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School of Hard Blogs: What a Bachelor’s Degree in Blogging Could Include

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These days you couldn't get a degree in blogging if you wanted to. While the blogging industry is growing, it's still a fledgling career path, however that doesn't mean there couldn't be a degree built especially for people wanting to become professional internet junkies.

I like to tell people that want to get a blogging education to get a degree in Graphic Design. It's no secret that bored graphic designers make up a good chunk of the blogging community. I know, I used to be a graphic designer. It sounds counter-intuitive, being as most graphic design schools don't have blogging classes and several journalism programs these days have a blogging elective. From what I've seen though that graphic designers learn in their education are a few vital skills, like Web Design, Branding, Film and Video, Photography, my design classes also included Freelancing. That said there is still a lot missing from what would make an ideal degree for bloggers.

Here are some classes that would make for great Bachelor's in Blogging:

  • Web Design 101: If you have to set up a blog, you probably should familiarize yourself with some basic principles of graphic design on the web. Even though most templates are ready to use, you'll still have to do some amount of customization to make everything come together right.
  • Journalism: I really wish I had taken this course in college, but it was impossible the way the courses were structured. However, I can say learning how to source stories, write them, and edit are all very important for bloggers. Without content, you really don't have anything.
  • Photography: No matter what kind of blog you have, at some point you will need to take a photo. Learning how to work a camera, how to compose a photo, and how to make it look amazing will help you communicate your message to the increasingly short attention spanned audience.
  • Video & Motion Graphics: This could end up a whole series of classes, but trust me, taking this class will make your makeup tutorials look so much more amazing.
  • Branding 101: I took a class for “Designing Identities” which basically boiled down designing logos, understanding how to create a visual brand, which becomes vital to distinguishing your blog from everything else out there.
  • Journalism Ethics: Having a good sense of ethics is not only a good thing to do because it's the right thing to do, it will also keep you out of trouble, and help you keep your credibility.
  • Freelancing Workshop: One of the most helpful workshops I attended in college was a freelancing workshop. This is where a professional came in and told us the ropes, how to charge, where to get contracts, and how to build a business. Some of the things I learned in that workshop really stayed with me to this day.
  • Intro Marketing: Creating all this fantastic content is only half of the game, the other part is how to get the word out about your great blog. This class will help you get on your feet!

What classes do you think would be great for a Blogging Degree?

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13 Responses

  1. Kary

    Visual communication/design, information design, business/entrepreneurship skills, history

    Reply
  2. natasha

    What no WordPress 101. It can be a challenging platfkrm for those us…I mean those people who are not so technically inclined.

    Reply
  3. AJ Wears Clothes

    I wouldn’t be surprised to see several colleges offering blogging degrees in the future! I agree, photography/videography/web design and programming are the obvious musts, but I’d add anything business/entrepreneurial related, and even some art and design classes. Knowing how to make your own graphics and choose colors, fonts, and textures could do a world of difference!

    Reply
  4. Sarah's Real Life

    At some schools, like my alma mater Indiana University, you can do individualized majors where you basically create your own curriculum. I wouldn’t be surprised if IU let someone get a degree in blogging! Fun trivia: Will Shortz (the guy who writes the NY Times crossword puzzle) went to IU and created his own major in word puzzles. Scott from The Sartorialist and Jessica from What I Wore also went to IU. What can I say…I’m in good company. Go Hoosiers!

    Sarah’s Real Life

    Reply
  6. Sophisticated Lace

    I think basic HTML/Wordpress and SEO are definitely important for bloggers. Other than that I think that list is really good-now I see all the holes I need to work on!

    Reply
  7. Kylie

    Photography – a photo speaks a thousand words. It can make the biggest difference in a blog aesthetically. All the blogs I read have brilliant photography.

    Reply
  8. Wil Harris

    My sisters and I were just talking about this the other day! It’s amazing how many jobs and degrees have been made in the last 10 years alone because of technology and the amazing things (blogging) that can be done on the web. Imagine 10 years from now?!

    Reply
  9. Sheryl Blasnik

    I entered into blogging from a career as a Senior Graphic Designer and knowing how to use the Adobe Creative Suite software has helped me to keep my costs to the minimum ….. Knowing CSS and HTML would be great whether you choose to use WordPress or Blogger as your platform.

    Noble Desktop in NYC offers free classes in web and graphic design.

    Sheryl Blasnik
    Fashion Development Group

    Reply
  10. KCYouThere

    Public Relations, Writing for the Web, Crisis Communication are all classes that I took and still draw knowledge from today!

    Reply
  11. Forearm exercises

    Do they really teach blogging in schools? I’ve attended a Freelance Workshop once and it really helped me hone my writing skills and introduced me to the nuances of blogging.

    Reply
  12. Ruta R

    Major in English. My university would never hold courses like photograph (which is a shame). The closest they came to was called “The Art and Purpose of Photojournalism”. It was all about theory. Very enriching, but definitely not a photography course.

    Reply