Bachelor’s Degree Course in Digital Communication and Social Media – Business and Institutions curriculum (L-20)

Bachelor’s Degree Course in Digital Communication and Social Media Online Business and Institutions curriculum – the course in brief

The Business and Institutions Curriculum aims to train experts capable of dealing with the specific issues related to the media context of reference (publishing, newspapers, cinema, radio, television, web platforms, blogs, social) and the social, cultural, legal, technological and economic dynamics related to it, also with a focus on the field of cultural events and institutional and corporate communication.

The first year offers a basic cultural training common to both curricula, which is supplemented by characterising teaching in the field of sociological communication sciences (curriculum 1) and information technology (curriculum 2).

In the second year the basic training is completed by methodological training and characterising educational activities. The third year completes the methodological and technical training supplemented by knowledge of the English language and interdisciplinary knowledge offered in the training placements and seminars organised by the University.

The “Business and Institutions” curriculum prepares graduates with an adequate mastery of the disciplinary paradigms of the human and social sciences, with specific skills in the area of digital technologies, information systems and the various sectors of the cultural industry and related consumption, with reference to “mainstream” and digital media (publishing, newspapers, cinema, radio, television, web platforms, blogs, social), also with a focus on the field of cultural events and institutional and corporate communication.

Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Communication and Social Media

Thanks to the possibility of taking lessons online, the Business and Institutions Curriculum is an excellent solution for all types of students and student-workers, including those who are unable to physically attend university due to being far from home or for reasons incompatible with their profession.

The Niccolò Cusano University provides its students with an e-learning platform that is active 24 hours a day with teaching material available at all times. This will give students the opportunity to study at their own pace and then take their exams in one of the many locations throughout Italy..

Professional profile and expected occupational and professional outlets for graduates in Digital Communication and Social Media

Communication officer in the cultural industry sector

Function in a work context:

The main functions related to the outgoing professional profile can be summarised as:

• conception, design, realisation and dissemination of diversified communication content in relation to different targets, contexts and by means of multiple channels and tools, including digital and mass media;
• design, organisation
• design, development and realisation, independently or in collaboration, of content for traditional information and dissemination circuits (newspapers, publishing, cinema, theatre, radio, television, new media).

Competences associated with the function

To perform the functions described requires a broad basic culture, a strong ability to access, select and critically interpret information, as well as the ability to understand and move in complex environments.

Transversal relational, management, planning and organisational skills are required in accordance with the level of autonomy and responsibility associated with the role. The ability to self-learn and propensity for continuous updating is also important.

In particular, the associated competences may be summarised as follows

• ability to analyse communication systems by applying knowledge of the main techniques of social research and data analysis;
• ability to interpret communication and organisational processes in the psychological, semiotic-linguistic and ethno-anthropological fields;
• ability to exercise the knowledge necessary to operate in the field of both traditional and new generation technologies, with particular reference to multimedia;
• ability to plan, organise and coordinate structures, fairs, events and/or resources related to the valorisation of the goods and consumption of the vast cultural heritage of our country

Occupational outlets

The professional contexts of graduates in the three-year degree course in Digital Communication and Social Media (Business and Institutions curriculum) can be traced to:

• communication and advertising agencies (web marketing technician)
• data collection companies and research institutes (Professional interviewers and surveyors (Online multimedia information systems design assistant)
• organisations for the production of content and services for different
• media organisations for the valorisation and dissemination of historical, artistic and cultural heritage (museums, artistic, archaeological and cultural sites etc.)
• communication offices and departments within public institutions and private organisations (public relations officer, public relations executive, communication office)
• radio, television and audiovisual productions (Associate in the drafting of radio, television, fiction, audiovisual, cinema, web, printed and on-line information texts)
• design, implementation and coordination of information systems (Call centre supervisor, help desk supervisor, service management technician in call centres).

Institutional and corporate communication Communication officer in the public-institutional sector

function in a work context:

The skills associated with the functions of the professional figure of the three-year graduate in the public sector consist of:

• in the design and coordination of internal information flows and systems within organisations, also with regard to the recent changes introduced by the regulations on transparency and privacy management,
• in the collaboration and implementation of contents and services aimed at guaranteeing correct public, institutional and social communication, also through the valorisation of digital tools aimed at the creation of a smart PA and citizen services;
• the design, implementation and management of complex institutional and inter-institutional communication processes;
• the design, organisation, management of social communication programmes/actions, community empowerment, institutional ceremonial.

skills associated with the function:

To perform these functions, the following are required:

• interpersonal and communication skills
• ability to lead working groups
• capacity for self-learning and continuous updating
• good ability in managing public relations activities
• ability in designing and implementing research and related data collection tools
• ability to manage, coordinate and supervise the phase of collecting, organising and analysing data and information content
• ability to collaborate in the realisation of content and services for on- and off-line channels
• ability to organise communication plans, processes and flows also by means of new technologies

The three-year course in Digital Communication and Social Media prepares for the profession of (ISTAT coding)

• Service production technicians – (3.1.5.0)
• Professional interviewers and surveyors – (3.3.1.3.2)
• marketing technicians – (3.3.3.5.0)
• Public relations technicians – (3.3.3.6.2)

Knowledge required for admission

In order to be admitted to the Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Communication and Social Media (Business and Institutions curriculum), it is necessary to hold an upper secondary school diploma obtained in Italy, or an equivalent or recognised qualification in accordance with the regulations in force. As regards in particular the knowledge required for access, it is that provided by the high school, regardless of the course followed. In particular, this knowledge consists of knowledge of general culture and current affairs, Italian language, basic English language, as well as basic mathematical and computer skills. The procedures for verifying possession of the requirements for admission and any additional training obligations to be fulfilled within the first year are defined in the course’s didactic regulations.

Specific educational objectives of the Three-year Degree Course in Digital Communication and Social Media and description of the educational pathway

The Bachelor’s Degree Course in Digital Communication and Social Media (Business and Institutions curriculum) prepares graduates in possession of an adequate mastery of the scientific foundations and essential concepts of the human and social disciplines related to a specific competence in the area of communication, media, digital technologies and cultures, information systems and the cultural industry. The course provides the basis for access to master’s degrees that prepare professionals in the field of journalism, the cultural industry and digital communication, digital education and applied media research.

The first year is aimed at enabling students to acquire basic skills with respect to cultural and communication processes and their declination with respect to sociological, historical and legal disciplines. Specific attention is devoted to information and communication technologies and to data research and analysis. In the second year, the theoretical models developed by mass and interactive media studies are explored in depth; topics of a psychological, economic, business, political, environmental and territorial matrix are addressed. In the third year, the aim is to broaden skills and apply them to specific sectors also through other training activities including workshops and seminars. Specifically, the study and application of the language of journalism, radio and television, and cinema is integrated with the analysis of cultural productions and the teaching of marketing applied to communication and ethno-anthropology.

The final paper, as a moment of verification of the learning outcomes expected for the study programme, is designed to contribute significantly to the student’s training process.

The student’s individual study commitment is defined by the course’s didactic regulations. The course is structured around three macro-areas of learning that contribute to the acquisition of the necessary knowledge and skills, as specified below.

1. The Cultural and Communicative Processes Area by which is meant the distinctive disciplinary corpus aimed at understanding communicative dynamics also through the evolution of ICT.
2. The Learning Area Analysis, techniques and tools for communication enables the graduate to develop a critical and autonomous approach to the selection, organisation, analysis and interpretation of sources, also with a view to the challenges introduced by the fourth industrial revolution with its information overload, and provides the basic elements for the planning and management of communication activities within complex organisations.
3. The Research Methodology area enables the graduate to acquire the skills useful and necessary for the collection, organisation and processing of data for research purposes The degree course has the specificity of offering a basic preparation that simultaneously contemplates the knowledge and skills required to cope with institutional communication with the peculiar knowledge of social media related to the cultural industry.

The distinctive value of the course of study is further strengthened by the fact that it is conducted in telematic mode, which allows students to gain direct experience with the different registers and telematic communication channels, making the learning environment a permanent teaching laboratory space.

At the end of the course it will be possible to enter the world of work by gaining access to new jobs, to continue on one’s own pathway with a solid and strengthened cultural and methodological background, or to enter higher education in the second cycle envisaged with the master’s degrees.

Expected learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

The graduate in Digital Communication and Social Media (Business and Institutions curriculum) will have demonstrated knowledge and understanding in the field of communication sciences and its technologies with particular reference to

• principles and foundations of media theory from its origins to the present day, with ample reference to critical issues and opportunities of communication and its effects in the social, cultural, economic and legal fields;
• principles and foundations of the social sciences, with particular reference to network analysis and network theory in the age of digital media;
• theories, principles and procedures of social research methodology, with particular reference to public opinion research;
• principles and fundamentals of social psychology;
• statistical-informatics procedures and techniques for the organisation and quantitative analysis of social data, accompanied by basic principles of statistics for the social sciences;
• theories, principles and fundamentals of social sciences and humanities;
• qualitative and quantitative methods and techniques for collecting communication data.

