SPP3: Course Advertisement 2

Web Design and Content Planning

Course:
Web Design and Content Planning (MA)

University
Greenwich University

Location:
Avery Hill Campus

School:
Architecture & Construction

Duration/Delivery:
1 year 3 months full-time
2 years 3 months part-time.

Start:
September

Award:
MSc

Entry:
Applicants should have:

A good honours degree or equivalent professional qualification. Where English is not the first language, a language qualification is required, such as IELTS scoring 6.0.

• Applicants are interviewed.
• Students must have a computer and broadband access to the Internet at their place of residence.

Outline
This programme takes graduates from many disciplines and provides them with the skills to plan, design, build and promote effective websites. It is aimed both at people who manage corporate websites and at those who wish to start their own web business. The design of excellent websites presents a notable intellectual challenge and, during the programme, students develop a modern, professional and 'real-world' approach. Our objective is to provide a balanced education in the three aspects of web design and content management: technical, functional and aesthetic.

The technical aspects of the teaching provide an understanding of the tools, technologies and principles used for the design and development of contemporary websites. This includes the creation of semantically correct markup, the separation of presentation from content (XHTML and CSS) and the use of web standards (W3C).

The functional aspects focus on the creation of websites with good information architecture that are accessible, useable and findable as a result of effective search engine marketing (SEM/SEO). Students learn how people use the web, how they navigate web content and how they search for information.

The aesthetic aspects of web design are considered in relation to graphic, artistic, typographic and business objectives, including corporate identity and branding.
Typically, our students fall into three groups: those with web-related skills (often self-taught) who need a structured and balanced approach to further study; those who are involved with the web and need new skills to develop their present careers and those who have decided on a career change; and see web design and content management as a new opportunity.

Aims of the programme

• To equip students with a professional level of competence in web design and content management
• To give non-designers an understanding and appreciation of design
• To provide students with the opportunity of creating a live website and to measure its success
• To help students become familiar with the growing and fast-evolving body of knowledge within this new design discipline

Content

Webpage Design (30 credits)
Website Planning (30 credits)
Content Management (30 credits)
Media Design for the Web (30 credits)
Web Thesis Project (60 credits)