You can study digital marketing at a college or university and earn an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree. But a college degree isn’t really necessary to switch careers and become a Digital Marketer. There are many certificate programs that can teach you what you need to know to start working as a Digital Marketer in a much shorter time.
What Is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing uses channels and tools like email marketing, social media marketing, paid and unpaid search marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO) to promote products and services. As the popularity of the internet has grown, digital marketing has become one of the most effective ways to publicize a business and help it grow. Knowledge of digital marketing can be an asset to entrepreneurs and owners of businesses large and small, and many companies are hiring Digital Marketers to do research, build brand loyalty, and create community. Digital Marketers also analyze data collected from online marketing efforts to make a business more efficient.
Why Use Digital Marketing?
Marketing has drastically changed over the years. While original ways to promote a business might have been in the yellow pages, print ads, and on buses and billboards, many of those marketing efforts have leaped online. With digital marketing, you can adapt and make changes in real-time to reflect your advertising. You can also create targeted ads to ensure your products and services reach an interested audience.
Digital marketing efforts are highly measurable. Using analytics, you can quickly tell how many people see your ads, how they react, and what action they take based on your ads. Measuring your success (and where you need to improve) can help overall strategy. Plus, digital marketing levels the playing field, allowing businesses of any size to compete for clicks.
Additionally, there’s a low barrier to entry: you can start your paid digital marketing campaign for a minimum amount and build as your company grows. And digital marketing offers the unique chance to control where you spend those crucial advertising dollars.
Even though you can see the analytics right away, it can take some time to see results from your online marketing techniques (sometimes anywhere from three to six months). Digital marketing can be a long-term investment, but it will keep providing you with results once it's in place.
College Degrees in Digital Marketing
You can choose to study digital marketing in college at the bachelor’s or master’s level. You can also earn a minor in digital marketing with a major in another degree, like business, advertising, or marketing.
Associate’s Degree
An associate's is a two-year degree in digital marketing. The curriculum covers enough of the basics of digital marketing to get you started in a career. In addition to classes on social media marketing, content strategies, and data analytics, many programs include courses on interpersonal communication, advertising, psychology, and international marketing. Most programs require around 60 credits (20 courses) for an associate degree.
Bachelor’s Degree
It takes between four and five years to earn a bachelor’s degree in digital marketing, depending upon whether you attend full-time or part-time. Students are expected to take core classes in science, math, humanities, and others in addition to courses in the digital marketing major. It takes around 120 credits (40 courses) to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Digital Marketing Minor
A minor is an area of interest or concentration that you can declare in college. Many schools offer a minor in digital marketing that includes courses you can take in addition to a major in business, advertising, communications, or another degree.
Master’s Degree
Some colleges and universities offer a master’s degree in digital marketing. A master’s takes 30 credits (10 courses) and about two years to complete. Also, you must have a bachelor’s degree to enroll in a master’s program. Some plans include research and require students to write a thesis to graduate.
Advantages of a College Degree
Some people want the experience of earning a degree at a college or university. School is more than just classes and allows you to join clubs and sports teams, and participate in other cultural experiences.
Another advantage to getting a college degree is school accreditation. This is an assurance that the school’s program has been audited and is certified for quality. If you choose to get a college degree, make sure the school is accredited.
One further advantage to having a degree is if you want to teach. You will need at least a master’s degree to teach at the college level.
Disadvantages of a College Degree
There are disadvantages to pursuing a college degree. Even if you attend part-time online, a college education is a huge time commitment. Two to four years is a long time to wait to start a new career, especially for people who are several years out of high school.
Cost is another issue when considering a college degree. According to the US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, the average tuition and fees in 2020 were $9,400 at public four-year institutions, $36,700 at private nonprofit schools, and $19,100 at private for-profit colleges. At two-year institutions, tuition was $3,800 at public institutions, $18,600 at private nonprofit schools, and $15,700 at private for-profit colleges.
Certificate Programs
Certificate programs are designed to give you the skill set you need to succeed as a Digital Marketer. Noble Desktop offers a course that includes classes on Digital Marketing Strategies, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Marketing, Google Ads, and Google Analytics. Participants will learn to develop, execute, and measure marketing strategies using various tools and metrics. Students will work with each tool to launch campaigns across Google Ads and social media channels, analyze web data with Google Analytics, and learn about other key digital marketing strategies. This course is great for individuals looking to start a career in digital marketing, entrepreneurs looking to start a business and leverage digital marketing, or business owners looking to grow a business using digital marketing techniques. This program also includes a free retake so students can come back to refresh the material.
The course takes 78 hours to complete and costs $3,295. You can take classes in-person or live online from anywhere in the world. Live online classes have a set-up similar to in-person instruction, with a real-time, remote instructor who can answer questions and has the ability to share your screen to show you how to do things. You get the same level of attention as in in-person classes. When you complete the course, you will receive a verified digital certificate of completion licensed by the New York State Department of Education.
Other options for certificate classes include Thinkful’s full-time Digital Marketing Immersion, Jelly Academy’s six-week Digital Marketing Course, and BrainStation’s Digital Marketing Course. These courses are all available online.
Advantages of Certificate Programs
Certificate programs take two to four months to complete, which is considerably shorter than college. These are intensive courses focusing exclusively on digital marketing subjects. Certificate programs are also significantly cheaper than four years of college.
Disadvantages of Certificate Programs
Some employers require a bachelor’s degree, so someone with a digital marketing certificate would not be eligible, but those positions are increasingly rare. The most important part of a career in digital marketing is what you can do on the job, and as with tech jobs, employers are more interested in your abilities than a degree.
Conclusion
If you want to learn more about digital marketing careers, check out Noble Desktop’s Digital Marketing Certificate or Social Media Marketing Certificate. Choose between in-person sessions in NYC at Noble’s location or sign up for live online courses and attend from anywhere. Use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me to find other courses in digital marketing in your area.