The Certificate Program in Website Design & Development

In our rapidly-evolving, knowledge-based economy, workers are struggling to keep up with the latest technologies and skills. The Certificate Program in Website Design and Development is designed to provide students with the knowledge they need to design and implement effective, dynamic websites. Students pursuing this certificate program have the option of taking either the Web Design Track or the Web Development Track, depending on their particular area of interest.

You can earn the Certificate in Website Design & Development entirely online or as a combination of online and on campus courses. While all of the required courses are available in the online format, some of the courses are also available on campus. Please refer to the program outline below to see which courses are available in the online or on campus format in the upcoming semester. If you have questions about scheduling or course availability, please contact the Student Support Center at (978) 934-2474.

Note: Students participating in this program should have basic computer proficiency.

Web Design Track

Note: Students pursuing this track should have basic familiarity with HTML. Those who do not have basic familiarity with HTML are encouraged to take 90.291 Intro to DHTML as one of their electives prior to taking the required courses in this track.

Required Courses: (4)

90.231 Graphics for Multimedia and the World Wide Web - Available Summer 2013!
70.379 Website Design - Available Summer 2013!
90.247 Web Authoring: Flash® - Available Summer 2013!
70.384 Advanced Website Design and Development - Available Summer 2013!

Electives - Choose 2:

70.262 Digital Imaging and Photography: Photoshop®* - Available Summer 2013!
90.230 Introduction to Multimedia - Available Summer 2013!
90.238 Website Development: Microsoft® Expression® Web - Available Summer 2013!
90.248 Website Database Implementation - Available Summer 2013!
90.250 E-Commerce on the Web - Available Summer 2013!
90.291 Introduction to DHTML - Available Summer 2013!
90.292 Advanced DHTML
90.302 JavaScript - Available Summer 2013!
90.306 Introduction to XML - Available Summer 2013!
90.346 Digital Media Delivery - Available Summer 2013!
90.347 Rich Web Development: Advanced Flash®
90.348 Developing Dynamic Websites with ColdFusion® MX*

*Note: not currently offered online.

Web Development Track

Required Courses: (4)

90.291 Introduction to DHTML - Available Summer 2013!
90.238 Website Development: Microsoft® Expression® Web - Available Summer 2013!
90.248 Website Database Implementation - Available Summer 2013!
90.306 Introduction to XML - Available Summer 2013!

Electives - Choose 2:

70.379 Website Design - Available Summer 2013!
70.384 Advanced Website Design and Development - Available Summer 2013!
90.227 Developing Interactive Help Systems
90.231 Graphics for Multimedia and the World Wide Web - Available Summer 2013!
90.245 Website Server Administration
90.246 Active Server Pages .NET
90.247 Web Authoring: Flash® - Available Summer 2013!
90.250 E-Commerce on the Web - Available Summer 2013!
90.292 Advanced DHTML
90.297 Introduction to Java Programming - Available Summer 2013!
90.301 JAVA Programming - Available Summer 2013!
90.302 JavaScript - Available Summer 2013!
90.305 Survey of Perl/Python/PHP (formerly Introduction to Perl) - Available Summer 2013!
90.346 Digital Media Delivery - Available Summer 2013!
90.347 Rich Web Development: Advanced Flash®
90.348 Developing Dynamic Websites with ColdFusion® MX*

*Note: not currently offered online.

**Note: Other 90.xxx may be substituted as electives for the Web Development Track with prior approval from the certificate program coordinator.

Certificate Requirements

Students enrolled in UMass Lowell certificate programs must complete all courses, generally consisting of both required courses and electives. Students may complete the certificate program at their own pace, enrolling in one or two courses each semester. Courses on-campus typically meet one night per week, three hours each night, during the Fall and Spring semesters. Online students generally log on to their course site one or more times per week to retrieve lectures and assignments or to participate in a chat session. For more information on online courses, visit our online program home page.

In addition to the Fall and Spring semesters, students may also have the opportunity to accelerate their programs of study during two concentrated six-week Summer sessions. Online courses are also offered during the Summer semester, but typically run from May through August unless otherwise noted. All students should anticipate at least two hours of preparation for every hour of classroom instruction. Students are required to maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or better to receive the certificate.

