A new interdisciplinary major in digital storytelling is set to launch at Iowa State University in fall 2026, following its approval at the September Board of Regents meeting.
The program combines the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication with the Department of Music and Theatre to prepare students for rapidly evolving careers in media, communication and creative industries.
The major was developed in response to the Provost’s Office “Degrees of the Future” initiative, which encouraged proposals for forward-looking academic programs.
“Within Greenlee, we’d been looking at ways to infuse more digital skills into our curriculum,” Sherry Berghefer, teaching professor for the Greenlee school, said. “When we discovered the Theatre department was exploring something similar, we realized this could be something much larger than just digital media.”
The collaboration between departments is one of the features that has drawn excitement from students like Savannah Niec, a senior music major who helped shape the program during its development.
“The thing that excites me most about the new digital storytelling major is the versatility,” Niec said. “Digital storytelling is useful in almost every job, and the collaboration between departments allows students to take classes relevant to their career goals. I’m double majoring in music and advertising, and this is something I wish would’ve been available to me when I started college.”
Berghefer said the new program reflects Greenlee’s long-standing values of ethical communication and multicultural awareness while expanding opportunities for creativity and collaboration.
“Digital storytelling is about connection,” Berghefer said. “It’s about sharing an experience and engaging an audience emotionally and intellectually. It’s not just about information or brands or organizations — it’s about people.”
Students in the program will gain both technical and creative skills, learning video, audio and graphic production alongside storytelling, directing and personal branding.
Coursework will be hands-on, with projects in video production, podcasting and web content creation and all students will complete a professional internship.
Niec, who plans to pursue a career in arts administration and continue performing the horn professionally, said she sees digital storytelling as a crucial skill for artists.
“As a musician, being able to market yourself is so important,” Niec said. “A personal branding class would be super useful for me as I try to market myself as a musician. Having classes that use a social media listening lab and teach how to successfully run a social media account are beneficial for the arts administration side of things. This major offers so many possibilities and will help set me up for success in the future.”
Tracy Lucht, interim director of the Greenlee School, said the collaboration between Greenlee and Music and Theatre has been a highlight of the process.
“A strength of LAS is our ability to tap into the expertise of different disciplines to prepare students for an increasingly complex world and workforce,” Lucht said. “This program meets employers’ needs for graduates well-versed in emerging technologies while offering students an outlet for creativity and entrepreneurship.”
Studio renovations in Hamilton Hall are underway to support the new major, including a content creation suite and a state-of-the-art multicamera studio that will expand student access to professional-grade production facilities.
Berghefer emphasized that the program is designed to stay relevant in a fast-changing digital landscape.
“There’s no formulaic approach,” Berghefer said. “Students will come out of it with strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills and an understanding of how to be flexible in their creative processes.”
Though Niec will graduate before the major launches, she said being involved in its creation was rewarding.
“I’ve been part of creating this major for half of my college career, and every new thing I learned about it made me more excited,” Niec said. “My favorite additions are the theatre classes for directing and acting and the social media listening lab.”
The digital storytelling major is expected to attract students interested in content creation, filmmaking, marketing, nonprofit communication and beyond.
According to Berghefer, the interdisciplinary design allows students to tailor the curriculum to their goals, whether in performance, communication or another field entirely.
“The beauty of digital storytelling is that it isn’t confined to one industry or even one category,” Berghefer said. “Every single field has stories to tell — from the performing arts to astrophysics.”
