Does working in a creative field appeal to you? Are you looking for a way to combine your tech expertise with the development, promotion and sale of products and services? If so, studying digital marketing could be a good choice. We take you through the world of digital marketing degrees, including the skills they will they teach you, where you can find them, and what they could do for your career.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is the promotion and sale of products, brands and services, achieved by means of technology. It can take place on smartphone apps, desktop browsers, or even your favourite streaming service.
You’re likely to have seen or interacted with some elements of digital marketing in your everyday life already. These could include:
- Search engine results
- Emails
- Text messages
- Social media adverts
- Video adverts
- Website banners
Put simply, if it’s happening online or on your phone, it is digital marketing.
Of course, not all forms of advertising and promotion are digital. Learn more about the wider field with our guide to studying marketing.
What will I study in a digital marketing degree?
You can study digital marketing courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Depending on where you study, an undergraduate course will take three or four years to complete, while a postgraduate one will take one year full-time.
Universities all structure their curriculum and modules slightly differently. However, there are key areas you’ll study that are common to most undergraduate digital marketing degrees. These include:
- Marketing principles
- B2C marketing
- B2B marketing
- Marketing communications
- International marketing
- Brand management
- Campaign planning and management
- Marketing finance and budgeting
- Content development
- Search engine optimisation (SEO)
- Data analytics
Postgraduate digital marketing qualifications are usually taught master’s degrees, with several compulsory and optional modules. At this level, you’ll build on the foundation of a bachelor's in the subject, or a related one. This means refining key skills such as:
- Management and leadership
- Strategic management
- Marketing metrics analysis
- Customer journeys
Some master’s degrees include work placement and internship modules as part of the course, in addition to a dissertation or research report.
Unsure if you would prefer to study this, or something slightly different? Read our guide to decide which is better: marketing or PR.
What skills do you need to study digital marketing?
If you are thinking about studying digital marketing, it is worth considering the skills and interests it tends to require. Finding a degree to suit your personality is an important step on the way to matching your study and career path.
For digital marketing, you will need to have an aptitude for using digital technology and platforms. An ability to understand how websites, apps and social media work is critical, and is something you will develop throughout your studies.
Some of the other skills and abilities that are important in the field are:
- Creativity
- Analytical skills
- Communication skills
- Research ability
- Flexibility
- Critical thinking
- Problem-solving
- Writing skills
- Design skills
Digital marketing is also a continually evolving field, which means that you’ll always have the opportunity to grow your skills. Keeping up to date will be vital – as proved by the fact that some digital marketing jobs did not even exist 10 years ago.
Discover what other skills employers look for in graduates.
What are the entry requirements for a digital marketing degree?
Entry requirements for undergraduate digital marketing courses vary. In the UK, for instance, the University of Portsmouth requires you to have grades equivalent to ABB or BBB at A-Level to gain admission. By contrast, University College Birmingham only asks for the equivalent of CCC or CDD. As this shows, it is always important to check the conditions placed by each university you may consider.
Wherever you study, you will also need to demonstrate your English language ability. Most universities require an IELTS score of 6.5 or above, with no band score below 6. Remember that it is also possible to take a pre-sessional English course to prepare you for your academic studies.
Find out more about how to prepare for the IELTS test.
Where can you study digital marketing?
As the discipline becomes an ever more prominent feature of our world, digital marketing degrees are becoming more widely available. You can find undergraduate and postgraduate courses all around the world – take a look at the ones available in Canada and Australia.
Alternatively, you could specialise in a particular area of digital marketing on one of a number of courses. At Conestoga College in Canada, for example, you can study for a graduate certificate in social media marketing. Elsewhere in the country, York University offers a similar course in content marketing.
What can you do with a digital marketing degree?
The great thing about studying digital marketing is that the skills you learn are applicable in several sectors, industries and roles. You could find yourself working in areas such as:
- Advertising
- Public sector
- Charity and nonprofit sectors
- Technology
- Education
- Finance
Some of the most common roles that you may be able to take on with a qualification in digital marketing include:
- Digital marketer
- Communications manager
- Content manager
- Social media manager
- SEO manager
- Copywriter
Starting out working in digital marketing, you can earn on average between GBP 22,000 and 25,000 per year. As you progress and gain experience, this can increase to GBP 30,000 to 33,000 per year, while many years of experience can earn you over GBP 50,000. As the field continues to grow, so too should your earnings. Digital marketing is a stable industry, and thus a good choice for the future.
Now you have more knowledge of digital marketing, it might be time to extend your research. Get some top tips on finding a job as a graduate and read about some of the other potential jobs for graduates in creative fields.
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