What would it be like to have an MA in Social Media? That will soon become a reality, come September 2009 the Birmingham City University will open its doors to pioneer postgraduate students in Social Media.
Most social networks are strictly for entertainment purposes, but having a degree using them is really amazing. A question crossed my mind, why should a university offer an MA in Social Media? My guess is that the role social media has to play in the future is vital. Already, PR practitioners, Marketers, Advertisers and other fields of profession are making use of various social networks to reach their target audience. This alone shows the indispensable nature of social media.
Some schools of thought have criticised the course thinking it’s a waste of university resources and a waste of time when it can be self taught. Another school of thought like PR professional Neville Hobson is in support of the degree. The interesting thing is that students are enthusiastic about the experience, according to the course convenor Jon Hickman there has been good response from potential students. Here is a blog and tweets about the course.
In general, I believe that equipping PR, Journalism and Marketing students with the necessary knowledge and skills in social media will be beneficial to them in the long run. For instance, Leeds Metropolitan University offers an optional course module on PR and New Media which was introduced last year to its Marketing and Public Relations students. Here, students are to set up and maintain a blog which reflects personal interests, social media, online PR and Marketing. I happen to be part of this success story, so far I am certain that my course mates and I are experiencing a great time with various social media tools and their application.
This shows a few universities are waking up to the call of social media and its impact to the society, I couldn’t agree more. Good luck Birmingham City University!!
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April 8th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Interesting post, Uchechi!
When I started reading the headline of your post I thought “That’s a joke”. But whilst reading the post itself I recognised that it isn’t a joke. The launch of this course demonstrates that Birmingham City University is up-to-date and wants to offer innovative courses. If there is demand for such a course and I believe Birmingham City University figured that out by undertaking market research, the university will be successful and will have the first-mover advantage in the future. I think this example is a typical one for the extensive impact of the web 2.0 on day-to-day life.
April 8th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Thanks nicole, when I read about it in the metro last week monday on my way to school I was puzzled. I decided to go to the university’s web page to satisfy my curiosity and share with my readers in the next post.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Interesting
i believe that is a result of nowadays demands because of the rise of Web 2.0. People want to learn and study more about social media so Birmingham City University tries to satisfy all people’s needs 
April 9th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
This is very interesting! But what kind of job would fit with a MA in social media? The best way would probably be to have a kind of combination of PR and Marketing modules etc. included in the MA, as you mention, modules like PR & New Media. However, it’s nice to see universities taking action and acknowledges the evolution and rise of the Web 2.0, as Andrea says.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Thanks for the insights Uchechi..PR & New Media is indeed the most interesting subject I have studied so far. It can make or break future for companies..its Web 2.0 life ahead for all…
April 10th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
hey gal..recently the demand for practical courses have arised in my country (India) every other youngster is willing to pursue a professional degree or specialisation in some sort of practical course i.e. mass commmunication or journalism etc. So, I must emphasis here that an MA in Social media will be beneficial for many when they start practicing.
April 12th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
I read Neville’s post a while back and was pleased to see the development. Undoubtedly it will attract criticism from “serious academics” – not everyone understands social media’s importance.
I think it’s important that its studied within a strategic context though, otherwise it’s just studying a set of tools.