On the heels of launching their Professional Studies in New Media program last fall, the School of Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS) is offering another suite of new media training, through a certificate program in digital and social media.
“Social media is an immutable fact of our existence. One can’t avoid it or pretend its not there,” said Isabelle Frank, Ph.D., dean of PCS. “So the question is, how does one engage with this in a way that is thoughtful, efficient, and is not dangerous?”
Students will have the option of treating the course offerings like a buffet, dipping in to take what they need, or going for the entire suite of six courses to get the certificate. The classes, which take 12 hours to complete, are held weekends and weeknights at the Westchester campus beginning on September 21.
Frank said the program is designed for those in the business community who understand the value of social media and yet come to the subject different levels of experience. The coursework will not only explain the basics of how to use social media, but it will also explore the complexities of mining data, delve into thorny issues surrounding cybersecurity, and study complex legal implications.
She suggested the first two courses for managers who don’t know enough about social media to delegate duties to employees, while the employee could take all six.
“It will teach the great advantages of the media, but it will also look at the potential pitfalls that are scaring some from even dipping their toe in social media,” said Frank.
The courses break down as follows:
An Introduction to Platforms, Tactics and Tools
Advanced Strategy, Execution, and Measurement
An Overview of Paid Search Advertising, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Web Analytics