Digital marketing is an umbrella term involving the online promotion of brands through social media platforms, emails, webpages, search engines, applications, and more, on electronic devices. If you are interested in this ever-evolving field and want to know how to get a job in digital marketing, your journey will start with finding the best major for digital marketing.
While traditional marketing is still relevant today, it is exciting to be at the forefront of marketing trends through digital channels. Read below for our advice on how to choose a major for digital marketing, alongside tips on what degree for digital marketing you should seek in order to achieve your career goals.
Why Choose a Career in Digital Marketing
Pursuing a career in digital marketing or affiliate marketing is an excellent choice as it is an in-demand field that evolves alongside technological advancements in digital platforms, offering amazing growth potential and opportunities.
Many businesses are moving away from traditional marketing towards digital marketing campaigns, and you would be a key asset to bringing them into the future of digital advertising. In addition, earning a degree in marketing will hone a wide variety of professional skillsets, including copywriting, data analysis, content writing, advertising, email marketing, social media strategy, and search engine optimization (SEO) best practices.
Digital Marketing Job Outlook
The job outlook for marketing, in general, is very promising. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the overall employment for marketing managers should increase by 10 percent from 2020 to 2030, two percent more than the average job outlook for all occupations. This means the job market for digital marketing jobs is promising.
Throughout the next 10 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also estimated that there would be approximately 31,800 job openings per year for advertising, promotions, and marketing managers. Some of those opportunities, however, will be filling the spots of people who have left the field, perhaps due to employees retiring or changing careers.
Digital Marketing Job Satisfaction
On average, digital marketing managers are highly satisfied with their jobs, according to reviews on PayScale. The digital marketing profession has a work satisfaction rating of 3.75 out of five based on 929 responses. Digital marketing professionals are well-payed, but the median salary is lower than other tech-related jobs.
Digital Marketing Salary Potential
| Career | Minimum Level of Education | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Marketing Manager | Bachelor’s Degree | $69,292 |
| Data Analyst | Bachelor’s Degree | $62,789 |
| Copywriter | Bachelor’s Degree | $54,047 |
| Social Media Manager | Bachelor’s Degree | $52,958 |
| SEO Specialist | Bachelor’s Degree | $48,216 |
How to Choose a Major for Digital Marketing: Tips for Selecting the Right Digital Marketing Degree
Tip 1: Define Your Objective
When considering a career in digital marketing, determine what type of advertising campaigns you are most drawn to or what topics you think would best suit your skillsets. Consider the questions below to begin your process of finding the best major for digital marketing that aligns with your career path.
Do you find digital marketing strategies hosted on a mobile device through applications, social media platforms, emails, or webpages to be the most interesting to you? Are you inclined to work more creatively or are you more of a problem solver? Having answers to these questions will help inform your decisions on the most effective education courses to take in your digital marketing degree.
Tip 3: Do Proper Research
Once you have taken the time to consider an avenue in the marketing field, you will need to look up the best digital marketing bachelor’s degree programs that pertain to your ideal specialty. When considering quality educational institutions with the best majors for digital marketing, other important factors include geographic location and the cost of tuition.
If you prefer learning in an online environment, a budget-friendly option for students is to look into the wide range of online degrees you could pursue. Make sure that you search for accredited online marketing degree programs.
Tip 3: You Can Always Seek Further Education
If you find yourself torn about which digital marketing degree to choose from because you have an interest in multiple fields, know you can always take more digital marketing courses outside of a specific major at your educational institutions. You could either add a minor to your degree or even double major if that is one of your goals.
There are opportunities for digital marketing students even after they get their bachelor’s degree with online courses through digital marketing bootcamps. Additionally, you can obtain a digital marketing master’s degree either through online programs or in-person institutions.
Tip 4: Talk to Professionals in the Field
In choosing the best digital marketing courses for you, a key strategy is to spend time talking with those already established in their digital marketing careers. They can tell you how they became successful in digital advertising, which can in turn help you better consider your academic and career opportunities within mobile marketing.
Having a mentor might open an opportunity for a digital marketing internship, which would not only give you training and hands-on experience at the professional level, but likely would also count for college credits once you become an undergraduate student.
Tip 5: Determine Whether You Want a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science Degree
While obtaining a bachelor’s degree is the standard requirement for most digital marketing careers, you must take credits in the correct type of digital marketing bachelor’s degree relevant to your ideal career options. After evaluating your career path, you can get more specific about how to choose a major for a digital marketing degree program.
If you are creative, consider working on digital content as a copywriter, graphic designer, content writer, or blogger, which would more closely align with a Bachelor of Arts. If you are more of a problem solver, you might consider being a data analyst or SEO specialist, which more closely aligns with a Bachelor of Science.
