Programme Specification for Social Media MA

Final award	MA Social Media
Intermediate awards available	Postgraduate Certificate; Postgraduate Diploma; Postgraduate Certificate
UCAS code	N/A
Details of professional body accreditation	N/A
Relevant QAA Benchmark statements	M Level Benchmark
Date specification last up-dated	July 2012

The MA Social media provides an exciting blend of theory and practical work. The programme builds on UEL’s strengths in Media, Marketing, Cultural studies and Computing to provide an interdisciplinary course tailored to the contexts, practices and production of social media. The course offers both hands-on and reflective perspectives on social media and their development and applications in cultural and creative industries, communities and institutions. Students will study:

• Social Media: Cultures, Networks, Markets: a reflective analytic survey of the academic field in the area and an advanced introduction to key debates and theoretical approaches to Social Media drawing on approaches in cultural and media theory and the social sciences
• Social Media Applications Development: students will take a course enabling them to understand key computing principles and apply these in the development and design of social media environments. Practical work is a major strand in this programme.
• Integrated Marketing Communications and Digital Media: students will critically evaluate Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) to take into account the impacts and potentials of social media in the evolving work of marketing and promotions. The module will integrate the role of digital communications, social media and online communities’ research throughout reflecting developments where computer-mediated consumer interaction has become a central facet of marketing communications practice. Students may choose to focus on cultural-theoretical approaches towards understanding marketing and social media.
• Researching Social Media: Social media offer significant opportunities for research and data production. This module equips students to assess, evaluate, critique and analyse social media-based activities with specific reference to delivering social media projects.  It provides grounding in key media research approaches with a focus on specific social media research techniques, web analytics and the ethics and methods that can be applied to social media research.
• Dissertation / Practice-based Dissertation / Project 60 credit “double” dissertation: students may choose to do an extended dissertation including practice elements or following more traditional academic methods towards an essay-style research dissertation or report. The dissertation project component will be delivered by supervisory teams from Arts and Digital Industries and Architecture, Computing and Engineering or the Royal Docks Business School or from other UEL schools by negotiation / supervisory expertise. A work-based element can be included as a key component in the final project by negotiation.

• Active engagement with key aspects of critical, creative and professional practice connected to social media – including applications development and integrated marketing communications
• Analysis and detailed understanding of social media and contemporary communications cultures and practices
• Advanced introduction to key elements of social media, histories, case studies and critical frameworks
• Located in East London, adjacent to the developing tech city development
• Opportunities to incorporate work- and project-based learning in your programme
• Opportunity to engage in guided individual and group projects and produce project- and practice- based outputs with real world applications

Applicants will normally have a 2.2 (BA Hons) or above in a business, computing, humanities, media or social sciences subject or equivalent. We will also consider candidates with relevant expertise and comparable recent professional or research experience. Applications from overseas and EU students are welcomed. Students whose first language is not English should normally have achieved a score of 6.0 in IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or equivalent, and with no skill below 6.0. Eligibility for students without degree-equivalent qualifications will be assessed on the basis of a short essay and statement. Places will be offered to students applying without formal requisite qualifications only after this assessment and a successful interview with a member of the programme team. International students may be interviewed by phone or Skype.

To ensure a flexible access to the programme for students we will run in F/T and P/T mode and accommodate both a September and a February start.                                                                        

Workshops, seminars, lectures, tutorials, Media production and Placement

Each of five modules is assessed independently. All modules carry 30 credits except the Dissertation by Practice, which carries 60 credits. Coursework is comprised of essays, examination, project reports, analytic reports, presentations and module-projects including some group-based working.

The independent project may be connected to your existing, professional work – this to be agreed in discussion with programme tutor. The programme is geared to support students seeking a career in social media-related industries linked to marketing, community development, local government, NGOs, education or other industries deploying social media. The programme stands as a suitable preparation for future academic research in the field. The university has links with a number of local organisations and students are actively encouraged to take up opportunities to explore links in this network – for research and placement-project activities.

The independent project or dissertation is a key part of master’s level education; hence it carries twice the credit rating of other modules. Work will be required to represent highly developed practical and reflective engagement with course themes. The dissertation / project can include some work-based or placement element (by negotiation). Students are encouraged to link practical work to theoretical and reflective contexts – to build an advanced understanding of contemporary social media.

The staff team includes experts in business, marketing, advertising, computer applications and social media. Our location in east London supports active networking and engagements with organisations developing innovative social media applications. The programme has its own social media platform to enable continuing interactions with staff, peers and other members of the online community.

