DePaul University College of Computing and Digital Media


DePaul University College of Computing and Digital Media is located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is commonly referred to as CDM. The College is organized into three schools: the School of Cinematic Arts, which is home to the animation and cinema programs; the School of Computing, which houses programs in computer and information sciences; and the School of Design, which houses programs in game design, interactive and social media, and digital communication and media arts. The College is part of DePaul University’s Loop Campus.
CDM awards nearly 1/4 of information technology graduate degrees in the state of Illinois. The school offers 16 undergraduate, 25 graduate, and 2 PhD programs in various fields, as well as several joint degrees with other Colleges at DePaul University.
DePaul has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cybersecurity for academic years 2014-2021 by the United States Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency.

History

CDM originated as the Department of Computer Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1981 with Helmut Epp as its founding chairman. That same year, the department moved into 243 S. Wabash Ave., one of three buildings recently purchased by DePaul University and named as part of its Loop Campus. On 1 July 1995, the department was established as a freestanding school within DePaul, the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications, and Information Systems.
Initial degree offerings for CTI included undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems, and Software Engineering. The school also offered a Master of Science degree in Management Information Systems jointly with CTI and DePaul's College of Commerce.
Over the next several years, CTI continued adding several undergraduate and graduate programs in computer science-related fields, as well as joint degree programs with other Colleges at DePaul. In 2000-2001, CTI expanded into graphics/animation with the BS in Computer Graphics and Animation. BS and BA programs in Digital Cinema were introduced during the 2003-2004 academic year. As CTI became a prominent provider of technology arts degrees in addition to computer science and information technology degrees, the College was renamed to better reflect its program offerings.

From CTI to CDM

On April 15, 2008 the School of CTI officially changed its name to the College of Computing and Digital Media. The College was then organized into two schools: the School of Computing and the School of Cinema & Interactive Media. In 2015, a third school, the School of Design, was added. Because the design-centered programs were moved from CIM into SoD, CIM was renamed the School of Cinematic Arts to better reflect its program offerings, which are exclusively animation and film/television.

Academics

The school’s original name — Computer Science, Telecommunications, and Information Systems — denotes its three prominent degree programs at the time of its founding in 1995. While these programs continue to be prominent, current technology science growth areas also include information and network security. In addition, the school has become a prominent provider of technology arts degrees in such disciplines as cinema, animation, and game design and programming. The school's prominence in these areas was demonstrated when 18 of the school's students developed the popular computer game Octodad. In 2015, animation student Carter Boyce was the school’s first recipient of a Student Academy Award for his film Die Flucht.
CDM currently enrolls over 5,000 students in 16 undergraduate, 25 graduate, and 2 doctoral programs.

The Institute for Professional Development (IPD)

Continuing education and certificate programs are offered by the College’s Institute for Professional Development. IPD has various programs in Big Data and Data Science Technologies, Cloud Computing Technologies, Database Technologies, Management, Network Technologies, Software Development, and Special Topics in IT.

Course OnLine

Course OnLine is CDM's customized technology for the capture and rebroadcast of classroom activity. The system captures four components: audio, video, PC screen, and Whiteboard. Within two hours of the end of a class, the pieces are synchronized and uploaded to Desire2Learn, a course management system through which instructors may post announcements, assignments, course notes, and various other supplements to the lecture content. While COL is frequently used by students to take an entire class on the Internet, it also provides a supplement for traditional classroom students, allowing them to replay the classroom lecture throughout the term of the course.