How Bournemouth University is tackling digital PR at degree level
March 26th, 2010 by Wendy McAuliffe
Yesterday Andy and I met up with Tom Watson, who is deputy dean (Education) of Bournemouth University’s Media School, and highly regarded within the PR academic world.
We were keen to gain insight into how the next generation of PRs, marketers and journalists are being educated and prepared for the field, with particular interest in how social media is being addressed within these disciplines.
The Media School is divided into four academic groups: Marketing & PR, Journalism & Communications (which includes a course in Multimedia Journalism), Media Production, and Computer Animation.
What was interesting to hear is that numbers for the Interactive Media Production BA (Hons) course have been dwindling, with no clear explanation why. Baffling in light of the thriving industry sector that this course represents. According to Tom, the reality is that interactivity/digital is being built into all degree programmes, and students are taking the view that interactivity is being dealt with at all levels across all media degrees. The boundaries between the various degree programmes are increasingly becoming less confined.
The Public Relations BA (Hons) is a four year programme, including a 40 week placement in the third year. Digital communications strategies are taught in the second year, and again in the fourth. However, Tom admitted that social media is moving faster then they can research it which is making it a challenge to incorporate within course programmes - this is a reality of our times for the PR academic world.
There were no surprises that Twitter came up a lot in conversation. It was refreshing to get outside of our echo chamber which in all reality is obsessed with Twitter, and hear how the younger generation of students are rapidly losing interest in Twitter, and the academic PR world do not see it as the be all and end all.
Tom is currently organising The International History of Public Relations Conference, and his DummySpit blog can be read here.
Tags: bournemouth university, online PR, pr degree, the media school, tom watson, twitter
