Marketing strategy is vital to the success of any business, but as technology evolves, digital formats are starting to replace the older, more traditional channels. If you want to be on the cutting edge of the latest marketing strategies, known as digital marketing or online marketing, then earning your digital marketing degree could be a great option.
What is digital marketing vs. traditional marketing?
Marketing practices are the strategies and tactics that businesses use to build relationships and loyalty with their customers in order to generate interest in their products and services. Traditional marketing is any type of marketing that isn’t online, and some formats have been around for centuries (for example, ads in newspapers or billboards alongside roads). Other forms of traditional marketing include any type of print, broadcast (like radio or TV), phone, direct mail, or outdoor advertising.
Top 5 Digital Marketing Degree Programs
Rank | School | Location |
---|---|---|
1 | Liberty University | Lynchburg, Virginia |
2 | Bellevue College | Bellevue, Washington |
3 | Old Dominion University | Norfolk, Virginia |
4 | Rasmussen University | Bloomington, Minnesota |
5 | University of Toledo | Toledo, Ohio |
However, with the advent of the internet nearly thirty years ago, digital and online marketing has started to outpace the more traditional formats. Different types of digital marketing include:
- Social media marketing
- Email marketing
- Pay-per-click (PPC)
- Display
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Affiliate marketing
- Content marketing
- Influencer marketing
- Mobile marketing
Is there a degree for digital marketing?
In response to the increased demand for employees who understand these types of marketing channels and how to implement them, many schools have started to create Digital Marketing degree programs versus traditional Marketing programs. These programs include the fundamentals you’d learn in a traditional marketing program but mainly focus on marketing strategy and technology for online platforms.
Do you want to take a look at some different marketing degree options? Take a look at the 15 best digital marketing degree programs in our list below!
What should I major in for digital marketing?
If you’re interested in the growing field of digital marketing, then it makes sense to take the next step and enroll in a digital marketing degree program. This type of degree program may go by several different names, including:
- Digital Marketing
- Online Marketing
- Business Administration – Digital Marketing Concentration
- Social Media Marketing
- Digital Advertising & Marketing
Is a digital marketing degree worth it?
A digital marketing degree is a great way to build a solid skillset in the fundamentals of marketing while mastering a wide spectrum of digital media channels. Marketing is a broad field, and almost every business requires professionals who are savvy in this area. Jobs you could pursue with a degree in digital marketing include:
- Advertising, marketing, and promotions managers: $135,900 (2019 median pay)
- Market research analysts: $63,790 (2019 median pay)
- Event planners: $50,600 (2019 median pay)
If you’re ready to review the best degree program options for you, take a look below. We’ve ranked the best digital marketing degree programs based on two factors: tuition cost per credit (lowest is best) and graduate enrollment (highest is best). To see which program might be the best fit for your goals and schedule, take a look at our ranking below!
Best 15 Digital Marketing Degree Programs
Liberty University
Liberty University offers a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) that helps students become digitally savvy marketing professionals who can use multiple forms of online media to reach customers, sell products, and grow businesses. This degree program provides graduates with a well-rounded marketing skill set, including knowledge of digital marketing practices like web analytics, mobile marketing, customer retention, and site optimization. Courses include Conversion and Optimization, Consumer Retention through Digital Marketing, Marketing Research, and Digital Marketing in a Virtual World.
School Overview
Bellevue College
Bellevue College offers a Bachelor of Applied Science in Digital Marketing that helps students hone their digital marketing skills through a combination of on-campus and online classes. Students learn the latest online marketing strategies and digital technology to prepare for careers as marketing leaders and executives. In addition to traditional marketing channels, the program focuses on marketing strategies in web design, social media, search, online video, display, CRM systems, and web analytics.
School Overview
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University offers a Digital Marketing BSBA through its Strome College of Business that prepares students for a wide variety of in-demand marketing positions by teaching the fundamentals of digital marketing, communication, and analytic knowledge. Classes are available both online and on-campus, and graduates pursue careers as search marketing strategists, advertising and promotions managers, statisticians, and market research analysts and specialists. Courses include Marketing on the Internet, Social Media Marketing, and Multi-National Marketing.
School Overview
Rasmussen University
Rasmussen University offers a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing with a Digital Marketing Specialization through its School of Business. This program prepares students to navigate today’s constantly changing digital landscape, focusing on traditional and online marketing channels, public relations, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), market research, and product management. The Digital Marketing specialization is geared towards students with an interest in digital advertising, creative content, and social media, and credits can be applied towards Rasmussen’s accelerated Master’s pathway, where students can take one MBA course as part of their Bachelor’s program at the same price of their BA.
School Overview
University of Toledo
University of Toledo offers a Digital Marketing Bachelor’s Degree through its College of Business that helps students become experts on the latest digital marketing trends so they can remain competitive in the business world. In addition to developing soft skills like critical thinking, leadership, and communication, students learn the foundations of digital and conventional media (including mobile media and social), website design and management, marketing strategies and analytics, and information technology. In addition to gaining more general marketing knowledge, students can choose to specialize in either Digital Technology or Digital Marketing Applications.
