Is A Digital Marketing Masters Worth It?

A Digital Marketing Masters is an increasingly popular qualification for people wanting to work their way up in the industry. 

The breadth of digital marketing is expanding, as are job opportunities in the field. So it makes sense to improve your skills and gain a qualification to get ahead. 

But is it worth the time and effort needed to achieve a Digital Marketing MSc?

We think so. 

If you’re thinking about a masters degree but aren’t sure whether or not to do it, here are the top reasons for enrolling in a course like Northumbria’s.  

What skills do you need to be a digital marketer? 

Let’s say you’ve been working in digital marketing for a couple of years, or you’re looking for a career switch and you want to progress. You might decide to specialise in SEO or social media management.

But do you understand the industry and nuances of the wider marketing landscape to truly be effective in a specialist role? 

Concentrating in a narrow field like email marketing or data analytics can be very interesting and rewarding. However, if you don’t have wider contextual knowledge you might struggle in the job.

A digital marketing masters programme gives you a broad, up-to-date skillset. By becoming a well-rounded, qualified marketer, you’ll understand what your colleagues, other teams, agencies and organisations do, and how that affects your work. 

Useful Digital Marketing Skills

Regardless of your role or digital marketing career goals, there are some general skills that you’ll need to master:

• Social Media Marketing – it’s more than knowing how to post an Instagram story (though that does help). Social media management requires mastering tone of voice and branding, monitoring engagement, channel-specific technical specifications and much more. 
• Marketing Data Analytics – knowing which metrics are useful and understanding what they mean can be the key to effective digital marketing campaigns.
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) – more than stuffing a few keywords into your content, working with search engine algorithms and knowing how to feature in the top pages of Google is both an art and science all of its own.
• Customer Journeys and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – if you can’t grasp of the intricate ways your customers interact and engage with your business, the rest of your marketing efforts won’t have much impact. 

These are just a few digital marketing skills that you need in order to advance your career. Even if you choose to specialise, having a solid understanding of what others are doing in the marketing department is invaluable. It’ll make you a more useful team member or digital marketing manager.

A reputable digital marketing masters will give you a firm grounding in all the skills you need to work your way up in digital marketing in the UK and beyond.

What jobs can I get with a masters in Digital Marketing?

Speaking of working in digital marketing, you may be in the industry already, looking to progress. Or perhaps you’re considering a digital marketing MSc instead of an MBA or similar, to switch careers or concentrate in a specific role.

One thing is almost certain: a masters in digital marketing will improve your employment prospects and your negotiating position for a higher salary. 

According to the 2019 Labour Force Survey from the Department for Education, postgraduates enjoy an 88 per cent employment rate. They also earn £8,000 more a year on average compared to undergraduates. 

With the skills gained and higher level of teaching on a masters course, a digital marketing MSc makes your CV stand out. 

We’ve discussed the kinds of digital marketing jobs that are open to you with a masters degree in another post, but here’s a reminder of possible roles:

• Digital Marketing Manager
• Digital Marketing Co-ordinator
• Digital Marketing Executive
• Communications Officer
• Social Media Manager
• Brand Manager
• PPC/Paid Search Manager
• Web Developer
• Data Scientist/Analyst
• SEO Specialist
• Content Strategist

It can be a competitive jobs market, especially if you’re trying to work your way up into higher positions. However, a masters in digital marketing will show employers that you’re committed and you have the capacity to understand broad and complex concepts in the discipline.

We also recommend a part-time digital marketing MSc which you can study online while you keep doing your job. Postgraduate courses can be time-consuming, but if you learn online, you can continue to work and earn a living while you earn your masters. This means you don’t lose out on income or your marketing career's momentum.

What you’ll learn on our Digital Marketing MSc 

We’ve outlined the skills you’ll hone on a good digital marketing masters programme. But what topics will you have learnt once you graduate? 

The number one course criteria for anyone intending to work in digital marketing is industry relevance. That means studying modules that are well-researched, expertly taught, and up to date with the latest trends and practices.

There aren’t that many people who undertake an MSc in digital marketing purely for academic curiosity. Our course at Northumbria is designed as a business-oriented, vocational programme to prepare you for working in the industry. 

Modules on our double-accredited digital marketing MSc include:

• Digital Entrepreneurship – applying technologies to start up and run a business in the digital space.
• The Digital Customer Journey: Data, Profiling and CRM – exploring consumer behaviour when interacting with digital technologies. Using journey mapping, customer profiling and database marketing to understand how to personalise digital communications.
• Strategic Marketing in the Digital Era – how to plan and implement marketing strategy within the context of other business functions.
• Digital Campaign Management and Media – highlighting the communications tools at the disposal of marketing teams, such as social media and email, and how they can be harnessed for effective digital marketing campaigns. 
• Marketing Metrics and Analytics – how to use data analytics tools to assess effectiveness of various digital marketing channels, including a strong understanding of Google Analytics.

There is also a 40-credit research project based on a specialist digital marketing topic of your choice, giving students a great opportunity to showcase an area of interest.

Over two years of part-time study you’ll cover everything you need to know about the digital marketing landscape. You’ll also gain invaluable professional skills in research, planning, strategy and analysis. These are beneficial in any path you choose to take in your digital marketing career. 

And our flexible online-only MSc is taught by a Digital Marketing department with excellent industry links and network connections. Our staff includes expert marketing practitioners and leading academics. We’re also accredited by the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) and Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) to ensure that our course framework fits industry standards. 

Improve your digital marketing skills with our accredited MSc

The knowledge and skills you’ll learn on an accredited digital marketing masters will make you better marketer. With a trusted faculty of experts guiding your studies, and a team of student advisors supporting your learning and career outcomes, your prospects after graduation will be hugely increased. 

Northumbria is a business-oriented university with employability of its students a key priority. So if you’re considering taking a digital marketing masters programme to boost your career, our distance learning course should be part of your strategy. 

Find out more about our multiple intakes throughout the year, and start studying from home at whatever times and pace suits you.