MSc Digital Campaigning and Content Creation
Master
In Edinburgh
Description
-
Type
Master
-
Location
Edinburgh (Scotland)
-
Duration
Flexible
-
Start date
September 2026
other dates -
Credits
180
Are you a creative individual, a current communications professional, or a recent graduate looking to move into the field of digital campaigning and content creation? Accredited by the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) and a university partner of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), this forward-looking Digital Campaigning and Content Creation Master's will equip you with the in-demand skills and knowledge to produce digital content that will grab people's attention and make a difference.
So, how can you stand out in a digital world where a million minutes of video are shared every second and audiences have more than 3.5 million podcasts to choose from? How do you create memorable and informative content that people want to share? How do you develop the skills of storytelling in an authentic way? This course will give you deep knowledge of digital strategic planning and the practical know-how to create content that will set you apart in the job market.
The course is available both full and part time and offers a placement opportunity.
Facilities
Location
Start date
Start date
About this course
A UK honours degree or equivalent OR significant work experience.
International students: You will be required to provide evidence of English language competence at no less than IELTS 6.5 and no individual component score below 6.0.
Great digital content has one primary quality; it makes us pause and want to look, to hear the message, to discover what happens next. Can the creation of such compelling material be a happy blend of good fortune and good timing? No, there is a method, and it can be mastered using skills learned on this practically-focused course. By understanding the language of film you will learn how to improve content. Along with campaign strategy, you will learn engaging visual storytelling techniques (such as mise-en-scene, continuity and montage) that are essential for effective short documentaries, adverts or dramas. You will also learn key news-media production skills, such as interviewing, managing, producing, directing, recording and editing short newsworthy films and podcasts. You will learn the basics of design to create engaging social media content and refine written communication to produce informative thought-leadership articles and blogs.
This course has been inspired by the professional experiences of our academic staff and maximises our expertise in communication and multi-media . Our media production lecturers have won a host of international awards for their short films and are highly successful on social media. Our PR and communication lecturers have professional campaign experience and are involved with a range of campaigning organisations and have also won awards for their work. Our experience is at the centre of our teaching approach and we always engage students in producing real strategies and content for real clients. This results in campaigns where video and digital content have had a profound effect on audiences and have been crucial in achieving strategic aims and objectives.
Prepares you for current and future developments: The course is designed to meet not just current industry practice, but developments in the future. You’ll be well placed to produce strategic and creative content to compete in a world where video accounts for 80% of internet traffic.
Passionate and award-winning staff: Our staff live and breathe their subject with a passion, and you will be taught by multi-award winning lecturers, including Walid Salhab whose short films have accumulated more than 8 million hits on social media and who has won 70+ international awards for his short films.
Supportive, creative and nurturing learning environment: You will work in a personal and collegiate environment that nurtures creative talent, which will enable you to build your portfolio, and that supports entrepreneurial students to establish their own businesses. Watch the video content on this page for an insight into our students' experience of the course, and the links to student case studies.
Flexible block-study: This means you can combine study with your existing work and life commitments.
Placement/Industry experience opportunity: Choose to build on your skills and experience by working for a live client.
Industry accreditation: This course is accredited by the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI). The DMI accreditation shows employers that your degree and learnt skills/knowledge are up to date with the latest findings in marketing and that you have received a high quality multi-disciplined degree (see 'DMI accreditation' tab for more information). Being a partner university with the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) provides students with access to a range of free webinars and networking events.
Reviews
Subjects
- Digital
- Content
- Communication Training
- Communications
- Campaign Planning
Teachers and trainers (1)
Admissions Queen Margaret University
Admissions@qmu.ac.uk
Course programme
You will complete the following modules:
- Strategic Communication Campaign Planning (20 credits): On this module students develop a critical understanding of the role of strategic communication within wider contexts including business, organisations, agencies, campaign groups and NGOs. They take a critical perspective to ethics, social responsibility and social justice and explore how strategic communication can impact on society. Theory is applied to produce creative communication campaigns including a range of communication activities and digital tactics.
- Creating Digital Content (20 credits): Students will produce a range of professional digital content to help organisations achieve strategic communication goals. Students will develop a critical understanding of storytelling on different platforms to reach a range of stakeholders. They will develop the skills needed to produce professional content, such as podcasts, social media content, blogs or thought leadership articles. They will apply ethical frameworks to guide the ways in which they represent or include stakeholders in their content and consider the impact of the content they produce on society
- Non-Fiction Film Production (20 credits): Students will explore and practice techniques of digital content production for a client/organisation using digital capture devices and editing software to produce finished projects. This module will focus on factual media content. Students investigate and report on hard news, soft news documentary as well as developing production material. Techniques of news gathering including interview techniques and reporting are covered. Students will be introduced to popular available digital formats and shown how to upload visual digital content to online channels and social media.
- Visual Storytelling for Media Campaigns (20 credits): The art of storytelling is as old as the human race itself and our earliest forms of communication were deeply visual in nature. Even today, that hasn’t changed. In fact, if anything, having a mastery of visual storytelling techniques has become more important than ever. The success of our campaigning, marketing, advertising, and much of our digital entertainment relies on a solid understanding of such skills. This module will facilitate critical understanding of narrative techniques and enable students to plan, manage and produce campaign films, appropriate for submission to an organisation, client or broadcaster.
- Digital Communications (20 credits): The evolution, diffusion, and adoption of digital technologies have fundamentally altered the way we live, work, relate to one another, and conduct business. These technological and societal changes are having a far-reaching impact on the communications, public relations and marketing disciplines, presenting huge challenges as well as opportunities to the industry. This module provides a sound theoretical and practical knowledge of digital communications based on a critical understanding of current and emerging technologies, digital strategies and social media platforms. The module examines a number of topics including: using AI, digital strategy; social media; search engine optimisation and AI-powered search engines (SEO and GEO); online community building and management; stakeholders analysis; issues management; web analytics and big data; content marketing; online customer journey and ethical and legal aspects of digital communications.
- Industry-Based Learning and Professional Development (20 credits): This module will have some initial workshops exploring opportunities for a communication placement or freelance work with one or more organisation. Students can tailor the work experience , which is a minimum of 80 hours, to their own career aspirations and will take personal responsibility for developing and arranging their own experiential learning, although teaching staff will provide support and advice. They will produce an e-portfolio of their work and reflect on the experience.
For an MSc you will also complete a Master’s Communication Project (60 credits).
Additional information
SCOT/RUK/EU - £7,725 (INCLUDES DISSERTATION)
International - £18,655 (INCLUDES DISSERTATION)
MSc Digital Campaigning and Content Creation