The programme is designed to support students as they develop and build on expertise in media communications, marketing and research. Taking social media as its particular focus the Destination jobs might include:

• social media monitoring
• junior account management
• entry level apps and services development
• website/presence management
• social media marketing administration
• sales / recruitment
• social media site development
• content manager/ content creation
• research / analytics

 

We recognise the ‘portfolio’ nature of careers in the marketing / online field and so have sought to design an independent-learning and collaborative-entrepreneurial approach into the course and in students’ project development. All students will make at least one project-based output to present for assessment and to potential future employers.

All students are allocated a personal tutor; all modules leaders are available for consultation. We offer expert advice from media practitioners, alongside an introduction to research methods, support in academic writing, workshops in journalistic writing, a dedicated writing and production room equipped with up-to-date print and online publishing software.

• Location in east London adjacent to developing Tech City initiative and major local social media organizations
• Good network of employer links
• High quality media skills support

 

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Outcomes section

Programme aims and learning outcomes

This programme is designed to give you the opportunity to:

• To develop basic computing skills applicable in the design and development of social media environments and applications
• To explore the links between technology and cultural communication
• To rehearse and develop advanced practical and professional skills associated with social media communications technologies communications
• Detailed grasp of the transitions and challenges associated with social media in cultures and in organisations
• To develop a detailed and analytically rich understanding of the history and everyday workings of the social media industry
• To support the development and delivery of high level media production or project work
• To situate such work in an advanced understanding of social media as an evolving field of practice, technological development and analysis
• To develop a historically and theoretically-informed approach to social media and its relation to media, culture, commerce and to social life
• To develop research skills relevant to social media projects

 

Knowledge

• The scope and development of social media in social, commercial and cultural life
• Social and historical contexts of social media
• Key debates in policy and academia regarding social media
• Critical-theoretical approaches to social media as an evolving field of practice
• How to produce and manage social media environments in suitable to a choice of platforms
• New media environments and convergence – considering new spaces of production and consumption of and within social media
• Social media in SME, enterprise and NGO and non-commercial contexts

Thinking skills

• Application of advanced critical and theoretical approaches to social media
• Evaluation, comparison and contrast of (a) critical/theoretical and (b) professional approaches to social media with awareness of ethical considerations

Subject-based practical skills

• Online and digital media editing
• Commercial awareness
• Social media product analysis
• Methodologies including online ethnography and web analytics to explore and analyse social media
• High level independent research project examining and producing social media
• High level production skills applied in a self-directed project
• Skills for life and work
• Writing and communication Problem solving
• Information management
• Project management

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Structure section

The programme structure

                                                               

	MA Social Media: Programme Structure (Semester A start F/T)
SEM A year 1 (September)	Social Media Cultures (ADI)	Social Media Applications Development (ACE)
SEM B year 1 (February)	Researching Social Media (ADI)	Integrated Marketing Communications (RDBS) (option) Or MSM503 Social Media: Consumption, Provision and Participation (option)
SEM C: Year  1 (Summer)	Dissertation/ Project
	MA Social Media: Programme Structure (Semester A start P/T)
SEM A year 1 (September)	Social Media Applications Development
SEM B year 1 (February)	Researching Social Media
SEM C: Year  2 (Summer)	Dissertation work
SEM A year 2 (September)	Social Media Cultures
SEM B year 2 (Feb)	Integrated Marketing Communications (RDBS) option   Or MSM503 Social Media: Consumption, Provision and Participation (option)
SEM B year 2	Dissertation  (60 Credits) Dissertation by Practice 60 credits or “single” Dissertation 30 Credits – submit for September Board [CORE]   Option module in February SEM B if student elects to do a 30 credit dissertation

 

All programmes are credit-rated to help you to understand the amount and level of study that is needed.

One credit is equal to 10 hours of directed study time (this includes everything you do e.g. lecture, seminar and private study).

Credits are assigned to one of 5 levels:

• 0 - equivalent in standard to GCE 'A' level and is intended to prepare students for year one of an undergraduate degree programme
• 1 - equivalent in standard to the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
• 2 - equivalent in standard to the second year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
• 3 - equivalent in standard to the third year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
• M - equivalent in standard to a Masters degree

The overall credit-rating of this programme is. 180 for Masters, 60 for PGCert, 120 for PGDip.

The typical duration of this programme is one year full-time or two years part-time. It is possible to move from full-time to part-time study and vice-versa to accommodate any external factors such as financial constraints or domestic commitments. Many of our students make use of this flexibility and this may impact on the overall duration of their study period.

