Video Shoot and Sound
Undergraduate
DipHE
Social Media Content Creation
Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology
Attendance
Full-time
Part-time
Course
Two year
Four year
Next enrolment
September 2024
In a nutshell
This two-year DipHE course trains you to become a social media content creator who will be skilled in producing, delivering and distributing content across the range of technology platforms across all areas of business and culture.
Social media content is a fast-growing field, which we all see in our daily lives, from shoppable content on Instagram to posts and adverts on YouTube. The course teaches you to create content for social media channels and platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube), and to understand distribution technologies for tracking and measuring the success of your content.
What is a 'DipHE'?
A Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) at Level 5 is awarded after two years of full-time study at university. Our DipHE programmes are hands-on and practical, with flexible learning options available so you can choose to study full or part time.
You can take a DipHE straight from college when you have completed qualifications like BTECs or A-Levels. Some people choose to take a gap year first or spend some time working before they start a DipHE.
Diplomas of Higher Education are perfect for people who want a university experience, but do not want to take a full undergraduate degree qualification. You get the support and teaching quality of a degree but don’t have to commit to three years of study before you begin. A DipHE can lead directly to a career as you will have gained valued skills and experience, or you might choose to continue with further studies.
The University of Salford’s DipHE in Social Media Content Creation has been carefully curated with insights from industry professionals actively pioneering change to provide a course that will set students up for future success. In a digital-first world that is constantly transforming, this course will provide students with relevant and desired skills, sought out by employers, to best prepare them for a successful career within a fast-moving industry.
Jess Gibbs, Head of Digital, Cornerstone Design & Marketing.
The most important consideration for any student should be how employable they will be once qualified. As a specialist recruiter in creative, digital and marketing, we’ve seen a significant increase in demand over recent years for people with media and content creation skills. The DipHE Social Media Content Creation course offers a well-structured industry-focused curriculum; students will develop a specialist and in-demand skillset, whilst learning the wrap-around context of how their skillset fits into the bigger picture. It’s hugely encouraging to see the University of Salford taking the lead in developing courses that are laser-focused on employability.
Andy Chesters, Director, Orchard Creative and Marketing Recruitment.
You will:
- Learn to become a social media producer of content, skilled in producing, delivering and distributing content across the range of technological platforms across all areas of business and culture.
- Gain a detailed knowledge of the practices and regulation of the social media industry.
- Learn how to run a small business as a freelancer – including basic budgeting and project accounting, VAT, use of accounts apps, record keeping and other useful tools.
- Learn how to confidently shoot content using the latest market-relevant camera and sound recording equipment.
All about the course
This programme is designed to prepare you for self-employment, employment or top-up study. The structure below is the two year route. Modules may include:
Year one
In this module you will learn how to create a video including how to use a camera, how to light a scene, how to focus and how to record sound to a professional standard.
Video Edit
This module will accompany 'Video Shoot and Sound' by studying the process of video editing in parallel. The student will use their footage from 'Video Shoot and Sound' to help inform the video edit process. The beginning of the module will outline the fundamental processes of video editing, from a perspective of workflow and terminology rather than specific software training. This allows students to approach any video editing software with knowledge and understanding. The individual edit will develop the individual learners fundamental skills, where the group project will emulate project management and team processes as found in a small scale production business.
Mobile, Media and Marketing
This module will cover:
- Contemporary marketing in a mobile-first world
- Anticipating, understanding and fulfilling customer needs and desires
- Creating and curating social media content to engage audiences
Social Media Channels, Platforms and Analytics
This module gives you an end-to-end guide to how to create and deliver an effective podcast.
Client Communications
This module will show you how to communicate with and nurture relationships with clients. This will include how to understand, articulate and interpret live briefs and projects and progress to delivering appropriately constructed and designed content to a deadline.
Video Creation and Edit for Social and Digital Media
This module brings the creating and editing skills you have been learning together, and gives you the opportunity to practise a complete shoot and edit to a professional standard.
