Social Media Class

Social Media Class

A look into Social Media Majors and how they work.

by Lory Martinez

So you want to major in “Communications”, huh?

Well, you should know,  it’s more than just newspapers and blogs these days.

Several universities across the US are beginning to include “Social Media” in their approved course-load for students interested in communications.

I’m not sure how to feel about this.

I mean, it’s one thing to say you’re “proficient in social media platforms” on your resume; it’s another thing to actually have a degree in it.  It brings to mind an important question:

How do you even measure proficiency in “Social Media?” I always assumed that it consisted of  being active  on all major sites: Facebook, Twitter, Blogger,Tumblr, Yelp, Foursquare etc.

But there’s more to it. universities like Newberry College in North Carolina have taken “social media proficiency” to a whole new level. They’ve incorporated a variety of different programs into the BA in Social Media. According to Gizmodo.com, “The Social Media major [at Newberry] will be an original interdisciplinary program that will capitalize on the strengths of existing courses in Graphic Design, Communications, Business Administration, Psychology and Statistics. Four innovative courses, created specifically for the Social Media major, are also included in the curriculum.”

Considering the effect of social media on recent events in the mainstream media, it seems like the perfect time to revamp the journalism major. Ivy League universities already incorporate social media statistics in marketing courses for business majors. But those are summer courses, or six-week intensive seminars.

Creating a comprehensive major that includes all of the newest forms of communication seems logical.

However, how much can a student majoring in Social Media actually learn within a platform that is constantly changing? Because it’s so new, how many employers will take the major seriously? What do you guys think?

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