New Media Certificate
New Media Certificate

Overview
The New Media Institute houses the University of Georgia’s largest certificate program. The New Media Certificate supplements any undergraduate or graduate degree and is a credential that demonstrates a student is technowledgeable: the understanding of new media technologies and their application in a chosen field. Certificate students have access to hands-on classroom environments, innovative technologies and networking opportunities that lead to jobs.
The New Media Certificate provides students with an array of skills and experiences that form a competitive advantage in today’s job market, no matter the career path. Classes focusing on user experience design, web development, digital storytelling and emerging technologies, among others, are offered for certificate students. And long after graduation, certificate alumni have endless opportunities to stay involved and access to a robust alumni network.
NMI students learn the skills to create digital design projects for clients including:
- App development
- Website design
- AI and VR technologies
- Podcast creation
New media institute
New media institute
The New Media Certificate program is offered by the New Media Institute to equip undergraduates with the skills to create digital solutions for tomorrow’s media landscape.

Eligibility
Applications open early fall and early spring each year and since the program is interdisciplinary, any UGA student may apply.
Students identify one of three academic tracks: Traditional Track, Development Track or the Graduate Track.
Students complete a professional portfolio and capstone project as part of their certificate requirements.
Class Sampler
Once accepted, Traditional and Development Track students take four core courses and two electives; Graduate Track students take two core courses and two electives.
Class 1: – Intro to New Media
Explores the economic, technical, social, and cultural aspects of media technologies.
Class 2: – Web Development
Students learn how to design, develop, and code interactive web products that function effectively across multiple platforms and are introduced to front-end web development.
Class 3: – User Experience Design
Unlock principles of UX to create an inclusive testing plan for digital products.
Class 4: – Native App Development
Students learn the fundamentals of native application development for platforms such as iOS, tvOS, and watchOS with modern programming languages such as Swift.
Class 5: – New Media Design
New Media Design explores traditional graphic design topics, such as layout, composition, imagery, and typography, as it builds a foundational knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud.
Class 6: – Customer Experience Design
This class will explore the ethics, principles, and tools of digital customer experience design, or CX.
FACULTY
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Emuel Aldridge
Senior Lecturer
About: Emuel Aldridge is a graduate of UGA and has worked in the NMI since 2006. He currently teaches three courses at the NMI: New Media Production, teaching students how […]
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Chris Gerlach
Academic Professional
About: With an educational background in integrated marketing communications, a passion in technology, and experience in interactive digital media, Chris Gerlach brings an unorthodox background and unique perspective to the […]
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Tyler Mazurek
New Media Certificate Faculty Advisor
Tyler was first acquainted with the New Media Institute as an Entertainment and Media Studies student. In order to explore his growing interest in user experience design, development, and all […]
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Kyla Sterling
Instructor
Kyla Sterling began her New Media Institute journey in 2018 as an Emerging Media Master’s student. Now, as faculty advisor for the New Media Certificate program, she oversees students’ journeys […]
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Megan Ward
Administrative Director
About: Originally from Jupiter, Florida, Megan Ward fled the gator state to be a double-dawg, earning both her Bachelors and Masters in Public Relations from Grady College. An NMI alumna herself, […]
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John Weatherford
Senior Lecturer
About: View Curriculum Vitae Experience John Weatherford serves on the faculty of the New Media Institute in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. […]
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Dayne Young
Program Coordinator
Dayne Young (ABJ ’11) is the program coordinator for the Carmical Sports Media Institute and the New Media Institute, a role he began in 2022. He graduated from the University […]
Questions about the NMI Certificate?
Tyler Mazurek, New Media Certificate Faculty Advisor
nmi@uga.edu
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Perspectives
“By starting out with advertising as a major and venturing into the New Media Institute with classes like web development, I reignited my passion for computer science and now actively pursue it in my day-to-day through my organization, UGAHacks.”
John Atkinson

Perspectives
“After I graduate with my undergraduate degree in December 2022, I will be pursuing a masters degree in Emerging Media as a Double Dawg at UGA. I’m really excited to learn more about how technology and design can make some cool, innovative projects for brands.”
Heaven Robinson

Perspectives
“I love how it stands to represent all of the different ideas on campus and being able to say I have a small part in bringing together all of these students, faculty, alumni and community members in Athens.”
Esther Kim
TEDxUGA curator

tedx uga
Every year, a carefully selected group of UGA faculty, alumni and students gather at TEDxUGA to share their philosophies, art, inspiration and ideas worth spreading. The Steering Committee includes university-wide faculty, staff and students, and the event is coordinated through NMI and the course New Media & TED where students gain practical event management experience and presentation curation expertise while preparing presenters for the TEDxUGA stage.

Apply
Applications for NMIX classes are open every year in the fall and spring. Visit the New Media Certificate page for application dates and details.