ASU Cronkite School announces new digital audiences minor

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University will offer a new all-online specialization to create experts in how to find, engage and grow digital audiences.

The minor in Digital Audiences will provide students with the practical skills to identify, measure, engage and grow digital audiences through digital content, social media, search marketing, search engine optimization and other techniques. Courses will be taught entirely online by the Cronkite School’s award-winning faculty starting this fall.

“A wide array of businesses, governments and nonprofits are seeking people who can use digital strategies and tactics to drive growth,” said Cronkite School Dean Christopher Callahan. “This innovative program will provide the necessary foundation and tools to develop an expertise in digital audiences.”

The minor consists of five, three-credit-hour courses and is led by Jessica Pucci, the school’s Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation professor and a leader in audience analytics and engagement.

Students will begin with an in-depth foundational course, which examines audience behavior across industries and platforms. They then will take courses on audience research, audience acquisition and engagement, and digital audience analysis.

In the final capstone course, students work with a client to increase and engage its digital audience, executing a campaign from beginning to end. The capstone course provides students with real world experience, using the skills they gained from the course.

“Whether you’re producing video content, launching an app, playing in a band or selling lemonade, you need to know how to strategically grow and engage audiences across various digital platforms,” Pucci said. “This minor gives you the tools to do precisely that. It is a first-of-its-kind program, and it’s very hands-on. Students learn how to use the growth strategies employed by real brands and organizations, and how to measure their success.”

The minor is available to students through ASU Online and can be paired with any ASU on-campus or online undergraduate degree.  ASU students can register for the fall semester at by searching the ASU Course Catalog for MCO 307, “The Digital Audience,” the first course in the program.

The Cronkite School offers on-campus bachelor’s degrees in journalism and mass communication as well as sports journalism. Students also can pursue a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and media studies online.