This knowledge and skills will be attained by attending and passing both the basic and characterising activities and those related and linked to knowledge of a foreign language. The aforementioned knowledge is acquired through

• training activities in virtual classrooms
• seminar activities and training placements that allow a direct link with the world of work,
• exercises through the tools of the telematics platform that allows teacher-student and inter-group interactions (so-called e-activities).

The correct application of knowledge is made possible by individual and group study, accompanied by critical reflection Verification of the achievement of the learning outcomes takes place mainly through oral and/or written examinations as well as through the administration of tests devised by the teacher of each discipline in order to induce the student to a guided verification of his/her learning ability.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding

The final first-level degree will be awarded to students who are able to

• apply the acquired knowledge and understanding through the use of indispensable cultural and creative skills,
• devise communication campaigns, design research on multiple aspects of a complex scientific object such as communication
• organise activities, events and develop the necessary tools that characterise any media process, both in its informational and relational sense.

This knowledge and ability will be attained by attending and passing both the basic and characterising activities and those related and linked to knowledge of at least one foreign language.

The aforementioned skills are developed through

• training in virtual classrooms
• seminar activities,
• exercises and projects carried out via the telematics platform that allows teacher-student and inter-group interactions (e-activities) to encourage the development of shared critical reflection;
• direct experiences in the world of work, such as internships.

The correct application of knowledge and skills is made possible by individual and group study, accompanied by critical reflection Verification of the achievement of learning outcomes occurs mainly through oral and/or written examinations and in itinere (or through specific seminar moments that the lecturers may activate) as well as through the administration of tests drawn up by the lecturer of each discipline in order to induce the student to a guided verification of his/her learning ability.

Making judgement

The Bachelor’s degree in Digital Communication and Social Media (Business and Institutions curriculum) will be awarded to students who have adequately developed both the ability to evaluate information sources and to acquire and process data for the purpose of personal interpretation, which is indispensable for the formation of an individual, balanced and motivated critical sense.

The integration of different knowledge coming from disciplines as diverse as sociology, history, psychology, computer science, business economics and yet united by the desire to be oriented towards the study of communication, constitutes a specific resource that students on this degree course will necessarily have to acquire. Graduates will have to develop the ability to bring their knowledge to bear on complex operational issues, acquiring critical capacity and autonomy of judgement in evaluations and decisions during their training. To this end, the University, in addition to graduating modules belonging to different, albeit complementary, disciplinary areas over the three-year period, provides for the organisation of specific trans- and interdisciplinary seminars and exercises based on the involvement of teachers and students.

The verification of the acquisition of these skills, which will take place constantly over the three years through examinations, will also be carried out on the basis of the student’s participation in the final examination, as well as the resulting assessment.

Communication skills

The acquisition of both general and specific communication skills is fundamental for this type of course of study. The graduate in Communication Sciences and Social Media will have acquired the theoretical knowledge related to communication, but will have to be able to translate and transmit it into practice within the working environment in which he/she will operate. These skills will be achieved through attendance of the envisaged courses (basic, characterising and related) and the passing of the examination tests both through exercises, also carried out in groups, oriented towards the development of the capacity for correct argumentative expression that stimulate debate in the virtual classroom (e-activities) on specific case studies, as well as the preparation and presentation of reports and documents.

The verification of the achievement of the learning outcomes will take place mainly through the examination tests and in the preparation of the final examination.

Learning abilities

The Communication Science and Social Media graduate will have developed sufficient skills in:

• study independently and self-manage;
• independently deepen and self-update their knowledge with a sufficient degree of awareness.

Learning skills are stimulated throughout the course of the course, with particular emphasis on individually developed study through the development of individual and group projects.

Verification of the achievement of learning outcomes takes place mainly through oral and/or written examinations and in the context of the development of the thesis.

Final examination

The final examination for the attainment of the three-year Digital Communication and Social Media degree (Business and Institutions curriculum) consists of the drafting and discussion of a written paper, relating to a topic included in a discipline included in the course of study; this paper must be prepared under the supervision of the supervisor, chosen on the basis of the discipline that is of particular interest to the student.

The paper may also consist of the presentation of various communication products (websites, audio-visual products, projects, communication and marketing plans, formats, advertising or social communication campaigns, communication services and products, etc.), which may be realised in full or in part by means of multimedia formats envisaged for the final examination.

Further specifications are deferred to the didactic regulations of the degree course.