Program Contact: Lisa Burns 203-582-8548
Overview
The interdisciplinary Minor in Content Creation and Influencing prepares students to ethically evaluate, create, and distribute content in a digital media landscape increasingly shaped by misinformation and disinformation. The minor is open to students from any major who want to develop the creative and strategic skills necessary to thrive in a content-driven economy.
The curriculum balances hands-on production with critical media analysis, equipping students with technical and analytical skills that are transferable across a wide range of industries. Students learn to produce authentic, compelling content grounded in a rigorous understanding of platform norms, audience expectations, and the ethical responsibilities that come with digital influence.
Why Content Creation and Influencing?
The influencer marketing industry is growing rapidly. University graduates across fields are increasingly expected to understand how to build and manage digital brands, engage online audiences, and produce content that meets professional standards. This minor prepares students to meet that demand, not just as skilled practitioners, but as critical thinkers who can navigate and contribute responsibly to a rapidly evolving media ecosystem.
The minor takes a focused approach to content creator and influencer culture specifically. It integrates media literacy, production, and trend forecasting, preparing students to engage with influencer culture both critically and creatively.
What Will You Learn?
Students who complete the minor in Content Creation and Influencing will be prepared to:
- Produce technically proficient digital content that reflects best practices in storytelling, branding, and audience engagement
- Apply a critical understanding of platform norms and audience expectations
- Analyze and anticipate trends in the evolution of digital media ecosystems and platform culture
- Develop and manage an authentic online brand
- Evaluate and navigate environments saturated with misinformation and disinformation
- Contribute effectively to a wide range of emerging roles in the creator economy
Health and Wellness Content Creation Track
The minor includes an optional track in Health and Wellness Content Creation, developed in collaboration with the School of Health Sciences. This track is designed for students interested in one of the fastest-growing sectors of the influencer marketing economy, with industry growth projections ranging from 17 to 28 percent over the next five years.
Health and wellness content creators wield significant influence over individual health decisions and, at scale, public health outcomes. The curriculum for this track is designed to ensure students both understand the media ecosystem and produce content grounded in sound evidence-based health and wellness principles. The track prepares students to contribute responsible, engaging content in a space where accuracy and trust are paramount.
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CORE REQUIREMENTS (9 credits): | ||
Media Literacy, Platforms and Audiences (6 credits): | ||
| MSS 245 | Media Users and Audiences | 3 |
| MSS 442 | Content Creators & Influencers | 3 |
Production (3 credits): | ||
| JRN 104 | Phone Photography and Video | 3 |
| ELECTIVES (9 credits): | ||
Choose any three electives from the list below. 1 | ||
| MSS 131 | Media Innovators | 3 |
| MSS 240 | Is AI Taking Over? Disruption, Disinformation, and the Future Of Communication | 3 |
| MSS 320 | Cross-Platform Storytelling | 3 |
| MSS 441 | Celebrity Culture | 3 |
| MSS 444 | Popular Music | 3 |
| ADPR 215 | Web, Mobile & Interactive Design | 3 |
| ADPR 320 | Strategies for Social Media | 3 |
| ADPR 346 | Health Communication | 3 |
| ADPR 410 | Branding Strategies | 3 |
| COM 215 | Social Media and Society | 3 |
| FTM 110 | Single Camera Production | 3 |
| GID 161 | Web Design I | 3 |
| GID 305 | Digital Photography | 3 |
| JRN 106 | Video Storytelling Techniques | 3 |
| JRN 205 | Photojournalism Fundamentals | 3 |
| JRN 302 | Podcasting & Audio Storytelling | 3 |
| JRN 306 | Social Media for Journalism | 3 |
| JRN 372 | Entrepreneurial Media (The MIC Project) | 3 |
| SPCM 202 | Sports Audiences and Fandom | 3 |
| SPCM 367 | Sports Social Media | 3 |
Health and Wellness Content Creation Track
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MEDIA AND CONTENT STUDIES (9 credits): | ||
Media Literacy, Platforms and Audiences (6 credits): | ||
| MSS 245 | Media Users and Audiences | 3 |
| MSS 442 | Content Creators & Influencers | 3 |
Production (3 credits): | ||
| JRN 104 | Phone Photography and Video | 3 |
| HEALTH AND WELLNESS STUDIES (9 credits): | ||
Health and Wellness Foundations (6 credits): | ||
| HSC 210 | Foundations of Evidence-Based Health Care | 3 |
| EXSCI 380 | Behavioral Change in Health and Wellness | 3 |
Choose any Health and Wellness Elective from the list below (3 credits) 2 | ||
| ADPR 346 | Health Communication | 3 |
| BMS 162 | Human Health and Disease | 3 |
| BMS 200 | Biomedical Basis and Experience of Human Aging | 3 |
| BMS 221 | Physiology and Effects of Obesity in Society | 3 |
| FLW 190 | Essentials of Fitness and Wellness | 3 |
| HSC 130 | Self-Care in Exercise and Health | 3 |
| HSC 209 | Examining Health Disparities | 3 |
| HSC 262 | Nutrition in Health and Illness | 3 |
| HSC 270 | Pillars of Public Health: Saving the World on a Population Level | 3 |
| HSC 315 | Bioethical Issues in the 21st Century | 3 |
- 1
Other courses may be counted as electives with chair approval.
- 2
Other courses may be counted as an elective with chair approval.