How long is the MA in Social Media Strategy?

One year full-time on-campus, or up to two years part-time through online and distance-learning routes for the MA in Social Media Strategy.

Can I take the MA in Social Media Strategy fully online?

Yes. The MA in Social Media Strategy is delivered on-campus in London, online with live strategy clinics, or by distance learning with structured submission deadlines.

Is the MA in Social Media Strategy recognised by UK employers?

The MA in Social Media Strategy is aligned with CIPR and PRCA digital-strategy frameworks, with capstones drawn from real UK brand, government and charity briefs.

What are the entry requirements for the MA in Social Media Strategy?

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or five years' senior experience), plus IELTS 6.5 and a strategic-brief sample for the MA in Social Media Strategy.

How much does the MA in Social Media Strategy cost and are scholarships available?

MA in Social Media Strategy fees vary by study mode and domicile. Merit scholarships and means-tested bursaries are available — contact LSCT admissions for the current schedule.

MA in Social Media Strategy — UK Postgraduate | LSCT | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA in Social Media Strategy is a postgraduate qualification within the LSCT Media, Journalism & Communication department, designed for working communications professionals, agency staff and in-house marketers who want to operate at strategic level — owning the social-first reputation of a UK brand, government department or charity. The programme runs one year full-time (two years part-time) across on-campus, online and distance-learning routes, taught from our central London base from 2026.

You move quickly from advanced platform craft into strategy and governance: developing a 12-month integrated social plan, building a measurement framework that links activity to business outcomes, defending a paid budget allocation to a CFO, and writing a crisis playbook that survives first contact. The MA in Social Media Strategy closes with a substantial strategy capstone — typically a live brief from a sponsoring UK organisation — and a written dissertation or applied policy study aligned to CIPR and PRCA strategic frameworks.

Industry Context

UK social-first communications is operating under sustained pressure: the Online Safety Act 2023 enforcement now in effect, ASA tightening around influencer and AI disclosure, and platform-side measurement loss from privacy changes (ATT, third-party cookies). The MA in Social Media Strategy is sequenced against those shifts, with strategy work referencing live UK Ofcom and ASA cases rather than evergreen examples.

Key Features of the MA in Social Media Strategy

UK postgraduate qualification aligned with CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) and PRCA digital-strategy frameworks.
Three study modes — on-campus in London, fully online with live strategy clinics, or distance learning with structured deadlines.
Live sponsor brief in term three — a UK brand, government department or charity sets the strategic question.
Distinctive specialism module: Reputation Defence Under the UK Online Safety Act.
Measurement lab — AMEC frameworks, GA4, lift studies and attribution honesty.
Guest sessions with practising UK Heads of Social, agency strategy directors and CIPR-chartered practitioners.

What You Will Learn on the MA in Social Media Strategy

The MA in Social Media Strategy is structured around six taught modules and a strategy capstone. You will graduate able to write an integrated 12-month social-first plan, defend it to a leadership team, run it through a crisis, and report on it honestly to a CFO.

Strategic communications — positioning, audience segmentation, message architecture.
Platform strategy — Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, X and emerging UK channels.
Paid and earned integration — paid social, influencer, PR and SEO intersections.
Measurement and attribution — AMEC, MMM, brand-lift studies and the limits of last-click.
Crisis communications — playbooks, response trees, executive briefing.
UK regulation — ASA, CAP code, Online Safety Act and the platforms' UK obligations.
Leadership and team operating models — running a social-first comms function.
AI-supported content strategy with guardrails.
Research methods for applied communications strategy.

Assessment Approach

Assessment is portfolio-led and tied to working communications artefacts: a 12-month integrated strategy document, a measurement framework with AMEC mapping, a paid-budget defence memo, a crisis playbook, a sponsor capstone presentation, and the final research-led dissertation. The sponsor brief is defended in a 30-minute panel with the sponsor present.

Who the MA in Social Media Strategy Is For

Mid-career communications and marketing professionals stepping into Head of Social or Strategy Director roles.
Agency-side senior account staff moving onto in-house leadership tracks.
Public-sector and charity communications leads formalising their digital strategic practice.
International applicants planning senior UK or European social-strategy careers.
Founders and SME owners taking direct ownership of brand reputation.

Career Pathways for MA in Social Media Strategy Graduates

Graduates of the MA in Social Media Strategy typically progress into senior strategy, head-of-function and director-track roles across the UK communications economy. The qualification supports applications but does not by itself guarantee employment or visa outcomes. Typical next roles include:

Head of Social Media at a UK brand, scale-up or major charity
Strategy Director at a UK PR or social-first agency
Communications Manager (Senior) in the public or third sector
Content Strategist on a UK enterprise marketing team
PR Account Director in a UK consultancy
Press Office Lead at a UK government department or executive agency

The MA also serves as a strong foundation for CIPR chartered status, PRCA leadership programmes or DBA-level applied research.

Entry Requirements

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in any subject — communications, marketing, journalism, business and social-sciences backgrounds typical.
Applicants from non-cognate fields may apply with five years' senior professional experience in communications, marketing or content roles.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers — strategic writing demands fluent English.
A personal statement, two references and a 500-800 word strategic brief or recent campaign case study.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. For social-strategy students that means CIPR chapter events, sponsor briefs from real UK organisations and agency-strategy tours.

Apply for MA in Social Media Strategy

Specialise at postgraduate level with the MA in Social Media Strategy. Click Enrol Now to apply; admissions teams reply within one working day with scholarship and funding guidance, sponsor-capstone options and intake-date confirmation.