge—the effects have to look good but they also have to run in a real-time game environment. I get to use my artistic side to make something pretty and my technical side to make it work!”

 

Conor (B.S. Digital Media 2010)
3D Designer, Adidas

“I’m a 3D Designer at Adidas—part of small team of generalists. I translate footwear and apparel designer’s work into 3D renders. I also create visualization renders and animations. There is a lot of creative license with the viz projects, which is a fantastic change of pace.”

 

Joel (B.S. Digital Media, 2010)
Roto/Paint Artist Compositor, Luma Pictures

“I’m a roto/paint artist and compositor working for Luma Pictures in Los Angeles, California. My credits include Thor, Captain America, Xmen:First Class, Fright Night, and several others currently in production. I hope to someday be a director and use my storytelling skills to create the next generation of cinematic films.”

 

TJ (B.S. Digital Media, 2011)
Animator, Red Storm

“I am currently working as a contract animator at Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment in Cary, North Carolina. Part of my job as an animator is to clean up and polish motion capture data. We also do a lot of facial and creature animation for a number of games that will released in the coming months.”

For entering freshman, start with the checklist on the Admissions page:  Checklist

For transfer students, start with the transfer checklist on the Admissions page:  Checklist