The teaching year is divided into two semesters of roughly equal length. A typical student registered in a full-time attendance mode will study two 30 credit modules per semester and a typical student registered in a part-time attendance mode will study one or two modules per semester. Work on the independent project (dissertation by media practice) begins in the second semester of the academic year but continues over the summer with completion normally in September.

• In order to gain a Postgraduate Certificate, you will need to obtain 60 credits at Level M.
• In order to gain a Postgraduate Diploma, you will need to obtain 120 credits at Level M
• In order to obtain a Masters, you will need to obtain 180 credits at Level M. These credits will include a 60 credit level M core module of advanced independent research.

Where a student is eligible for an Masters award then the award classification is determined by calculating the arithmetic mean of all marks and applying the mark obtained as a percentage, with all decimals points rounded up to the nearest whole number, to the following classification

70% - 100%	Distinction
60% - 69%	Merit
50% - 59%	Pass
0% - 49%	Not Passed

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Assessment section

Teaching, learning and assessment

Knowledge is developed through

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Workshops

Thinking skills are developed through

• Tutorials
• Seminars
• Workshops

Practical skills are developed through

• Workshops
• Tutorials

Skills for life and work (general skills) are developed through

• Seminars, tutorials, workshops, lectures, placement

Knowledge is assessed by

• Essays
• Presentation
• Reports
• Projects 

Thinking skills are assessed by

• Essays
• Project proposal

Practical skills are assessed by

• Projects
• Placements

Skills for life and work (general skills) are assessed by

• Essays, presentation, research skills, project

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Quality section

How we assure the quality of this programme

Before this programme started, the following was checked:

• there would be enough qualified staff to teach the programme;
• adequate resources would be in place;
• the overall aims and objectives were appropriate;
• the content of the programme met national benchmark requirements;
• the programme met any professional/statutory body requirements;
• the proposal met other internal quality criteria covering a range of issues such as admissions policy, teaching, learning and assessment strategy and student support mechanisms.

This is done through a process of programme approval which involves consulting academic experts including some subject specialists from other institutions.

The quality of this programme is monitored each year through evaluating:

• external examiner reports (considering quality and standards);
• statistical information (considering issues such as the pass rate);
• student feedback.

Drawing on this and other information, programme teams undertake the annual Review and Enhancement Process which is co-ordinated at School level and includes student participation. The process is monitored by the Quality and Standards Committee.

Once every six years an in-depth review of the whole field is undertaken by a panel that includes at least two external subject specialists. The panel considers documents, looks at student work, speaks to current and former students and speaks to staff before drawing its conclusions. The result is a report highlighting good practice and identifying areas where action is needed.

This programme has a programme committee comprising all relevant teaching staff, student representatives and others who make a contribution towards the effective operation of the programme (e.g. library/technician staff). The committee has responsibilities for the quality of the programme. It provides input into the operation of the Review and Enhancement Process and proposes changes to improve quality. The programme committee plays a critical role in the quality assurance procedures.

The standard of this programme is monitored by at least one external examiner. External examiners have two primary responsibilities:

• To ensure the standard of the programme;
• To ensure that justice is done to individual students.

External examiners fulfil these responsibilities in a variety of ways including:

• Approving exam papers/assignments;
• Attending assessment boards;
• Reviewing samples of student work and moderating marks;
• Ensuring that regulations are followed;
• Providing feedback through an annual report that enables us to make improvements for the future.

The following methods for gaining student feedback are used on this programme:

• Module evaluations
• Student representation on programme committees

Students are notified of the action taken through:

• circulating the minutes of the programme committee
• providing details on the programme noticeboard
• UELPlus
• UEL Direct

The following methods are used for gaining the views of other interested parties:

       Questionnaires to former students

       Annual student satisfaction questionnaire

       Industrial liaison work group

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Further Information section

Where you can find further information

The social media platform associated with the programme can be viewed at ADD

Further information about this programme is available from:

       The UEL web site (http://www.uel.ac.uk)

       The student handbook

       Module study guides

       UEL Manual of General Regulations and Policies http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/

       UEL Quality Manual http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/

       Regulations for the Academic Framework http://www.uel.ac.uk/academicframework/

       http://www.uel.ac.uk/hss - web pages of the Humanities and Social Sciences

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• Current External examiners
• External examiner reports (available from UEL virtual learning environment (UELPlus or Moodle))

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