Professional/Short course Social Media and Web Science
Introduction
This course can count towards one of our postgraduate qualifications within our Information Management and Information Technology Awards.
Accreditations and partnerships:
A scientific approach is crucial to the planning, implementation and evaluation of social media and web campaigns. At the same time, social media and web-based evidence can shed light on a range of sociological and societal phenomena. This module will focus on developing strategic and technical competencies in using social media tools and data.
Entry requirements
Participants are expected to have a first degree at 2.2 level or above (or equivalent), or alternatively have industrial experience.
If you are a non-UK student you will need to show your passport on entry to the UK. Please check your eligibility to visit and study in the UK. If you are a non-Irish EU national currently resident in Ireland, please contact us directly for further advice.
If English is not your country's first language, you will be required to provide evidence to show you meet the UK Border Agency and the University's minimum English Language requirements. Further details are available on our English Language Requirements webpage.
We strongly recommend that you speak to the course tutor prior to the course if you are unsure about your suitability to complete the assessment.
Careers / Further study
This module can be taken as a standalone module, or used to build up credit towards a named postgraduate qualification (PG Certificate, PG Diploma or Masters) within our Information Management and Information Technology awards.
Structure
Content
This module will cover the following topic areas:
- History, trends and global patterns in social media and the web.
- The current range of social media tools and their relative strengths; social UI patterns and practice.
- Best practice in social media usage; cultural and ethical dimensions of social media and social media research.
- Theoretical models of engagement, persuasion and social behaviour online.
- Social media metrics and impact; use of social media in the workplace; social media strategies and their evaluation; case studies.
- Web science principles; relevant socio-technical, philosophical, psychological and sociological models/theory.
- Social media, the web and society: politics, disaster management and governance; diversity, bias and the diffusion of information; privacy, security and trust.
- Collective intelligence and online communities; crowd sourcing and social machines
- Tools and methods of social media and web-based research: Archiving; data mining; algorithms and inference; social network analysis; visualisation.
Learning and Teaching
The module is delivered through weekly lectures and workshops, which take place on consecutive weeks.
Teaching will focus on the assignment tasks and aim to equip students with the resources and tools needed to complete group and individual components. Along with practice of tools and techniques, in-class time will be allocated for idea generation, iteration and feedback on project work.
Independent learning includes hours engaged with essential reading, data gathering and analysis, assignment preparation and completion etc.
Study time
This module (course) will involve 2 hours direct contact time per week for one semester.
A 15 credit module, like this, is expected to take 150 hours to complete:
- 24 hrs contact time through lectures and face to face discussion
- 30 hrs coursework preparation
- 86 hrs assimilation and development of knowledge
- 10 hrs exam preparation
Assessment
Assessment will be through a group-based social media campaign project and an individual research project on a theme of interest.
For more details, see our full glossary of assessment terms.
Features
Professional accreditation
This module is accredited by the Chartered Institute for Library, Information and Knowledge Professionals.
Study facilities
The University has excellent facilities, accessible to all students, as required; however, it is expected that much of the work will be carried within the work environment.
Find out more about the facilities and resources UWE Bristol has to offer.
Take a personalised virtual tour of the Computer Science and Creative Technologies facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.
Prices and dates
Supplementary fee information
Course dates
This course is planned to run again in 2025. Course dates, updated fees and online booking forms will be published here in the summer of 2024. Please complete our online enquiry form below to be notified once these details are made available.
| Cohort February 2025 | Time | Location |
| Twenty sessions, scheduled over twenty-four weeks | TBC | Frenchay Campus |
Course fees
All prices are VAT exempt
| Cohort | February 2025 |
| UK students | £792.00* |
| International students | £1,333.00* |
*Fees displayed are based on 2023/24 entry and are an indication only. Please note there might be a small increase for 2024/25. Please complete our online enquiry form below to be notified once these details are made available.
For information on fees, managing your money and determining your fee status, please go to our fees and funding pages.
Course location
UWE Bristol, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY
How to apply
This course is planned to run again in 2025. Course dates, updated fees and online booking forms will be published here in the summer of 2024. Please complete our online enquiry form below to be notified once these details are made available.
As this module carries university accreditation, please note that once you have submitted your booking form, you will be required to provide the following supporting information for the Tutor to be able to review and formally accept your application as required by the university:
- An up-to-date copy of your Curriculum Vitae (including contact details of a work or academic reference)
- A brief personal statement to support your application
- A copy of your highest qualification certificate and transcript of modules studied
- A copy of photographic proof of ID (i.e. driver's licence/passport). For non UK students, this must be a copy of your passport
| Cohort | ||
|---|---|---|
| February 2025 | Enquire Now |
For further information
- Email: Please contact us using the online enquiry form link above.
- Telephone: +44 (0)117 32 81043 (option 1, then option 3)