Almost every employer, from Nike to Netflix, has a social media presence. On this exciting new course you’ll develop cutting edge and highly transferable skills to meet the growing need for social media managers.
Become an expert in social media platforms with the ability to create, curate and share content, and analyse and engage online audiences. Learn media law, with the unique opportunity to gain an additional qualification recognised by leading employers nationally.
Gain valuable skills in the management of social media channels and online communities, while developing your personal online brand.
Use cutting-edge tools as part of an experimental approach to content creation, tracking and reaching audiences. Develop transferable skills in self-management, critical reasoning, interpersonal awareness, communication and presentation. Take optional modules from media and marketing courses to enhance the flexibility of the course and your skill set.
In our innovative mediaHUB you’ll work on live websites and social channels, and rub shoulders with BBC Newcastle digital journalists and content creators as you prepare for a rewarding career in the creative industries.
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Year 1 (national level 4):
Realign your understanding of social media as a professional business tool, looking at best practice across a wide range of platforms from Twitch to Tik Tok. Learn introductory content skills in mobile video, live-streaming, copywriting, graphic design and photography, alongside introductory analytics skills which you will use to create content and analyse performance for a personal microblog of your choice. You’ll also look at how information spreads on social media, audience behaviour and algorithms, based on the latest industry and academic research.
Build your own online community and experiment with approaches to content creation, moderation, community events and activities and maintaining relationships with members. Learn about the history of digital communities and the role of digital community managers, develop case studies of existing online communities and examine current and future trends shaping the sector.
Study an introduction to digital media culture, historically referred to as the study of cyber culture or ‘new media’. Encounter an historical overview of pertinent technological developments ranging from the origins of the internet, the personal computer, video games and mobile media devices. Address various digital media phenomena such as cybercrime, piracy, digital publishing, online gaming and social networking.
Learn laws such as copyright, privacy and libel long with the ethical regulations which are essential for every professional journalist.
Learn how to manage reputation for a brand, business or organisation. Learn about the theory and practice of public relations through analysis of case studies and theoretical models. Develop key skills in planning, strategy, team working, news release writing and communication skills across a range of media.
Learn how to communicate written information clearly and concisely to your audience, conduct research, generate story ideas, find an angle and conduct interviews, all skills which underpin many aspects of social media. Gain an understanding of the differences between journalism and other types of online content, and how social media is used in the industry. Work independently in the newsroom every week producing stories and features for your portfolio and websites.
Year 2 (national level 5):
Plan social media strategies and social campaign strategies for clients. Learn to set goals and objectives and develop tactics to improve your results. Develop your analytics skills and learn about attribution; audience research, social media ads, influencer marketing, content marketing, social listening, messenger bots, studio-based live-streaming and more./p>
Develop a suite of skills and grow your confidence in the key components of video production. Learn procedures and techniques needed to produce and self-shoot, short form video for a unique consumer. Draw on traditional film and video techniques of shooting, editing, sound-design and digital graphic/after effects.
Learn about statistics, data analysis, spreadsheet functions and programming languages. Discover how data analysis is used in a range of careers within and beyond social media. Use skills in After Effects, Illustrator and data-visualisation software to design your own data-based visualisations.
Examine the key elements in the process of creating a PR strategy for a real world client. Understand the importance of research and ethical codes that aim to guide practitioners in the minefield of modern day PR practice.
Gain valuable experience during a one-week placement in social media, PR, marketing or community management.
Choose from a range of modules including podcasting, digital marketing, fashion styling, sports journalism, radio production and more.
Final year (national level 6):
Continue to develop online video skills and increase your awareness of branded content and current trends in ecommerce. Work on live briefs with clients, build commercial relationships and explore creative approaches to video marketing using storytelling to showcase products, drive sales and engage audiences. Learn how to produce a video marketing strategy, plan and budget.
Continue to build your online community management skills by exploring how to sustain established digital communities, developing a strategic approach to using communities to support business goals, and applying engagement approaches to broader definitions of a social media community.
Generate an original idea for a social media management project suitable for a client, brand or media organisation. Pitch your idea to tutors and peers in a presentation, then carry out the project over the course of the academic year.
Learn about the economic value of corporate reputation and goodwill along with the implications for corporate responsibility and community relations. Learn how to carry out a communications audit to establish whether the practice matches the theory. Continue to develop your practical skills in a wide range of PR techniques, including speechwriting and acting as a spokesperson.
Choose from a range of modules including podcasting, digital marketing, fashion styling, sports journalism, radio production and more.
This degree will equip you with the skills you need to be a social media manager across a wide range of businesses and organisations – working in social media means you can work in almost any sector that you’re interested in, or you can choose to work for yourself.
You’ll also have the skills and qualities to pursue a career in other social media, content creation, community management and public relations roles, and you’ll have work experience and a media law qualification to help set you apart.
Graduates working in social media and PR have been employed by companies including Ubisoft, Tombola, Sunderland City Council, SAFC, Rangers TV, What Culture, Stylist, MTV, Elle and more.
Insurance-Single: 300 GBP/year
