Graphic Design Specialization
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 6 months to complete
Suggested 3 hour/week
Make Compelling Design. Learn and apply the principles of graphic design towards a comprehensive branding project.
Graphic design is all around us, in a myriad of forms, both on screen and in print, yet it is always made up of images and words to create a communication goal. This four-course sequence exposes students to the fundamental skills required to make sophisticated graphic design: process, historical context, and communication through image-making and typography. The sequence is completed by a capstone project that applies the skills of each course and peer feedback in a finished branding project suitable for a professional portfolio.
The goal of this specialization is to equip learners with a set of transferable formal and conceptual tools for “making and communicating” in the field of graphic design. This core skill set will equip learners for formal studies in graphic design, and a starting point for further work in interface design, motion graphics, and editorial design.
UI / UX Design Specialization
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 4 months to complete
Suggested 5 hour/week
Design High-Impact User Experiences. Research, design, and prototype effective, visually-driven websites and apps.
The UI/UX Design Specialization brings a design-centric approach to user interface and user experience design, and offers practical, skill-based instruction centered around a visual communications perspective, rather than on one focused on marketing or programming alone. In this sequence of four courses, you will summarize and demonstrate all stages of the UI/UX development process, from user research to defining a project’s strategy, scope, and information architecture, to developing sitemaps and wireframes. You’ll learn current best practices and conventions in UX design and apply them to create effective and compelling screen-based experiences for websites or apps.
User interface and user experience design is a high-demand field, but the skills and knowledge you will learn in this Specialization are applicable to a wide variety of careers, from marketing to web design to human-computer interaction.
Learners enrolled in the UI/UX Design Specialization are eligible for an extended free trial (1 month) of a full product suite of UX tools from Optimal Workshop. Details are available in Course 3 of the Specialization, Web Design: Strategy and Information Architecture.
In this Specialization you will participate in several short exercises—both visual and non-visual—to apply acquired knowledge, from organizing and structuring screen-based content, defining goals and strategy, to creating wireframes and visual mockups. By the end of this Specialization, you will have produced a mid-level digital prototype with simulated functionality, as well as a comprehensive plan for a complex website.
Fashion as Design
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 18 hours to complete
Leading Effectively. Learn proven management techniques in just four courses.
Among all objects of design, our clothes are the most universal and intimate. Like other kinds of design, fashion thrives on productive tensions between form and function, automation and craftsmanship, standardization and customization, universality and self-expression, and pragmatism and utopian vision. It exists in the service of others, and it can have profound consequences—social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental.
Fashion as Design focuses on a selection of more than 70 garments and accessories from around the world, ranging from kente cloth to jeans to 3D-printed dresses. Through these garments, we’re going to look closely at what we wear, why we wear it, how it’s made, and what it means. You’ll hear directly from a range of designers, makers, historians, and others working with clothing every day—and, in some cases, reinventing it for the future. Studio visits, interviews, and other resources introduce the history and development of each garment and their changing uses, meanings, and impact over time.
- Develop critical tools to appreciate and contextualize fashion design—from everyday clothing to couture garments—through many different perspectives.
- Trace the history, development, and impact of garments over time, and explore how they may be reinvented.
- Investigate garments through multiple lenses including politics, identity, and economics.
- Understand more about the lifecycle of clothing, from its design and production to its marketing, distribution, and consumption.
- Better comprehend the choices you make about fashion with respect to the visual language of dress, individual and collective identities, and issues such as labor practices, sustainability, and body politics.
Creative Writing Specialization
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 6 months to complete
Suggested 2 hours/week
Craft Your Story Like the Great Writers. Craft an original story that will absorb a reader’s interest from the beginning to end.
This Specialization covers elements of three major creative writing genres: short story, narrative essay, and memoir. You will master the techniques that good writers use to compose a bracing story, populated with memorable characters in an interesting setting, written in a fresh descriptive style. You will analyze and constructively evaluate peer writing. In the Capstone, you will draft, rewrite, and complete a substantial original story in the genre of your choosing.
Our courses are designed for anyone from the aspiring short story writer to established novelist. Whether you have a finished novel sitting on your desk calling for a fresh look or have had the germ of an idea for a decade, this Specialization gives you tools to achieve your goal. Through 4 courses focused on a key aspect of writing, and taken in any order you choose, you will develop a stronger ability to not only refine your writing, but critique writing in general and find inspiration in the works you are already reading.
Thanks to our sponsors, upon completion of their first assignment, learners in each course will receive up to an 80% discount from Write-Bros and a 30% discount off their first purchase from Scrivener to use on their writing software. Additionally, learners who complete an assignment will receive 30% off membership at the online writing community Scribophile.
The DIY Musician Specialization
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 5 months to complete
Suggested 4 hour/week
Write, Record, and Produce Your Own Music. Learn how to produce your own music and launch your music career.
With social media platforms and powerful recording technology at your fingertips, it’s easier now than ever before to create music and share it with your fans. But where do you begin and how do you get started? This specialization will take you through the process of writing, recording, and producing your own music in order to gain the practical skills you need to record music within ProTools, which is the industry standard Digital Audio Workstation. You’ll also work to develop an artist identity, vision, and brand for your music and learn how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign to fund your music career.
You will write, record, and produce an original song using real instruments, MIDI, and effects such as equalization, compression, and reverb. You will also create a short business plan that will outline your web presence, potential brand partnerships, and a crowdfunding campaign.
The Business of Music Production Specialization
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 8 months to complete
Suggested 3 hour/week
Become a Business-Savvy Music Producer. Gain the knowledge and skills you need to launch your career as a music producer.
