CSUEB offers first social media program

California State University, East Bay will launch their Social Media Marketing Certificate Program this winter. CSUEB will be the first university to offer this kind of program in the East Bay.

With the Bay Area being home to social media giants like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Yelp and more, CSUEB felt the need to create a program to equip students with the skills to be competitive in the field of social media marketing according to Kimberly Legocki, director of the Social Media Certificate Program and adjunct professor at CSUEB.

The program is being offered through Continuing Education on campus, a division that provides more than 35 degree and certificate programs.

The program will consist of six courses and two workshops, all to be held at CSUEB’s Oakland campus.

“Most CSUEB students are social media savvy! They do a great job staying current with social media platforms,” said Legocki. “What many students struggle with is how to bridge the gap between using social media for personal purposes to using social media as a business tool to support and achieve company goals.”

The program will teach students how to create social media strategies, policies, content plans and more, said Legocki. It will teach them how to deal with negative feedback and effectively build online communities.

“People learn in all different ways. This program is geared towards working adults who don’t have the time to be self-taught,” says Legocki. “It is also designed for hands-on learners. Students learn current best practices then will practice what they just learned right in the computer lab with the support of faculty.”

Legocki will also be one of the instructors for the program.

She has been promoting and educating companies about online marketing and tactics since 1994.

Along with her, faculty for the program include: Susan Kay Hoffman, a lifestyle blogger who has worked with companies like Nutiva and Laughing Cow, Suse Barnes, who runs an Oakland-based internet strategy company and Marguerite Hinrichs, who is director of Student Life at CSUEB and runs a public relations firm.

During the course, students will work as consultants for a local Oakland business or nonprofit.

Through the duration of the program, they will implement the tools they have learned into a strategy for their company.

As for job placement after completion of the program, Legocki says that the students will have access to the services provided by the university’s Career Development Center.
The program lasts six months and costs between $1,950 to $2,525, but tuition fees are subject to change at any time.

There’s no application for the program and you can enroll at any time.