To earn a Bachelor of Science in Strategic Communications — Social Media Management from Arkansas State, students need to take 18 to 21 credit hours in one of three minors: Political Science, Sociology or Criminology. Students need to take a total of 120 credit hours to earn the social media management degree. (One course is usually 3 credit hours.)
If you choose a political science minor, 12 of the 18 credit hours must be from upper level political science courses. If a student does not take POSC 2103: Introduction to U.S. Government as part of the General Education courses required for the major, the course needs to be taken as part of the minor. The latter case brings the credit hours for the minor to 21.
If you choose a sociology minor, SOC 2213: Principles of Sociology is required. Students need to take 12 of the 15 required additional credits in upper-level courses.
If you choose a criminology minor, CRIM 1023: Introduction to Criminology is required. Students need to choose 15 additional credits from courses specified by the Criminology Department.
Choosing a Minor: Consider Potential Jobs
Students should think about the specific types of jobs they are interested in when choosing a minor. Students earning a social media degree will be proficient in managing content. You may write posts for Facebook, develop videos for YouTube or create a series of tweets. Social media is also a conversation: communication goes both ways.
Given those proficiencies, think about what choosing a minor will add to your education and future job options.
A minor in political science, for example, may prepare you to work in government in various capacities. Many cities, states, and federal agencies have robust social media sites. They may share new initiatives (plans for a new city park, for example). A political science minor also prepares you to write intelligently on the effect of new laws or participate in elections. Your future employer may ask you to design a social media campaign for a local candidate and monitor the candidate’s poll results through Facebook.
A minor in sociology provides you with a background in how social groups interact and how groups are differentiated by social categories such as gender, age and race. Because social media is so focused on groups and social interaction, knowledge of sociological principles can be extremely helpful in crafting effective messages. You may be asked to help empower a particular racial or ethnic group, for example, or to provide information targeted to the interests of selected age groups.
With a minor in criminology, you could work within law enforcement and other organizations that deal with public safety. The field of criminology has embraced social media. Eight out of 10 law enforcement officials actively use social media as a tool. Eighty percent use social media to investigate crime, including asking the public for information. More than 80 percent use social media to build positive relationships with the community. With a minor in criminology, you may be responsible for public safety messages about crimes occurring in a certain area or for investigating a string of crimes.
Advantages of a Social Media Degree Online
A-State’s degree in social media management is completely online. These programs are very convenient for students who want to continue to work as they complete a degree. Students can finish coursework over a seven-week semester when and where it is convenient; students do not need to be available at a certain place and time.
Learn more about the A-State online BS in Strategic Communications — Social Media Management program.
Sources:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: What Political Scientists Do