In the current music industry, it is crucial that artists and producers are armed with a clear understanding of how the business works. To be successful in this business, you must have equal parts musical artistry and business savvy. In this specialization, you’ll learn about the various roles in the music industry, how to read and decipher a recording contract, and how to protect your assets in the United States under US copyright law. You’ll also learn how to launch your career as a producer, how to establish a vision and intention for the music you want to produce, and how to record music using the most popular industry standard digital audio workstation (DAW), ProTools.
In this specialization, you will analyze case studies of real music industry scenarios. You’ll also create a professional level recording project. You will produce, record, mix, and master either your own or another artist’s original music using the industry standard digital audio workstation, Pro Tools.
Photography Basics and Beyond: From Smartphone to DSLR Specialization
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 8 months to complete
Suggested 4 hour/week
Create photographs you will be proud to share.. Build a solid foundation in digital photography, growing in knowledge from camera to composition!
Whether your camera is a Smartphone or DSLR, a Compact or Mirrorless model, you will learn to gain control of exposure and understand fundamentals of composition, while exploring documentary and creative concepts to make the kinds of photographs you have always wanted.
This Specialization covers a broad range of fundamental principles in photography, from camera control to principles of composition and creativity, providing you with a foundation for growth in making photographs you’ll be proud to share.
In the Capstone you will develop a final project of photographs related to your individual needs, whether practical or purely expressive, and share ongoing feedback with fellow learners.
In addition to the awarding of a Certificate of Specialization from Michigan State University, each Learner who subscribes to and completes the entire Specialization, including Capstone, will receive substantial discounts on equipment, accessories, and membership benefits through Industry Partners from among the premier manufacturers of photography equipment: Fracture, Gary Fong, Gyst, Lensbaby, LensPen, Lume Cube, Photo District News, PhotoVideoEdu.com, Pixsy, and Think Tank.
The Singer Songwriter Specialization
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 6 months to complete
Suggested 2 hour/week
Write, perform, and record original music. Learn how to transform your ideas and emotions into songs that are uniquely you.
Do you have a song in your heart that you want to share it with others? In the Singer/Songwriter specialization, you will learn all the skills you need to write, perform, and record your own original music. You’ll begin by learning how to play the guitar to accompany yourself in Guitar for Beginners. You’ll learn how to play chords and scales, as well as strumming patterns and finger picking patterns. In Singing Popular Music, you’ll explore your voice and develop your own personal style. You’ll learn how to sing properly, mastering the correct techniques and breath support. From there, you’ll hone your writing craft, focusing on lyrics. You’ll learn about stressed and unstressed syllables, rhyme schemes, and lyrical phrasing.You’ll also record into a Digital Audio Workstation, focusing on Ableton Live and capturing both MIDI and real instruments into your DAW to record and share your ideas with the world.
In the first course of this specialization, Guitar for Beginners, you will play a song using a lead sheet from start to finish. In Singing Popular Music, you will hone your style and perform a song. By the end of Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics, you will have completed an original song. Finally, you will produce and record your original music using real instruments and MIDI in Introduction to Ableton Live.
Music Production Specialization
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 8 months to complete
Suggested 2 hour/week
Develop Your Creativity as a Music Producer . Learn the art and technology of music production to create professional music compositions.
This Specialization will give you the knowledge and tools you need to record and produce professional sounding music. You will begin by developing your identity, vision, and intention as an artist and producer. Next, you will learn the technical aspects of music production, including how sound is translated into audio signals, recording techniques, and effects such as reverb, delay, and compression. You will also learn how to use the industry standard Digital Audio Workstation, Pro Tools, to create professional recordings. Finally, you will apply the knowledge and tools you gained in a culminating 4-week Capstone where you will complete a project beginning at the pre-production stage through the recording, mixing, and mastering stages.
Electronic Music Production Specialization
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 5 months to complete
Suggested 4 hours/week
Create Musical Compositions With Your Computer. Learn the tools and techniques to create professional sounding music.
In the Electronic Music Production specialization, you will learn the tricks of the trade to create high-quality, professional sounding music. You’ll begin by learning about the nature of sound and how a signal flows through a home studio setup. Additionally, you’ll learn how to create your own custom musical sounds through music synthesis. You’ll explore how to record MIDI and real instruments into the flexible and agile Digital Audio Workstation, Ableton Live. You’ll also learn to professionally record, produce, edit, and mix a vocal track with the Grammy-winning producer, Prince Charles Alexander.
In the first course of this specialization, The Technology of Music Production, you will be asked to create a presentation on a topic of your choice. Next, you will produce and record original music using real instruments, MIDI, custom synth patches, and effects such as equalization, compression, and reverb.
Developing Your Musicianship Specialization
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required.
Approx. 4 months to complete
Suggested 2 hour/week
Develop your skills as a musician . Deepen your understanding of music theory to develop your skills as a musician.
Nurture your love for, and understanding of, music with this specialization. Learn the fundamentals of music theory, including major and minor tonalities, chord scales, song forms, and chord qualities. You’ll also practice training your ear to hear and recognize various intervals, chord progressions, and chord qualities. For the Capstone project, you will directly apply the knowledge you’ve gained to write and perform a short musical composition. This specialization begins with the basics of music and builds to more advanced concepts, providing you the knowledge you need to improve your skills as a musician.
In the capstone course, you will write and perform a 24-measure musical composition in A A B A song form. This culminating project will combine the skills and knowledge you learn and provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate your growth as a musician.