Integrated Media and Social Networks

What will you learn?

This 15 credit graduate certificate will help you explore the way new technologies communicate ideas in an increasingly complex social and professional landscape. During the certificate you will learn how to do the following:

• Design a meme and try to make it go viral (BRC 521). 
• Design a plan for promoting an imaginary music band using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (BRC 521).
• Produce an audio podcast (CMA 600).
• Produce a video for the web (CMA 600).
• Design and write content for a blog, and learn to manage its online community (CMA 600).
• Use data from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or other social media platforms to generate a visual map of a social network, and interpret what it tells us about the community (BRC 521).
• Explore how network analysis is changing science, economics, and politics (BRC 521).
• Use digital photography to tell a story (CMA 600).
• Learn to think critically about the role of technology in society, and examine our culture’s understanding of technological progress, convenience, and efficiency (BRC 520).
• Setup and manage your own Web domain to host free software such as Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal, etc. (CMA 600).
• Discuss and debate with your peers some pressing questions of our times: Is technology making us stupid or smarter? More or less social? Eliminating or creating jobs? (BRC 520).
• Design, implement and evaluate a comprehensive integrated media campaign using real clients and scenarios (CMA 601).

Courses

Fall semester

• CMA 600 Integrated Media Theory and Design 
• BRC 521 Social Networks and the Web
• Elective

Spring semester

• CMA 601 Integrated Media Projects
  
• BRC 520 Technology and Culture
• Elective (optional)
  

List of Electives:
ART 507 Graduate Graphic Design, ART 508 Graduate Graphic Design Print Media, ART 509 Graduate Digital Multi­media, ART 514 Graduate Graphic Design Individual Problems, ART 517 Graduate Web Design, ART 548 Graduate Creative Code for the Visual Artist, BRC 522 Videogame Theory and Analysis, COM 500 Introduction to Strategic Communication, COM 501 Applied Communicaton Theory, COM 503 Applied Research Methods, COM 508 Global Media Literacy, COM 512 Interpersonal Communication in Health Care, COM 514 Crisis Communication, COM 520 Health Campaigns, COM 522 Intercultural Communication, HCI 500 Introduction to Human Computer Interaction

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Who should take this program?

This certificate can serve recent college graduates from a variety of disciplines as well as current professionals looking to advance or change their careers. In either case, previous experience in a field related to media, art, or computer science is preferred, but not required.

What sets this program apart?

The certificate offers hands-on opportunities to develop skills with expert faculty who provide theoretical and practical knowledge. If you currently work or are planning to work in any field that involves media, this program will give you the opportunity to practice skills across exciting academic disciplines and professional fields. What sets this program apart is how it brings together faculty and students from different disciplines in a way that mirrors the working environments our graduates will face.

It also is the only certificate of its kind offered by SUNY in the Central New York area, so it brings the SUNY promise of quality and value.

Where can this certificate take me?

Depending on your specialization, you would be prepared for such jobs as:

• Social Media Coordinator/Strategist
• Web/Multimedia Developer
• Online Media Marketing Specialist
• Online Content Writer
• Project Manager - Digital Media

Regardless of job title, this certificate will give you a competitive edge. In addition to providing you with practical know-how, it will also give you the theoretical skills needed to think about designing media purposefully. In this job market, technical skills are not enough; you also need to demonstrate you can think critically and creatively.

When and where are courses offered?

Currently, the program starts in the Fall semester. You can begin in the Spring, but it could take more than a year to complete the certificate, as some core requirement are only offered once a year. Please talk to your advisor about this option.

The certificate is currently only offered at our main lakeside campus in Oswego, New York.

Why a graduate certificate instead of a full master's degree?

The program is different from a master's degree, which is typically two years. At the end of this program, you receive a graduate certificate, not a master's degree, which might be ideal if you want to update your skills but can't spend the time and money to complete a two-year degree.

Our certificate allows you to pick up needed skills in a quick, focused way. It takes less time and money to complete than a master's. At the same time, it allows you the opportunity to "sample" the field and decide if you want to work towards a master's degree in the future.

How much does it cost?

For information on the cost of classes and various financial aid possibilities, please contact Graduate Studies directly. 

Other questions?

Contact us at integratedmedia@oswego.edu.