Public Digital Humanities, Graduate Certificate
This is the first version of the 2026–27 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.
The graduate Certificate in Public Digital Humanities requires 12 s.h. of coursework. Students must maintain a Graduate College major program grade-point average of at least 3.00 for the certificate.
The Certificate in Public Digital Humanities requires the following coursework.
Required Course
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| This course: | ||
| CLAS:7290 | Digital Humanities Theory and Practice | 3 |
Electives
Students choose elective coursework to suit their disciplinary or technical needs. Since electives are updated every semester, students can view a full list of available elective courses as well as access an elective course petition form; visit Public Digital Humanities Certificate on the University of Iowa Libraries website.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 6 s.h. from these: | ||
| AFAM:6500/AMST:6500/ENGL:6050 | Critical Readings in Cultural Studies: Stuart Hall's Legacy and Influences | 3 |
| AMST:3078/GWSS:3078/MUSM:3078/SPST:3078 | Archiving Women's History | 3 |
| AMST:3600/AFAM:3600 | Digitizing Blackness | 3 |
| AMST:5000 | Frameworks for Interdisciplinary Research in Ethnic and American Studies | 3 |
| ARTH:3000 | Digital Approaches to the Study of Art | 3 |
| CINE:4620 | Topics in Film Form, Style, and Theory (when topic is film adaptation) | 3 |
| COMM:6336 | Seminar in Rhetorical Theory (when topic is critical approaches to digital culture) | 1-4 |
| ENGL:3182 | Digital Cultures and Literacies | 3 |
| ENGL:6080 | New Media Poetics | 3 |
| GRAD:6510 | Introduction to Programming | 1 |
| GRAD:6521 | Scholarly Communication and Journal Publishing | 1 |
| GRAD:6535 | Data Visualization and Mapping | 1 |
| GRAD:6541 | The Future of Knowledge | 1 |
| GRAD:6545 | Introduction to Podcasting | 1 |
| GRAD:6550 | Design Fundamentals in Digital Scholarship | 1 |
| GRAD:6551 | Scholarly Promotion and Design | 1 |
| GWSS:3050 | Topics in Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies (when topic is race, gender, and sexuality in the digital humanities) | 1,3 |
| HIST:6002 | Introduction to Graduate Studies in History: Historiography and Methods (when topic is digital related) | 3 |
| IGPI:4580/DATA:4580/STAT:4580 | Data Visualization and Data Technologies | 3 |
| JMC:3122 | Influencers, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Games | 3 |
| JMC:3425 | Personal Branding | 3-4 |
| JMC:3640 | Information and Data Visualization | 3-4 |
| JMC:6333 | Seminar in Media Communication (when topic is critical media studies or digital cultures or global digital media) | 3 |
| RHET:7500 | Science Communication in the Digital Age | 2-3 |
| SEES:3540/IGPI:3540 | Geographic Visualization | 3 |
| SEES:4150/GHS:4150/IGPI:4150 | Health and Environment: GIS Applications | 3 |
| SLIS:6140/IGPI:6140 | Academic User Services and Technology | 3 |
| SLIS:6145 | Digital Preservation and Stewardship | 3 |
| SLIS:6350 | Archives: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| SLIS:6411 | Special Topics in Library and Information Science (when topic is designing "dataviz") | 3 |
Capstone Course
Students should complete all certificate coursework before they enroll in the capstone course.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| This course: | ||
| GRAD:6590 | Digital Humanities Capstone | 3 |
View Public Digital Humanities Certificate on the University of Iowa Libraries website for more information.
Graduate education prepares students with advanced knowledge and skills in specialized fields. At the University of Iowa, the Graduate College advocates for student-centered graduate education and supports equitable application of rules and policies across graduate programs.
Academics
University of Iowa graduate credentials are regulated by policies and requirements found in the Graduate College Manual of Rules and Regulations. This includes minimum grade-point average (GPA) requirements for academic standing and degree conferral. The Graduate College sets the minimum requirement. Individual graduate programs may establish higher GPA requirements.
Admissions
Graduate student applicants must meet admission requirements for both the Graduate College and the program to which they have applied. University of Iowa graduate admission requirements are published by the Graduate College and on the Graduate Admissions website.
Financial Support
Graduate students might be eligible for financial support. Several contingencies apply, including degree program and award type, satisfactory progress toward degree, satisfactory completion of all duties related to an appointment, and availability of funding. Graduate students should inquire directly with their program for more information about funding availability. The Graduate Student Employment Standards govern the employment relationship between the University of Iowa and all graduate teaching and research assistants in all matters except wages, which are covered by an existing collective bargaining agreement or the conditions of an applicable federal grant.
Sample Plan of Study
Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor. For additional sample plans, see MyUI.
Public Digital Humanities, Graduate Certificate
| Academic Career | ||
|---|---|---|
| Any Semester | Hours | |
| The graduate certificate in public digital humanities requires 12 s.h. of coursework. | ||
| Hours | 0 | |
| First Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CLAS:7290 | Digital Humanities Theory and Practice | 3 |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| Certificate: public digital humanities elective course a | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Certificate: public digital humanities elective course a | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| GRAD:6590 | Digital Humanities Capstone | 3 |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
- a
- See the General Catalog for list of approved courses.