Graduate Programs in Ecommerce and Social Media

Ecommerce & Social media degrees are designed to help professionals develop their knowledge and abilities to use technology to connect, transact and ultimately, conduct business online. They may impart a curricula designed to teach students the business, technical, and management components of engaging and exchanging—socially and commercially—online and through other digital means.

With the proliferation of online applications and platforms, such as marketplaces, social media sites, and numerous others, having knowledge and skills in these areas may be critical to businesses’ success.

What do Social Media and Ecommerce professionals do?

To help you understand e-commerce and social media programs, let’s talk about what they are. We will also look at what professionals in these fields do.

Social media are tools that enable people, companies, and organizations to create, share, or exchange information in virtual communities and networks. They depend on web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which people share content.

Over the years, they’ve introduced substantial and pervasive changes to the ways businesses, organizations, communities, and people communicate. E-commerce, meanwhile, comprises the electronic tools and platforms that businesses, organizations, communities, and people use to facilitate trade in products or services.

Professionals with social media and e-commerce education and training help design, maintain, and evolve online business spaces. Their education and training usually focus on business and technology.

This includes finance, marketing strategy, sales, and other areas. It also covers information systems, computer science, and other technology fields. All of this relates to e-commerce and social media.

Professionals in this field can use their skills to create virtual businesses, online banking, and network marketing. They also work on online transactions, such as payments, shopping, and advertising, along with other e-business solutions.

Many people improve their knowledge and skills in e-commerce and social media. They do this by earning graduate certificates, master’s degrees, or doctorate degrees. These programs focus on areas like e-business.

Through their programs, they may develop their knowledge and technical skills in areas such as programming, software engineering, and database technologies, and their business acumen in areas such as marketing, finance, and communications.

What Are My Options for Graduate-Level Social Media Degrees and E-Commerce Programs?

As you’re considering your social media program options or determining what e-commerce degree to pursue, it’s important to keep in mind that each subject generally exists under two broader subjects: business and technology.

Therefore, you might find a degree program in social media or e-commerce specifically, or you might find a degree program in a subject such as business administration, information systems, or computer science with an emphasis on social media and e-commerce.

You may also find degree programs that emphasize a particular component of social media or e-commerce such as a social media manager degree​, a social media marketing degree, or an ecommerce MBA. Following are descriptions of the various types of ecommerce and social media graduate programs available.

Social Media and ECommerce Certificate Programs

These four- to six-course graduate certificate programs typically give students a sense of the technological and managerial applications and processes involved in cultivating online business success.

Students may take introductory classes in subjects such as computer programming, client-server computing, electronic commerce, e-commerce systems architecture, java, and others, or they might take classes in subjects such as social media management or e-marketing.

E-commerce and social media certificate programs are generally designed to help students enhance or focus their knowledge in an area of e-commerce and social media.

The Masters in Social Media and the Masters in ECommerce Degree

Masters-level programs in social media and e-commerce generally come in two forms: the Master of Science or the Master of Business Administration (MBA). Within these two designations, the master’s degree may have any one of numerous titles. For example:

• MBA with an emphasis in social media or e-commerce
• Master of Science Information Systems, Information Technology, or E-Business Management
• Master of Science in E-Commerce with an emphasis on social media marketing
• Master of Science in Social Media with an emphasis on e-commerce

These are just some of the many titles of master’s degrees in social media and e-commerce.

Master’s degree programs generally require one to two years of intensive or fulltime study. Program lengths vary by school. They engage students in a more in-depth exploration of subjects such as business (including marketing, management, finance, customer service, and more) and technology (including computer programming, client-server computing, electronic commerce, ecommerce systems architecture, java, and more). You may read more about master’s level programs here.

The Doctorate in Social Media and the Doctorate in E-Commerce Degree

Doctorate-level programs in social media and e-commerce typically fall into two categories: the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) or a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Each program generally involves a research intensive curriculum and helps students learn how to evolve and innovate the fields of e-commerce and social media.

The DBA commonly emphasizes business (including marketing, management, finance, customer service, and more) and its relationship to social media and e-commerce applications, and the PhD commonly emphasizes technology, management, and marketing and their relationship to social media and e-commerce.

Doctorate degree programs in these areas generally require four to six years of intensive or fulltime study, although program lengths vary by school. They commonly conclude with a dissertation and comprehensive exam.

You may find accredited schools with certificate, master’s degree, and doctorate degree programs in social media and e-commerce in online, on-campus, and hybrid formats.

What Knowledge or Skills Might I Develop in ECommerce and Social Media Graduate Programs?

In general, students in social media and e-commerce programs may develop knowledge or skills in:

• E-business technology
• E-commerce marketing
• E-commerce website design, functionality, and development
• Writing and operating technical strategies
• Using a broad range of digital marketing and management techniques
• Navigating a global digital environment

In some E-Commerce and Social Media Degrees, students learn how to apply these and other knowledge and skills to their existing business acumen, or they may deepen their knowledge and skills in multiple areas of business. In master’s degree and doctorate degree programs, students may sharpen their reading, writing, and researching skills.

FACT: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists earned a median annual salary of $83,190 in May 2023.

GradSchools.com offers 48 Graduate Schools with Digital Marketing and eCommerce Programs