Stand Out in One of the Fastest Growing Professions
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to social commerce giants like Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and YouTube, and all companies – local, regional, and national – are hiring social media professionals to assist with the growing online demand from their customers. The need for professionals specializing in social media is rapidly increasing, and there’s no better time to hone your marketing expertise to meet this emerging market.
Whether you want to jump-start your career in social media or just want to incorporate new marketing techniques and skills into your current position, Cal State East Bay’s Social Media Marketing Certificate Program provides you with the necessary training in the practical and strategic components of social media marketing.
Best in the West
Selected as a "Best in the West" college by The Princeton Review
Faculty Excellence
Led by experienced social media and online marketing practitioners
Best Online Colleges
Ranked as No. 3 Among California's Best Online Colleges
Learn Through an Engaging and Dynamic Curriculum
Becoming a social media expert involves active participation and not just theory, and that’s why you’ll receive dynamic training to learn current best practices for using social platforms to market effectively and achieve results for your business, employer, or personal career goals.
By taking advantage of this unique program, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of social media marketing from responding to negative commentary to building your company’s brand and measuring efforts. You’ll enjoy interactive online courses that impart the knowledge, experience, and practical skills you’ll need as a social media professional.
Make a Global Impact in the Social Media Community
You may be familiar with using social media for personal networking, but leveraging it to support business strategy takes formal training and specialized knowledge. As a social media expert, you’ll be in charge of maintaining a social media presence on a global level—implementing social media marketing campaigns, creating engaging and dynamic content, generating web traffic, leads and sales, developing brand awareness, monitoring social media profiles, and analyzing reports.
As a Cal State East Bay graduate, you’ll leave the program equipped to think strategically about social media.
By earning your Certificate in Social Media Marketing, you’ll be prepared for a variety of professional social media roles including social media manager, social media strategist, online community manager, social media marketing coordinator, blogger, copywriter, consultant, analyst, and more.
Occupational Outlook
The top three industries for social media managers include professional, scientific, and technical services; administrative and support and waste management and remediation services; and retail trade.
- QCEW Employees - Emsi
The national median salary for advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers is $134,374.
- QCEW Employees - Emsi
86% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their businesses.
-Social Media Examiner, 2020 Social Media Marketing Industry Report
Expand Your Social Network on a Professional Level
Whether you’re pursing your next career or enhancing your current one, Cal State East Bay’s Social Media Marketing Certificate Program provides you with the knowledge and skills to take your marketing abilities to the next level by expanding your reach to a whole new audience.
Gain the knowledge and expertise to take your marketing skills to the next level.
As a Cal State East Bay graduate, you’ll leave the program equipped to think strategically about social media, layer social media initiatives into corporate communications, and tie everything back to your company’s bottom line. In fact, at the core of the program’s curriculum is an opportunity to research, develop, and write a social media strategy plan for your current business, start-up idea, or non-profit. With hands-on experience under your belt, you’ll not only boost your resume but also possess the competitive edge to stand out in any organization.
By participating in this program, I have solidified myself as a Social Media Marketing professional by learning best practices and expanding my understanding of various social media platforms.
In the program, we not only look at outside businesses but our own as well. Having that assistance from professionals in the industry was invaluable and truly helped me learn more about my business and how to help others. Completing the program has given me the confidence to apply to social media positions.
Program Objectives
By successfully completing the Social Media Marketing program, you’ll have the skills to:
Build effective online marketing strategies and campaigns, and employ web analytics tools to track and measure success.
Synthesize conflicting points of view through active case discussion.
Apply Web 2.0, social media, mobile, and emerging technologies as marketing and promotional tactics.
Demonstrate advanced knowledge of social media business concepts.
Program Format
The Social Media Marketing Certificate Program is conveniently offered online.
Certificate Requirements
To earn a Certificate in Social Media Marketing, you must complete six required courses.
View the current schedule of available courses here.
| EXTX 301 Creating Social Media Marketing Campaigns |
| EXTX 302 Using Social Media for Public Relations and Marketing |
| EXTX 303 Writing Social Media Content |
| EXTX 304 Measuring and Tracking Social Media Metrics |
| EXTX 305 Brand and Reputation Management, Crisis Communications and Minimizing Risk on Social Media |
| EXTX 306 Social Media Practicum Strategy and Plan Development |
Salina Fountain
Salina Fountain is a local sales and enablement manager at Yelp. Previously joining Yelp, she was a marketing manager for Campus Dining at California State University, East Bay and successfully launched marketing campaigns for brands like Starbucks, Einstein Brothers, and Subway. She has a diverse background in digital advertising, experiential marketing, and event marketing. She specializes in helping brands, companies, and organizations maintain a culture and cohesive brand language. This visionary millennial is results-driven, creative, professional, and has a witty personality.
Fountain graduated from Tennessee State University, one of the top Historically Black Colleges in the United States. Also, she has studied hospitality marketing in places like Paris, Belgium, Amsterdam, Colombia, and Cape Town.
Dr. Marguerite Hinrichs
A San Francisco native, Dr. Marguerite Hinrichs graduated from the University of the Pacific with a BA in Communication and earned an MS in Recreation and Tourism and an EdD in Educational Leadership from Cal State East Bay. Dr. Hinrichs currently serves as the Director of Student Life and Leadership Programs and has extensive faculty experience, teaching courses and leading workshops in a variety of academic and professional settings - both online and in person. Through her consulting business, The PR Lady & Associates, Dr. Hinrichs has helped a diverse range of local, regional, and national businesses and brands develop impactful public relations, marketing, and social media marketing strategies that convert fans and followers into customers and clients.
