Student Life

At CDIA, we believe media can make a difference. That’s why we developed the Practicum program, an opportunity for students to partner with non-profit, socially-responsible organizations and create quality digital media to further the organizations’ missions.

Practicum gives students practical experience working on real-world projects for actual clients, complete with fixed timeframe and well-defined deliverables. Under the direction of a faculty advisor, students work independently or in teams as they take a project from concept to completion. With its real-life production environment, Practicum delivers valuable career-building experience in managing assignments, schedules and client expectations. Through their participation in Practicum, students gain confidence, build networks and better understand the professional demands of their future careers.

The non-profit organizations that participate in Practicum benefit from media services that would ordinarily be out of reach. Whether students create a film, photo portfolio, website, print materials, 3D animation or audio piece, the Practicum gives these organizations valuable tools for promoting their services for client education, fundraising and community awareness.To maximize the potential impact for their clients, students are encouraged to collaborate between departments as they complete the six stages of a Practicum project:

1. Preproduction/Development
2. Proposal/Contract
3. Design/Production
4. Post-Production
5. Delivery/Presentation
6. Support

The experience culminates with the Practicum Screening, a showcase and celebration for all participating students, faculty and partner organizations.

We are constantly seeking to establish partnerships with non-profit organizations to create innovative projects and opportunities for collaboration. For more information, contact Aimee Corrigan, Practicum Director: acorrigan@cdiabu.com.

If you are interested in becoming a Practicum Partner: please download our application or use our online practicum partner application form.

Download our brochure for full information and featured projects.