What Degree for Digital Marketing: Best Majors for a Digital Marketing Career
Marketing
While this is an obvious major for digital marketing students, it is worth mentioning as there are many different marketing concentrations. If you know what specialty in the digital marketing industry you would like to pursue after graduation, you can choose a marketing concentration such as international marketing, business administration, entrepreneurship, sales, or advertising.
By majoring in the general discipline or a specific marketing concentration, you would be caught up on the latest developments in the marketing field. Additionally, because the core curriculum can be interdisciplinary, taking a variety of digital marketing classes each semester will teach you digital marketing skills that will enable you to keep up with advancements in mobile marketing beyond your degree level.
- Associated Career Paths: Digital Marketing Manager, Digital Strategist, Marketing Executive
- Levels of Education: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, Doctorate
Communications
As the name implies, this social science studies human interaction and applies that insight to create the most effective ways to share knowledge and ideas. This major dovetails into business communication, which teaches you the best digital marketing strategies for analyzing topics and creating digital media from press releases and journalism to advertisements and blogs.
In studying this major, you will become flexible in integrated marketing communication, which is a term for the ability to create coherence in brand identity and online presence across different forms of digital media. This major allows you to have creative career options within your marketing concentration.
- Associated Career Paths: Social Media Manager, Public Relations Specialist, Digital Media Content Specialist
- Levels of Education: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, Doctorate
Computer Science
This is an excellent choice for a major if you want to work on the logical, analytical side of the digital marketing field. Experts in fields such as mobile marketing use computer science to develop, manage, and monitor a marketing campaign’s performance on online platforms.
By synthesizing metrics and digital analytics, they can implement changes to boost the precision of marketing efforts, either by tuning into a niche while crafting personalized advertisements for specific customers, or by making advertising campaigns that appeal to the masses.
- Associated Career Paths: Web Developer, Software Architect, Computer Systems Analyst, SEO Specialist
- Levels of Education: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree
Finance
Finance is one of the vital aspects of the digital marketing industry because it directly affects the business’ profitability, as they are responsible for ensuring their company optimizes and stays within their budget. This degree would teach you how to have sound financial judgment, analyze risk assessment, and take charge of a company’s monetary wellbeing. Finance and digital marketing go hand-in-hand.
- Associated Career Paths: Financial Planner, Private Equity Professional, Budget Analyst, Accountant
- Levels of Education: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree
Business Administration
Business administration teaches you the ins and outs of how companies function and how best to run them. In studying this major, you can learn business fundamentals while honing your leadership and communication skills, and their curriculum is flexible enough that they can choose from a range of careers, including digital marketing management.
- Associated Career Paths: Investment Banker, Management or Marketing Consultant, Sales Manager
- Levels of Education: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree
Other Digital Marketing Related Majors
Many aspects of marketing and analytic skills needed for a digital marketing career can be obtained through academic experience in a variety of majors in colleges and universities. If you have read the list above and are still unsure about which digital marketing degree to pursue, check out the list of more majors that could kickstart your digital marketing career.
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- Mathematics
- Statistics
- Business Law
- Hospitality
- Entrepreneurial Studies
- Real Estate
- Human Resources
- Sales
- Management information systems
- Insurance
Is a Career in Digital Marketing Right for Me?
Yes, a career in digital marketing is a great fit if you want to be part of an ever-evolving and expanding marketing field that is in high demand. Consider taking a digital marketing program if you are adept at writing, are savvy with social media channels, or have a knack for electronic devices.
One advantage to having a strong marketing background is the flexibility of employment types, as you can often work remotely, and choose to work for a specific company, or set your own hours and wages through freelancing. In working in this fast-paced environment where you can wear a variety of different advertorial hats, you can ensure there will never be a dull moment in this in-demand industry.
Best Major for Digital Marketing FAQ
No, it is not hard to become a digital marketer. One of the nice aspects of marketing is that because the field encapsulates so many different skillsets and is constantly creating new specialties, you can reach your career goals by finding a niche within internet marketing, even with no professional experience.
Yes, you can work in digital marketing without a degree. Though having a bachelor’s degree certainly helps, and is often a requirement for certain job listings, you can pursue your personal goals by learning in a short time period at a digital marketing bootcamp or through digital marketing online courses.
Some of the digital marketing skills you’ll need include content marketing, video marketing, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, graphic design, and data analytics. Some important soft skills include good social skills, attention to detail, creative thinking, analytics, problem-solving, and tech-savvy.
Yes, you can often work in digital marketing from home. Most digital marketing jobs only require a mobile device, computer, and internet access, which can all be used from the convenience of your house. If you choose to freelance, then you can work remotely from home.
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