When I graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2010 and moved back home to Detroit I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I studied hard for four years to earn my Bachelor of Science Degree for Advertising and Public Relations but I couldn't find a job. Before I found employment a year after graduation, I had applied for some 200 jobs and went on dozens of interviews. The job market was tough back then (and still is). So I decided to go back to school and I really wanted to find a program in social media to give me a boost above the competition--that's when I found this great new program at Wayne State University in Detroit.

WSU's College of Fine, Performing & Communication Arts offers a Communication & New Media Graduate Certificate program in which focuses mainly on online and digital communications. I completed the program last semester (but I wish I could do it all over again!).

The Communication & New Media Graduate Certificate Program emphasizes theory, production, and application of new media technology. The program reflects developments in communication, computer, and telecommunications technologies.

Admission requirements for this program are as follows:

• An earned baccalaureate degree from a college or university of recognized standing
• Adequate preparation with discernible ability to pursue graduate studies in the major field elected
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 in upper division coursework
• Personal statement regarding interest in the program

Once you're admitted into the program you have to complete 12 credits from the following courses (these might change from semester to semester) all of which are 3 credit courses (with exception to the last two listed (4) and the individual project):

• New Media Practices (required)
• New Media Theory (required)
• Publishing on the Internet
• Audience Measurement and Survey Techniques
• Dispute Resolution and Communication Technology
• Journalism and New Media
• Advanced Desktop Publishing
• Individual Projects
• Facilitation of Online and Face-to-Face Learning
• Public Relations and Social Media
• Message Design and Display
• Foundations of Distance Education

My favorite two classes were the two required courses New Media Practices and New Media Theory. The instructor that was assigned to those classes at the time was extremely knowledgeable and kept abreast of the quick changes in tech and media. We did a lot of exercises around augmented reality and virtual worlds which is refreshing when I feel like I'm always bombarded with the Big 3 (Facebook, Twitter, and blogging).

I also enjoyed the Public Relations and Social Media course, in which I took as my final course. This one is an exception to the rest--this class allowed for undergraduate students to register without any prerequisites even though it was a high numbered/level course. In my opinion this was an awful decision by the university. This opened the gates to undergrads of all disciplines asking questions like "How do I tweet?" during discussions about using Twitter for crisis management. You wouldn't go into an upper level physics class comprised of 50 percent graduate students and waste everyone's time asking for an explanation of gravity, would you? But my instructor was great, she kept going through the coursework full steam ahead and helped traditional PR students like myself get a new view on the industry!

I cannot explain just how awesome this program is. Social media programs are getting more and more popular but when I started this one about 2 years ago it was really the only one I had heard of in this area and as far as I know it still remains the most targeted and structured social media program at the university level in Michigan. The biggest perk about this program is that all of the classes are online (with exception of 3 mandatory face-to-face classes at the beginning, middle, and end of the semesters).

I highly recommend this program to anyone who is a new communications, marketing, or advertising grad who is looking to do something after their bachelor's. If you have a true passion for social media you definitely will not have an issue working full time and taking one or two online classes a semester at night.

Click here to find out more information on the GC in Communication & New Media at Wayne State University.

If you have any questions on the program or would like to talk about it, please feel free leave a comment with your email address and I'll contact you as soon as possible.