Published: Oct. 21, 2019
DHUM 5000 Class in Fall 2019.

If you are a computing student interested in the study of society and culture, or a humanities student wanting to learn computational methods such as text analysis, geospatial analysis, and more, consider applying to earn a graduate certificate in the Digital Humanities.

The Digital Humanities Graduate Certificate program gives graduate students from all disciplines opportunities to explore in-depth digital humanities (DH) theories and practices to study methodical approaches to the field. 

The certificate launched in Fall 2018 through the Center for Research Data and Digital Scholarship (CRDDS). Since then, it has become a top certificate program based on student declarations. 

“It is really exciting to see the level of interdisciplinary interest the certificate has generated,” Director of the Digital Humanities Graduate Certificate program Thea Lindquist said. “I think that is one of its major draws—that it offers an opportunity for graduate students who are interested in investigating humanities questions using computational means to meet and work with peers from across campus.” 

The collaborative nature of DH theories and practices is meant to encourage skill-building among students that prepare them for working in team-based environments. The program has students from disciplines including the social and natural sciences, engineering, computational and mathematical sciences, the arts and humanities and more.

The certificate prepares students to: 

  • Create, utilize, and evaluate digital methods and tools for research

  • Integrate them into their teaching

  • Assess the diverse impacts of technologies on people and society

  • Leverage digital technologies for public outreach and engagement

Graduate student Eva Danayanti in the Journalism department said that methods and tools learned through the courses offered with the Digital Humanities Graduate Certificate program have benefited her work with digital journalism and academic scholarship. 

“With DH, I can explore the digital world as a scholar and initiate engagement in contributions made to society,” Danayanti said. 

The core course, “Introduction to Digital Humanities: Movements, Methods, and Tools,” taught by Assistant Professor and Digital Scholarship Librarian Nickoal Eichmann-Kalwara, offers a strong foundation for DH as a field of study. 

“Ultimately, the course serves as a good opportunity to build intellectual and career flexibility by way of collaborating with peers across disciplines, adding some tools to their methodological tool chest, and engaging with DH through an interdisciplinary kaleidoscope.”

To earn the certificate, one must complete this core course, and two elective courses in consultation with Program Director Lindquist. There are over a dozen CU Boulder faculty affiliated with this program, including Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Science Danielle Szafir. She called DH an exciting interdisciplinary field because it brings together not only different skills but different ways of thinking. 

“The methods and perspectives scholars from the humanist and technical sides bring to the table complement each other in ways that drive innovation and offer new methods of inquiry,” said Szafir. “Humanist methods allow critical reflection on the intersection of people and technology whereas technological methods offer unique lenses by which we can understand artifacts from the humanities. The campus stands to benefit in significant ways from the cross-cutting dialogs that emerge between students engaged in this growing field.”

Events such as the recent Digital Scholarship in the Front Range Symposium held in Norlin Library, DH workshops and Brown Bag Talks, and the Exploring DH series demonstrates the important role that CRDDS and the Libraries play in present and future DH scholarship and studies. 

For more information about the Digital Humanities Graduate Certificate program and application instructions are available on or connect with Program Director Lindquist.