A newly announced program is offering a Master’s Degree in Social Media. This might be quite a controversial topic for education especially a higher education degree. What do you think? Would you go for a higher education degree in social media? The University of Florida is offering this as one of the options in their online degree programs.

While having a Master’s diploma display  is quite prestigious, it is still up in the air as to what value a degree in this ever changing and new field might have. There are pros and cons for a degree in social media and we will explore both sides of the argument in our article today.

PROS of a Master’s Degree in Social Media

A higher education master’s degree is an achievement to be proud of, especially when it comes from a well-known and accredited higher learning education college like the University of Florida. Social media can be considered an off shoot of internet marketing. Both of those areas are actively seeking employees and since it is a growing industry, jobs are readily available. Obtaining a degree in social media further validates one’s expertise on the subject and ensures that your resume looks legitimate and impressive. Learning about the latest techniques, applications, and channels makes for a well-rounded knowledge of different aspects in the field. In addition to learning the variables of the technology which can change, learning the philosophies and best practices needed for social media will create an expertise on the subject that will give the degree holder a competitive edge against other candidates for a job that just have experience dealing with social media channels. In addition to learning about social media, if the courses teach how to be a social media manager and other online marketing aspects, it will add to the skill set of the student.

CONS of a Master’s Degree in Social Media

The main negative thing that detractors have to say about a degree in social media is that the field is changing so fast that by the time a student finishes a semester, the topics studies might be outdated, or even obsolete. Others might feel that social media is not a valid field to need a degree in.  A social media degree is likely to be associated with online marketing, and unfortunately, many people have a bad idea of online marketing or social media marketing because of the amount of SPAM and online scams that are ingrained into the minds of so many who have had bad experiences.  Another negative for a social media degree, is that some feel that it might be worthy of a course or two, but not an entire degree.

Only time will tell if a master’s degree in social media is a viable field for study as for a stand-alone degree. While it is definitely an excellent job to have and is not only a valid way to earn a living, but it can be very enjoyable too. Please share with us your ideas on this controversial topic.