Application into the Program

Those who wish to enroll in the certificate program should submit a completed application form and arrange to have their official high school transcript or GED sent to Continuing Studies. Applications, transcripts, and other correspondence should be sent to: University of Massachusetts Lowell, Admissions/Online and Continuing Education, Dugan Hall, Room 110, 883 Broadway Street, Lowell, MA 01854-5104. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and there is no fee to apply. Upon acceptance, notification will be sent to students.

Registering for Courses

Continuing Studies offers courses during the Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. Information about current course offerings, schedules, and registration procedures is published regularly on our website. If you would like to receive a printed Course Bulletin, please contact our Faculty and Student Support Center at (978) 934-2474.

You may take courses without being officially enrolled in a certificate or degree program, but you must meet the particular course prerequisites. Registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Class size is limited. We recommend that you register early to reserve your place in class.

Transfer Policy

With the program coordinator's approval, one course may be transferred from another accredited institution to satisfy undergraduate certificate program requirements. The course should be equivalent to UMass Lowell instruction, applicable to the intended program, and the student must have received a grade equivalent to a C- (1.70 on a 4.00 scale) or better.

Academic Advising

Program Coordinators and Faculty and Student Support Specialists are available by appointment to help students determine appropriate course loads, discuss admission requirements, and review the transferability of courses. For online advising, email us at Continuing_Education@uml.edu. To schedule an appointment with a Program Coordinator or Faculty and Student Support Specialist, please call Online and Continuing Education at (978) 934-2474. General academic advising is also available at the Faculty and Student Support Center on a drop-in basis, located in Southwick Hall, Room 202 on UMass Lowell North. Call (978) 934-2474 or stop by the office Monday through Thursday between 8:30am-8:00pm and on Friday between 8:30am-5:00pm.

Awarding of Certificates

Upon successful completion of the certificate program, students must submit a completed Certificate Petition Form to Online and Continuing Education. Upon verification, students will be mailed their certificates. Receipt of the certificate will be noted formally on the student's transcript with an award date of October, February, or June.

Tuition

Please refer to our current course listings published online each semester for up-to-date pricing information or refer to the Online and Continuing Education Course Bulletin each semester.

For More Information

For additional information on any of our programs, call Online and Continuing Education at (978) 934-2474 or email Continuing_Education@uml.edu.

For information on Financial Aid, call the Financial Aid Office at (978) 934-4220.

Gainful Employment Disclosure Information

Completion rates, median loan debts and program costs are outlined for each certificate program.

Undergraduate Certificate Gainful Employment Disclosure Information

Course Descriptions

70.262 Digital Imaging and Photography: Photoshop®

This course will offer the student a transition between traditional photographic imaging and digital photographic imaging. The course will cover the fundamentals of digital scanning, digital capture and image manipulation. Image preparation for other media will also be explored. Basic familiarity with the Mac OS and/or Windows platforms required. 6 Contact Hours required for Day School students. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Basic Macintosh or Basic Windows proficiency. Special Notes: Graphic Design & Web Students: Ask your software reseller if they offer academic pricing on Adobe software. Affordable pricing may be available to you if you provide your reseller with proof of your student status. Some resellers may accept your semester schedule as proof, which you can access at isis.uml.edu. NOTE: This course will not transfer directly into the Art Department's BA/BFA day school degree program, but certain two-course clusters may be accepted for transfer upon department approval.

70.379 Website Design

This course will focus on the creation of visual content for the web and will explore what constitutes a visually exciting and engaging site. Other topics that will be covered are: file formats, compression, web color strategies, and platform standards. Basic familiarity with Mac OS and/or Windows platforms required. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Basic HTML and Photoshop familiarity required. Special Notes: Graphic Design & Web Students: Ask your software reseller if they offer academic pricing on Adobe software. Affordable pricing may be available to you if you provide your reseller with proof of your student status. Some resellers may accept your semester schedule as proof, which you can access at isis.uml.edu.

70.384 Advanced Website Design and Development

This advanced-level course is designed for students who have completed Website Development (90.238) and Website Design (70.379). The course will cover advanced topics such as user-centered design, information architecture, testing, and usage analysis. Students will have the opportunity to further develop their design, development, and conceptualization skills. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 70.379 Special Notes: Graphic Design & Web Students: Ask your software reseller if they offer academic pricing on Adobe software. Affordable pricing may be available to you if you provide your reseller with proof of your student status. Some resellers may accept your semester schedule as proof, which you can access at isis.uml.edu.