School Overview
Full Sail University
Full Sail University offers a Digital Marketing Bachelor of Science that teaches students how to create online marketing content for a variety of industries in addition to supporting businesses and clients through search engine optimization (SEO) and analytics. Areas of focus include Display Advertising & Email Marketing and Search Engine Optimization, where students learn how to leverage the best marketing methods for clients and their audiences. The Momentum Scholarship, an award of up to $25,000, may be available for those who qualify.
School Overview
University of Wisconsin Stout
University of Wisconsin Stout offers a B.S. in Digital Marketing Technology designed to give students a competitive edge in the constantly evolving world of online marketing and technology. This program emphasizes the importance of preparing students with technological skills as marketing technologists, and graduates leave with a well-rounded knowledge of web development, server applications, scripting, responsive design, usability, SEO, XML, HTML5 / CSS3, social media, analytics, animation, and multimedia. Armed with these skills, students can pursue a number of careers in the marketing industry, including web developer, webmasters, multimedia developer, creative developer, and SEO diagnostics consultant.
School Overview
Colorado State University Global
Colorado State University Global offers a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing with a Digital Marketing Specialization that helps students create brand awareness and drive results for organizations on multiple digital platforms. This program’s well-rounded curriculum teaches the concepts, strategies, and theories for developing and executing effective online marketing plans, and includes course materials on effective communication, campaign strategies, relationship building, and public relations. Colorado State University Global suggests pairing this specialization with the following Bachelor’s degrees: BS in Marketing, BS in Business Management, BS in Human Services, and BS in Management Information Systems and Business Analytics.
School Overview
University of Michigan Dearborn
University of Michigan Dearborn offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Digital Marketing that focuses on some of the main areas of online media that consumers use today, including social media marketing, email marketing and mobile. This program teaches students how to create marketing campaigns that can adapt to almost any digital platform and make strategic decisions using key data from business intelligence, SEO/SEM, web analytics, marketing data and social media measurement. Required courses include E-tailing and Retailing, Digital Analytics and Content, Communications Strategy and New Media, Marketing Research, and more.
School Overview
Mid-America Christian University
Mid-America Christian University offers a BS in Digital Marketing that helps students become well-versed in the always-innovating world of digital technology and its different platforms, including mobile advertising, pay per click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO). Students also gain the well-rounded knowledge they need to thrive in the marketing industry and business world, including economics, accounting, and public relations. Students receive certification in marketing, Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram Advertising, Bing Ads, Salesforce, Marketo, and Google Analytics.
School Overview
Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University offers a BS in Digital Marketing & Social Media as a collaborative degree through the College of Engineering & Design and College of Business. In addition to general studies and professional studies courses, the curriculum covers the fundamentals of digital and social media marketing, including data collection and analytics, search engine marketing, online research, mobile advertising, CRM strategy, digital advertising, and more. Graduates leave with the strong analytics, technology, and marketing backgrounds that employers need to stay on top of digital marketing and social media trends.
School Overview
Lewis University
Lewis University offers a BS in Digital Marketing through its College of Business that builds on the foundation of a traditional marketing education by adding a curriculum focused on digital marketing strategies. Graduates leave with the tools and knowledge they need to use online reputation management along with digital marketing strategy to enhance an organization’s marketing efforts. Digital Marketing minor tracks are included for both Business majors and non-Business majors. Courses include Web Analytics, Introduction to Graphic Design, Business Communication in the Digital Age, and Principles of Marketing.
School Overview
New England Institute of Business at Cambridge College
New England Institute of Business at Cambridge offers a Bachelor of Science in Digital Marketing that trains students in general business administration and research as well as the digital marketing skills they need to thrive in today’s technology-driven world, including mobile technologies, social media engagement, search engine optimization, digital content, online automated tools, email marketing and more. This program is based on theories from some of today’s most noted leaders in modern marketing including Simon Sinek, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Seth Godin. Three areas of concentration are available: Marketing Analytics, Virtual Marketing, and Strategic Marketing.
School Overview
Southwest Baptist University
Southwest Baptist University offers a Digital Marketing degree program that covers a wide spectrum of online marketing specialties, including advertising, digital and social media marketing, computer programming, graphic design, and more. Created to give students a versatile range of skills and well-rounded knowledge, this program provides real-world experience through marketing and advertising projects with local businesses. Several scholarship opportunities may be available to students who qualify, including the Aric Beckham Memorial Scholarship and the Nebraska Book Company Scholarship.
School Overview
Bay State College
Bay State College offers a BS program in Management with a concentration in Digital Marketing that balances a comprehensive background in business education with an in-depth focus on marketing. Experiential learning is prioritized through hands-on projects with real organizations and more than 240 hours of internship experience with leading companies in the nearby Boston area. Classes are available in three formats: day classes, evening classes, and online classes. Courses include Content Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Analytics, Product Development and Marketing, and more.
School Overview
Want to check out more digital marketing degrees? Try out our Degree Finder tool and we’ll help you find the school that’s best for you!
Digital Marketing Degree Ranking Methodology
We came up with a list based on per-credit tuition rates (in-state where applicable) and graduate enrollment rates for each school in order to generate our rankings. After sorting first by the per-credit tuition rates and then by graduate enrollment rates, we assigned points to each school and added these points to get a final ranking score.
For more programs, check out our Master’s in Digital Marketing page.
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