Year two
Podcast Creation and Edit
Podcasting is increasingly a major force in the media and this module gives you the skills to record and edit them, and teaches you how to distribute podcasts.
Creative Collaboration
Digital designers very rarely work alone. In the complex digital landscape we live today, designers and developers almost never work in isolation from other professionals. This module will provide you with the opportunity to work with students from other programmes in industry-led briefs, developing your understanding of project management and professional communication.
Planning and Pre-production
This module covers the basics of what you will need to do, as industry professionals, before a shoot in order to make sure it is properly put together. This covers topics from insurance, cast management and risk assessment to health, safety and budgeting.
End-to-End Content Creation
On this module you will have the chance to take the creation of an advertising video through its entire journey. This brings together for you all the skills you have so far acquired in video conception and creation, from analysing the market and the audience, to creating and delivering the right video to the client, to distributing it
Final Major Project
This module takes you right out into the real world of production. It provides you with the opportunity to showcase your creative and digital media skills through engagement with, and delivery of, a live industry brief.
Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.
Be part of a creative, supportive community
This course is delivered by the Salford School of Arts, Media, and Creative Technology. Our focus is to ensure that you have the skills you need to pursue your dreams, and we encourage our students, past and present, to collaborate with each other and achieve great things.
Whatever you choose to study with us, you’ll be mentored and supported by experts. And once you graduate, it won’t end there, you’ll join a thriving alumni network across Greater Manchester and beyond.
GMIoT
Located across England, Institutes of Technology (IoTs) are a national network of partnerships between local colleges, universities, and leading employers.
We are a proud partner in the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology. This means as a student on this course you will benefit from being part of the University of Salford community, with access to our facilities and support, and taught by our tutors. You will also be part of the GMIoT network, with access to additional events and activities.
What about after uni?
Graduates can go straight into industry in a wide range of jobs and employers.
A typical employer might be the marketing department of an ecommerce company, sports team or public sector body, or one of the hundreds of agencies aiming to serve them.
In the north there is a market for social media content, including major online companies like Rental Cars, The Hut Group, AO.com, Money Supermarket, Beauty Bay, AutoTrader, and Missguided. Social media is vital also to sporting organisations including BBC Sport, Manchester United, Liverpool FC and Manchester City. Alternatively, you might work for a major broadcaster like BBC, Channel 4 or ITV, or the production companies that supply them. Looking beyond the private sector, you could work for the government, police or major charities.
Career Links
We have industry links with a range of media organisations, including Channel 4, ITV, BBC Sport and The Hut Group.
What you need to know
As an applicant, you will:
- be an enthusiast for all aspects of social media and curious about how it is created, measured and used to bring about success for companies, sports teams, government and charities
- have a good working knowledge of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and any other social platforms people are using. You might also know something about big ecommerce sites like Amazon, MyProtein and PrettyLittleThing
- be aware of podcasts and already have a set of favourites you could discuss and analyse, gaining new insights through the course
- be curious to know about how to shoot and edit video, how to look at social media analytics, how to work out which channel to use, and how to create content that resonates with very different target audiences.
Standard entry requirements
GCSE
English Language at grade C/level 4 or above (or equivalent) is required. Maths at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent) is preferred but not essential.
You must fulfil our GCSE entry requirements as well as one of the requirements listed below.
UCAS tariff points
72 points
A Level
72 points
BTEC Extended Diploma
MMP
Scottish Highers
72 points
Irish Leaving Certificate
72 points
Alternative entry requirements
Salford Alternative Entry Scheme (SAES)
We welcome applications from students who may not meet the stated entry criteria but who can demonstrate their ability to pursue the course successfully. Once we have received your application we will assess it and recommend it for SAES if you are an eligible candidate.
There are two different routes through the Salford Alternative Entry Scheme and applicants will be directed to the one appropriate for their course. Assessment will either be through a review of prior learning or through a formal test.
How much?
| Type of study | Year | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time home | 2024/25 | £8,500.00per year |
| Part-time | 2024/25 | The part time fee is calculated on a pro rata basis |
Additional costs
You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.