90.227 Developing Interactive Help Systems

This course is designed for technical writers, project managers, web developers and designers or anyone interested in creating, developing, and managing Help systems. Students will learn to use RoboHelp to create professional Help systems and documentation for desktop and web-based applications, including CD-ROMs, .NET and Rich Internet Applications. Students will learn to create Table of Contents, Index, Glossary, context-sensitive Help, and how to generate Help systems in any popular online Help format, plus press-ready printed documentation. Students will also explore the use of RoboDemo as a potential add-in to make help systems more interactive by incorporating Flash movies and video. Prerequisite: Familiarity with technical writing and/or web/multimedia development. 3 credits. Prerequisites: Familiarity with technical writing and/or web/multimedia development 3 credits. Prerequisite: Familiarity with technical writing and/or web/multimedia development

90.230 Introduction to Multimedia

Provides participants with an overview of multimedia and its professional applications in training, education, marketing, and entertainment. Scanning images, digitizing video and audio, and exploring the design and production of interactive multimedia are the focus of this class. Includes technical/hardware considerations and production procedures pertinent to interactive multimedia. 3 credits. Prerequisite: P: Basic Macintosh or Windows proficiency

90.231 Graphics for Multimedia and the World Wide Web

The focus of this class is on the basic components of shape, color, texture, typography, and images as they are applied to multimedia and web interface design. Other topics covered include scanning, image editing, resolution and color palettes. Students will work on projects that integrate elements such as buttons, navigation bars, and background images to communicate creative visual information. Photoshop will be used. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.230 Special Notes: Formerly Graphics for Multimedia

90.238 Website Development: Microsoft® Expression® Web

This course focuses on the design, development, and implementation of websites using available visual development tools. Each participant will design, build, and maintain their own websites. Topics covered include: basic navigational structure; page layout incorporating tables and frames; graphical design and placement; image maps; streaming audio and video; and basic website administration. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.291; 90.231 recommended

90.245 Website Server Administration

This course provides participants with an overview of the features that make up a web server as well as the information needed to implement and support a web server. The course covers the most popular industry web server products. Topics include: planning, installation, and configuration, configuring and managing resource access, integration and interoperability, running applications, monitoring and optimization, troubleshooting, HyperText Transfer Protocol, platform selection and tradeoffs. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.238.

90.246 Active Server Pages .NET

With more data online, the web interface is becoming the primary tool for serving up databases in the enterprise and on the Internet. Topics covered include: what is ASP.NET; server-side scripting; Web Forms; validation, file I/O; database access components; basic SQL commands; and debugging techniques. 3 credits. Prerequisite: HTML and previous programming experience required. Special Notes:
This course qualifies for free MSDNA software!

90.247 Web Authoring: Flash®

This course will demonstrate how to use web authoring applications to create cutting-edge interface, navigation, and streaming animation. Using open standard vector formatting, you can create interactive capabilities on the web similar to CD-ROM screens. Learn how to use drawing tools to create websites that include sound, clickable buttons, interactivity, and exciting animations. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.230 or 90.231 helpful; programming familiarity

90.248 Website Database Implementation

Provides web designers and developers with the knowledge and hands on training they need to begin developing dynamic data driven websites. Students will learn how to build interactive web forms using SQL queries to search the database, list database records, and drill down to record details, while maintaining their session state across pages. Issues such as integrated security, reliability, and scalability will be reviewed. Prerequisites: HTML proficiency and an understanding of database concepts required. 3 credits. Prerequisite: HTML proficiency and an understanding of database concepts required.

90.250 E-Commerce on the Web

This course examines the impact of emerging technologies on how we conduct business in a wired world. Topics include: ingredients for a Commerce-Enabled Web site from hardware and software to necessary operational processes; copyright, authentication, encryption, certification, and security; on-line payment strategies (SET, E-cash, check, and charge) and companies offering solutions: E-Commerce Business Models. 3 credits.

90.291 Introduction to DHTML

Starts with the basics of Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language using the tool that most professional Web developers use - HTML-Kit. The course covers the W3C standards for HTML 3.2 and 4.0, Web protocols, Web server basics, Web design theory, and provides a survey of JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets, XML, Perl, and Dynamic HTML. 3 credits.

