December 12 (RIA Novosti) - Many college students in the United States use social media to post photos on Facebook and follow celebrities on Twitter. But for students at Newberry College in the state of South Carolina, social media will become a bachelor’s degree program that can lead to a lucrative career, educators with the school said.
“Newberry has something that very few colleges have to offer, an exciting major that will prepare graduates to be pioneers in a cutting edge industry that will create critical thinkers and innovators,” said Tania Sosiak, a professor and founder of the new social media degree program.
The coursework isn’t just an analysis of which Instagram filter is more flattering. Sosiak said graduates will be equipped with the skills necessary to land a job in the fast growing field of social media marketing.
"It's a blended major of graphic design, communications, business and marketing, psychology, and statistics," Sosiak told television station WACH.
The degree program will launch next fall, and makes Newberry College one of just a few schools in the US offering majors in social media.
Last month, Austin Community College (ACC) in the state of Texas announced that it will offer an associate’s degree in social media communications, to prepare students for careers in the bubbling technology industry that has been rapidly expanding in the region.
"We give you the basics; we talk about how to determine your audience and how to get the right message out to build a strong reputation," said Jill Brockman, an ACC professor, in an interview with television station KTBC.
The 60-hour program will be the only social media associates degree offered in the state and begins this spring.
And with more and more companies understanding the value of using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to target certain audiences and demographics, educators with both colleges said they are hoping their innovative programs will make their students viable in the competitive job marketplace.
