Michael Webb
Email-mwebb@nmsu.edu
Phone-505-287-6631
Students begin with the fundamentals of design and progress to advanced topics like responsive web design, digital art and game development. The program continuously adapts its courses to reflect modern industry workflows, ensuring students graduate with relevant, up-to-date skills. Our graduates have gone on to work in local school and government systems, mid-level media companies and formed their own studios. Many graduates start without any experience in digital media or art and develop a passion, skillset and industry ready portfolio by the time they finish.
Industry-grade software and hardware can be a significant barrier to entry, so we provide students access to fully equipped labs at the Grants Community College Campus — featuring high-performance hardware and tools like Unreal Engine 5, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Blender. Our program is built with the student’s interests in mind. Digital media covers a wide array of topics and students are encouraged to explore each of these pillars throughout the program, regardless of which certificate they are pursuing. Students who begin in the Fall semester can earn their Certificate in Game Design or Web Fundamentals in just two semesters. Both certificates include all the program specific courses and lead directly into the Digital Media Technology Associate of Applied Science degree which then can be used to transfer to most 4-year institutions in the state.
There are several directions graduates can take after completing the program. Below are a few of the key career areas. The Digital Media Technology program provides the foundation for graduates to enter into roles across multiple industries and in self-employment.
Web Developers and Digital Designers:Overall employment of web developers and digital designers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 14,500 openings for web developers and digital designers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.”
“The median annual wage for web and digital interface designers was $98,090 in May 2024. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $47,840, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $192,180. The median annual wage for web developers was $90,930 in May 2024.” – Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Media and Communication Occupations:
“Overall employment in media and communication occupations is projected to grow slower than the average for all occupations from 2024 to 2034. Despite limited employment growth, about 104,800 openings are projected each year, on average, in these occupations largely due to the need to replace workers who leave the occupations permanently.”
“The median annual wage for media and communication workers (such as public relations specialists, news analysts, and writers and authors) was $70,300 in May 2024, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $49,500. Media and communication equipment workers (such as broadcast technicians, film and video editors, and photographers) had a median annual wage of $56,480 in May 2024, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations.” – Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Meet the Faculty:
Michael Webb is the primary faculty in the Digital Media Technology program at NMSU Grants Community College. He serves as the program manager for Digital Media Technology and Computer Technology programs at the campus.
He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Software Creation from Western Governors University, along with industry certifications from CompTIA, CIW, and the Fiber Optic Association. He brings over 15 years of experience in the digital media industry.
Michael focuses on teaching the Design, Programming/Coding and Game Development courses of the program, making sure that students get expert level instruction in the pillars of each certificate and degree.
Along with Michael, we have multiple Adjunct Faculty in the program to ensure consistency in course delivery.
They are listed below:
Jonathan Morrison, jonmorri@nmsu.edu
Harlan Webb, hwebb@nmsu.edu
