Life is about choices. Every moment, we face decisions that shape our journey. Some are everyday choices, like what to eat for breakfast, while others are life-changing, like where and what to study for a postgraduate degree or even whether to pursue one.
I’m Truth Osumareton Egbe, an international student from Nigeria studying MA Public Relations and Digital Communications at the University of Salford in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. To understand my choice better, you would need to know a bit about me.
I studied a bachelor’s in International law and Diplomacy at Babcock University, but shortly after graduation in 2018, I started to pursue a career in communications, in particular digital communications, including social media, content creation, and website content development.
I volunteered as a Communications Officer with Girl Up Nigeria in its first year and was privileged to set up the structure for how the organisation’s communications department would run. Next, I moved to Aid for Rural Education Initiative, where I started the #SimbiFromAREAi newsletter to tell interesting stories about the progress of education in Nigeria. Then, I joined the UNICEF Country Office as a Communications Assistant building the #YoungInfluencersNetwork to ensure that the voices of young people were always heard.
After five years of experience managing the digital communications of various organisations, I thought it was a good idea to take a break and pursue a master’s in digital communications.
As any Zillennial would do, I googled “MA in Digital Communications.” I considered completing a masters in my home country, but most of the ones I found were broadly themed as “Media and Communication,” but I was looking for a course that specifically focused on Digital Communications. I also only wanted master’s courses that were a year long, so the United Kingdom was my top choice.
I made a list of courses that were related to what I was looking for – “Digital Culture and Communications,” “Media, Culture and Everyday Life,” and “Social Media and Digital Communication.” I was looking for a masters that was industry-specific and drew a straight line between what I would be studying and how I would use it in practice. This allowed me to tailor my search further. Thankfully, I found the MA Public Relations and Digital Communications course at the University of Salford. Not only did it focus on social media management and digital content, but it also included crisis management and public relations. The classes are taught at MediaCity, with a focus on industry-related experience. It was perfect for me.
Another thing that influenced my choice was that I was going to be self-funded, so I was looking for a course that not only met my criteria but was also budget-friendly with a generous payment plan. I found out about the payment plan for self-funded students at University of Salford, breaking down the tuition fee into 7 instalments spread across 7 months. I applied for the course and got a £3,000 scholarship, which was the icing on the cake.
So, I took the big leap and journeyed many miles from Nigeria to Salford to resume school.
The modules I’m taking in the first trimester are Social Media PR, which covers managing an organisation’s socials in the digital era, and Public Relations and Journalism, which covers crisis management and how to build relationships with journalists and the media.
I like that the modules are industry-focused; for Social Media PR, we have had several tasks to create short videos and work on social media campaigns. We are also able to get feedback from the lecturer and other course mates.
For Public Relations and Journalism, we have had guest lectures from industry experts and a visit to a leading PR agency, Citypress.
I recently started a placement with the University of Salford’s Marketing Team as part of the professional experience required for the course. I’m excited about what I’m learning and can’t wait for what comes next.
To get a better idea of what to expect, I had a chat with Ramma, who recently graduated from the MA Public Relations and Digital Communications programme. Ramma found her experience at Salford to be challenging, but also really rewarding.
“Being an international student is a great opportunity to start fresh and learn new things,” she said. “You bring your own experiences with you, but you also get to start again and do things differently.”
Ramma spoke about her experiences during the second part of the course, when she did a practical work placement. She worked with Stockport Council, which gave her a great insight into how local government works in the UK. She also got to compare how PR and communications work in the UK with how they work in her home country, Pakistan.
Ramma really enjoyed her placement and found it really helpful. “Everyone was really supportive and encouraging,” she said. “They made sure I had the right skills and training, and they took the time to sit with me and discuss my progress.”
I asked Ramma about her experience of writing a dissertation. She said she had thought about doing a project instead, but decided to write a thesis on a topic that interested her. Her lecturer, Debra, had suggested she researched the link between artificial intelligence and PR and that’s exactly what she did.
Ramma found writing her dissertation to be a challenging but interesting experience. After she finished, she started applying for jobs and was able to gain work in PR and communications in the UK. She worked during the general election and also started working part-time for a charity in Manchester.
Ramma said that one of the most important things she learned was being proactive and making the most of opportunities. “I made sure to attend events, meet new people, and make connections,” she said. “I didn’t want to miss out on any opportunities.”
Find out more about studying MA Public Relations and Digital Communications at Salford.
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