90.292 Advanced DHTML

A continuation of the introductory course, this course focuses on properties of Cascading Style Sheets and using them with JavaScript to create Dynamic HTML. The student is required to know basic HTML before enrolling in this class. The Document Object Model (DOM) for IE is covered in depth. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.291.

90.297 Introduction to Java Programming

This course introduces students to object oriented programming with Java(TM). Basic concepts are introduced early, with a strong focus on classes. Additional topics include event driven (Windows) programming and object-oriented design. Note that this is not an introductory course to programming - Students are expected to have a working knowledge of a least one high-level programming and/or scripting language (or equivalent experience) and basic familiarity with programming (using a text editor, etc). However, it will teach some basic programming concepts during the first few weeks. Previous programming experience required. Requires the Sun Java(TM) Development Kit. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Previous programming experience required

90.301 JAVA Programming

The JAVA (TM) programming language is now being used to write distributed Internet applications. Unlike traditional languages, the JAVA (TM) language was designed to be used on a network. Thus, it contains features needed to build efficient distributed applications that employ Internet resources. Those who intend to design World Wide Web information systems that fully utilize the Internet must have a working knowledge of this vital technology. This course allows students to explore features that set JAVA (TM) apart from traditional programming languages; obtain an overview of object-oriented design as it applies to JAVA (TM); learn about the fundamental constructs of the JAVA (TM) programming language; and write, compile, and include simple JAVA (TM) Applets within the content of HTML documents. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.297 or 90.268

90.302 JavaScript

An introductory course designed for the student who has mastered HTML and would like to add interactivity to his or her web sites. Topics covered include basic JavaScript programming, creating interactive forms, using frames and cookies, working with graphics and multimedia. Students will incorporate various JavaScript programs to their existing website. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.291 or knowledge of HTML

90.305 Survey of Perl/Python/PHP (formerly Introduction to Perl)

The goal of this course is to provide an in-depth introduction to the Python programming language followed by an introduction to both the Perl and PHP. All of these languages share common functionality and are tools commonly used to solve similar problems, But each embodies a different philosophy and approach to solving those problems. After a thorough grounding in the languages basics, we'll explore their similarities, and, more importantly, their differences. By the end of the course, its' hoped, you'll have a good idea which of these tools is right for you and the kind of applications you wish to develop with them. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.267

90.306 Introduction to XML

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) picks up where HTML leaves off. If you've studied HTML, you've learned the Web's formatting language. To structure content on the Web, you will need to learn XML. In this introductory course, you will learn basics of XML and the DTD (Document Type Definition), XSL (the style sheet for XML), and CDF (Channel Definition Format) commonly used in push technology. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.291; students should have a mastery of DHTML and be familiar with database concepts

90.346 Digital Media Delivery

Focused on the delivery of digital media, this course will explore digital media formats, file types, hardware and transmission methods. Students will gain an understanding of current delivery systems, the growth of the industry, and emerging technology and trends. Each student will examine the theory behind digital content, how it is delivered via the internet and in local environments, and what are the inhibiting factors to integrating digital content within web pages. Students will be responsible for several digital media projects. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Students should have a basic understanding of HTML and FTP. There are no required software or books for the course, all of the applications are available through free downloads. Note: basic internet headset/microphone is required.

90.347 Rich Web Development: Advanced Flash®

This course picks up where other Flash courses end. Go beyond developing animations; learn how to use Flash to develop complete interactive websites, to develop presentations for Web/CD/DVD delivery, and to develop applications for internet, intranet and alternate devices. Learn to understand and write ActionScript (Flash's programming language) and design in OOP (Object-oriented programming). You'll learn how to use sound, buttons, interactivity, and animations to enhance the user's experience. Learn the fundamentals of Flash Communication Server, Flash Remoting and Flash-Database Integration. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 90.247

90.348 Developing Dynamic Websites with ColdFusion® MX

Developing Dynamic Websites with ColdFusion MX is a course that provides web designers and developers with the knowledge and hands on training they need to begin developing interactive websites using Macromedia's powerful web application platform ColdFusion MX using the Dreamweaver MX website authoring tool. Students will learn how to build secure, interactive, database-driven web applications that maintain session state across pages. 3 credits. Prerequisite: 70.379 and 70.384, or prior familiarity with Dreamweaver