Rita-Renee Hunter-Graham
Always excited about teaching and learning, Rita-Renee Hunter-Graham a.k.a Mrs. HG, is a renaissance woman from Harlem, New York. Prior to teaching English Literature for over 20 years in public and charter schools in New York City, California, Georgia and Japan, Hunter-Graham attended Penn State University, Syracuse University, Lehman College, and Lehman-Hiroshima College in Hiroshima, Japan. Yes, she speaks Japanese. She also holds an Education Specialist (EdS) degree in Brain Research and Brain-Based Teaching & Learning, an MS in Education, and a BS in Black Studies with a minor in English Literature. Best known in academic circles for infusing classic R&B, Jazz, and old school Hip Hop to teach literary concepts and time periods, Hunter-Graham was awarded the 11Alive News Class Act Teacher Award in Atlanta, Georgia. She developed musical and highly interactive professional development workshops at Howard University, Wheelock College, Atlanta Public Schools, as well as school districts in Tennessee and South Carolina. She even performed excerpts from her novel, H2H: From Harlem 2 Hiroshima on the Cal State East Bay campus.
Prior to the completion of her novel, acclaimed author Terry McMillan and the Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center honored Hunter-Graham with the DorisJean Austin Fellowship -- an accolade bestowed upon new and upcoming African-American writers of distinction. Hunter-Graham executed writing and conceptual assignments for TV/film production companies in New York and California. Moreover, she acted in a variety of videos and was a freelance ghostwriter for a world renowned music video/commercial production company, writing music video treatments on behalf of some of the top music video directors in the industry. These distinctive visual concepts were written for Mary J. Blige, Common, Toni Braxton, Trina, Shaggy, and many others.
Having fun is not an option. While teaching high school she created a club called House of EnVogue. She used her experiences working in the entertainment industry to teach modeling, acting, stagecraft, photography, marketing, and behind the scenes production. This club of over 50 students executed fashion events and major productions around Metro-Atlanta. At one point, she designed dynamic shirts for the club. The shirts were the talk of the entire campus. Awed by her distinct passions and interests, her students encouraged her to follow one of her childhood dreams and start a custom apparel company. Galvanized by their words and continued prodding she and her husband, Johnie, rented a booth in a local flea market and started Kyublis D*Zigns, LLC [pronounced cube-less designs]. In less than 2 years the company catapulted into a popular customization brand that has worked with schools, local businesses, and celebrity stylists as well as with major motion picture projects created by the Marvel franchise and Universal Pictures.
Currently, Hunter-Graham’s business is housed in a warehouse with a stunning showroom that features their various projects. Her company presently makes over 400 unique items on-site including varsity jackets, stickers, banners, car decals, embroidered items, drinkware, workwear, promotional products, and so much more. In less than five years, Hunter-Graham transitioned from teaching to full-time designer and business owner. She credits the continued growth of her enterprise to distinctive mechanisms of social media marketing and word-of-mouth. Join the amazing ride and as she shows you how to strategize and analyze your own ventures using social media.
Dr. Eric Moy
I value everyone and know all students have strengths that are worth contributing. My favorite part of teaching is getting to know students' strengths and cultivating them into future success.
Dr. Eric Moy holds multiple graduate degrees, including a PhD in Mass Communications, Masters in Social Work, and an EdS in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies from the University of Iowa. Dr. Moy also has an MS in Counseling and Student Development from Kansas State University. Dr. Moy has certificates in Academic Advising, College Teaching, and Multicultural Education and Culturally Competent Practice.
Dr. Moy is committed to social change by ensuring systems and institutions are places that are conducive to people in all communities. As an instructor, Dr. Moy has received numerous teaching awards for his commitment to teaching and learning. Dr. Moy is also involved in working with first-generation college students to reach success. Dr. Moy's research interests are looking at media teaching pedagogy, how tools can be used as instruments or barriers for learning, and perceptions of college success through entertainment media and social media. Dr. Moy has also taught courses including Digital and Social Media for Personal Success, Strategic Communication, Edutainment Media for Academic Success, Media Uses and Effects, Using Social Media Humor, and Multimedia Storytelling.
As an alum of Cal State East Bay’s MBA program, Dr. Moy is committed to inclusive teaching practices under the lens of leadership and effective management. Eric is also a Salzburg Fellow of the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change where he graduated as a Salzburg Fellow. Dr. Moy has received numerous teaching awards and student advocacy including the Champion for Student Success Recognition and Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award from the University of Iowa.
You’re Invited to Enroll
No application is needed to enter the program. You may enroll in any class at any time. The only exception is the final “Social Media Practicum” class, which requires the successful completion of all other classes to ensure your understanding of social media best practices. Exceptions require instructor approval.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Online Social Media Marketing Certificate Program is open to any interested student who can satisfactorily complete the program coursework. If you’re not quite ready to commit to the full program, individual courses can be taken without formal admission to the certificate program.
Since this program is held entirely online, you should be comfortable using both a computer and popular social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
At Cal State East Bay, we pride ourselves on putting students first, from the moment you inquire until you graduate. We hope you've found answers to your questions in this support center, but if not, please get in touch.