MSc Digital Campaigning and Content Creation

at Queen Margaret University

For an MSc you will also complete a Master’s Communication Project (60 credits).

Module information:
 

• Strategic Communication and Digital Practice (20 credits): On this module students develop a critical understanding of the role of strategic communication within wider contexts including business, organisations, agencies, campaign groups and NGOs. They take a critical perspective to ethics, social responsibility and social justice and explore how strategic communication can impact on society.  Theory is applied to produce creative communication campaigns including a range of communication activities and digital tactics.
• Visual Storytelling for Media Campaigns (20 credits): The art of storytelling is as old as the human race itself and our earliest forms of communication were deeply visual in nature. Even today, that hasn’t changed. In fact, if anything, having a mastery of visual storytelling techniques has become more important than ever. The success of our campaigning, marketing, advertising, and much of our digital entertainment relies on a solid understanding of such skills.  This module will facilitate critical understanding of narrative techniques and enable students to plan, manage and produce campaign films, appropriate for submission to an organisation, client or broadcaster. The assessment is an Individual production project (a short documentary or a number of adverts or a drama film related to a client’s campaign).  
• Digital Content Creation for Campaigns (20 credits): Students will explore and practice techniques of digital content production for a client / organisation using digital capture devices & editing software to produce finished projects. This module will focus on factual media content. Students investigate and report on hard news, soft news documentary as well as developing production material. Techniques of news gathering including interview techniques and reporting are covered. This includes all aspects of video production, as well as journalism, feature photography and dissemination via print and online media. Students will be introduced to most available digital formats and shown how to upload visual digital content to online channels and social media. 
• Digital Communications (20 credits): The evolution, diffusion, and adoption of digital technologies have fundamentally altered the way we live, work, relate to one another, and conduct business. These technological and societal changes are having a far-reaching impact on the communications, public relations and marketing disciplines, presenting huge challenges as well as opportunities to the industry. This module provides a sound theoretical and practical knowledge of digital communications based on a critical understanding of current and emerging technologies, digital strategies and social media platforms. The module examines a number of topics including: digital strategy; social media; search engine optimisation; online community building and management; stakeholders analysis; issues management; web analytics and big data; content marketing; web design; online customer journey; ethical and legal aspects of digital communications; and more. 

• A UK honours degree or equivalent OR significant work experience.
• International: You will be required to provide evidence of English language competence at no less than IELTS 6.5 and no individual component score below 6.0.

Scotland/UK/ROI    
£6,000    

International
£15,000

Can you think of an industry sector that hasn’t had its communications practices affected by the boom in digital content? So with this master’s under your belt your career options are rich and broad. You will be well-prepared to work as a freelance content creator in public relations, media production agencies or campaigning organisations including NGOs and charities. We also support entrepreneurial graduates to set up their own businesses. Since 2014 we have supported a range of graduate start up media production businesses through our Business Innovation Zone. The MSc is also benchmarked against CIPR career progression requirements.