Hi everyone must read following breaking news story, hopefully this’ll be interesting read

Academics criticised for offering a masters degree covering Twitter and other social networking websites are defending themselves against the media onslaught – where else, but on Twitter.

Students on the £4,000 one-year Social Media degree, offered by Birmingham City University, will explore how we communicate on the websites and how they can be used for marketing.

Other modules on the course will teach students how to start a blog and podcasting techniques. The course is being advertised through a video on the university’s website.

The course convenor, Jon Hickman, who is posting regularly today on his Twitter feed, responded to media coverage of the course, saying it was not for “IT geeks”.

“The tools learned on this course will be accessible to many people,” he said. “It will definitely appeal to students looking to go into professions including journalism and PR.”

Independent academics have approved the course’s quality and standards.

Hickman said: “The course does entail synoptic research and scholarly activity, which are the fundamental criteria for masters degrees. It’s very relevant and very scholarly. It’s a new course, but its importance is unquestionable.

“Social media is very important for jobs within the marketing and communications sector, as a skill set within other jobs, and as an industry within itself.”

But Jamie Waterman, 20, a Birmingham-based student, told the Telegraph it was “a complete waste of university resources”.

“It’s of no interest to me whatsoever. Virtually all of the content of this course is so basic it can be self-taught.”

Paul Bradshaw, another lecturer involved in setting up the MA, replied on Twitter that the student’s comment was “uninformed”.