Communications minor becomes Penn State's largest as students seek AI-era skills
December 4, 2025 - University Park
Penn State's Digital Media Trends & Analytics (DMTA) minor has grown into the university's largest academic minor by doing one thing well: preparing communications students to perform on day one in an AI-driven media market.
Since 2017, the program has graduated more than 1,400 students from 71 majors, with 548 students currently enrolled. For PR and communications leaders, that's a deep pipeline of emerging talent trained on the tools, metrics, and ethics that define modern campaigns.
What's fueling the growth
Created in 2016 by associate professor Lee Ahern in collaboration with the College of Information Sciences and Technology, the 18-credit minor blends core ad/pr and information systems courses with advanced classes in digital media metrics, digital PR, and programmatic, AI-driven advertising. Ahern also teaches the capstone Digital Campaigns course.
"Especially with AI the last couple of years, students are looking for ways to make it clear that they're up to date in a fast-changing marketplace," Ahern said. "With the minor, the fact that they're able to add more skills and certifications to their toolbox is obviously appealing."
Hands-on with the platforms that matter
Students work directly with platforms like Google Ads, Google Analytics, and the Swipe Pages landing page builder. They also apply tools such as Google Trends, Google's Rich Results Test, and URL builders to plan, track, and optimize campaigns.
Courses are built around practical execution, not theory. Students learn how to plan, launch, and analyze campaigns against business goals-and they do it with the same systems used by agencies and in-house teams.
AI is the connective tissue, not a side topic
The DMTA minor treats AI as core to modern communications strategy. Students are exposed to:
- AI-assisted keyword and audience generation
- Automated campaign optimization features
- Generative-AI display and text ad creative tools
- Data-driven decision modeling inside analytics platforms
- Ethical considerations in algorithmically mediated advertising
They don't just learn the concepts-they build campaigns with AI, evaluate the outcomes, and critique the outputs with faculty guidance. That balance of creative intuition and machine-assisted precision is what agencies are asking for in early-career hires.
Student perspective
"A faculty member told me about the minor and encouraged me to check it out because it would be helpful. That's certainly been the case," said Isabelle Flores, a senior advertising/public relations major. "I'm a peer mentor for the Bellisario College and I always tell underclassmen the DMTA minor is a good move no matter your major."
"It feels like I'll be better prepared for my first job because of the DMTA minor," said senior Sidney Newell. "My dream job is to be an A&R representative for a music label or to be a creative strategist for artists, and the minor has helped me with the familiarity of important tools that can make me better. I just feel like it'll help me stand out as a candidate."
Reach and support
The minor's scale is the result of consistent backing from the Bellisario College and the College of IST, with courses developed and taught by faculty including Krishna Jayakar, Bill Zimmerman, Heather Schoenberger, and Stephanie Thomas. Operational support from leaders in administration, scheduling, and advising-special thanks to Jamie Perry, Nikki DiOrio, and Julie Evak-has helped sustain its growth.
Why this matters for PR and communications leaders
If you're hiring, expect candidates from this minor to show up fluent in the metrics, tactics, and creative workflows that move campaigns. If you're upskilling your team, the curriculum mirrors what most comms orgs need: performance literacy, AI-aware creative, and ethical standards.
- Plan and deploy programmatic campaigns with measurable goals
- Build dashboards that tie channel activity to outcomes
- Use generative tools to concept and test creative variations
- Audit tracking, data quality, and attribution logic
Looking to formalize team learning with credentials that complement this approach? See a short list of AI certifications for marketing specialists.
The takeaway: the DMTA minor has become a reliable signal of practical skill for early-career communicators-grounded in real tools, informed by AI, and ready to contribute.
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