Rider University said Monday it is now offering a social media major. The Lawrenceville-based school has offered a minor in social media strategies since 2018, which has attracted students from a broad range of majors.
The new Bachelor of Arts in Social Media Strategies program will teach practical communication skills as well as an advanced theoretical understanding of a field that has fundamentally changed the communication and media professions
The 48-credit program will prepare students to strategically create, manage and curate social media content and use it professionally as an effective communication tool. Coursework exposes students to current digital media trends and prepares them to enter the job market with supplemental multimedia skills in video production, podcasting and graphic design.
The program culminates with a capstone course in which students work with professional clients under faculty guidance. The social media campaign they create can be used as a standout portfolio piece during a job search.
“Students who complete this program will be ready to plan and execute effective social media strategies across a wide variety of professional settings,” Nancy Wiencek, an associate professor of communication and the chair of Rider’s Department of Communication, Journalism and Media stated.
Rider says the program was designed to provide graduates with the qualifications needed to make them competitive across a variety of communications positions beyond a social media specialist, such as a digital marketing coordinator, communication manager and digital content planner.
The social media strategies program is housed in Rider’s Department of Communication, Journalism and Media, which capitalizes on its proximity to New York City and Philadelphia to offer valuable internship opportunities in a media-rich region of the United States.
