Many of the best business schools offer online MBA in Digital Marketing programs that combine the best business education with the latest in digital marketing techniques. The increasing popularity of these online MBA programs isn’t surprising considering the pervasive presence of digital technology, the Internet and mobile devices in contemporary society.

Digital marketing, sometimes known as Internet marketing, involves the use of digital technologies and channels, such as computers and mobile devices, websites and search engines, and social media platforms, in marketing products and services to consumers. These consumers include individuals, groups and businesses that use digital technologies and channels in buying their needs and wants.

Online MBA programs with a digital marketing specialization cover a wide range of online marketing channels. These include Internet marketing, pay-per-click advertising, content marketing, affiliate marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and video marketing. Students also learn about search engine optimization and SMS messaging.

At a Glance

Business schools that offer online MBA programs with a digital marketing specialization prepare students for successful careers in the highly competitive marketing industry. Students learn about the principles and processes behind creating the best digital marketing strategy for different business types and, thus, enable these organizations to achieve their goals.

Students in online MBA programs offering a digital marketing concentration also learn about the basics and ways of maximizing the benefits of digital marketing or Internet marketing. These include a global geographical reach, cost-efficient operations, and quantifiable results in evaluating the effectiveness of a marketing strategy, among others.

Best Online MBA in Digital Marketing Programs

The business schools that offer the best online MBA programs with a Digital Marketing concentration are part of regionally accredited colleges and universities (e.g., Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges accreditation). Most also have programmatic accreditation from the AACSB-Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and/or ACBSP-Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs (ACBSP).

Montclair State University

Feliciano School of Business

Online MBA in Digital Marketing

Tuition per Credit: $891.67
Units Required: 39 credits
Program Length: 24 months
Financial Assistance Options: Scholarships, assistantships, unemployment tuition waiver, New Jersey Dream Act

Students in the AACSB-accredited online MBA program learn the digital marketing skills that make them among the best in the industry. The ability to create disruptions in the digital marketing industry, drive innovation in digital marketing campaigns, and increase brand and organizational value is at the heart of the MBA in Digital Marketing program’s curriculum.

The top-ranked online MBA program is ideal for marketing specialists, career-changers and career advancement aspirants, and entrepreneurs with their own e-commerce businesses. Both seasoned marketing professionals and newbies with a bachelor’s degree in business administration or other fields are welcome.

Core Courses:

Operations and Supply Change Management
Organizational Behavior
Omni-Channel Retailing
Applied Marketing Management
Digital Marketing Strategy and RODMI

Students in the MBA in Digital Marketing complete an e-commerce business practicum. The courses prepare students in the creation, implementation and evaluation of strategic marketing plans as part of an overall internet marketing program. Students also learn market research practices, consumer decision-making strategies, and optimal application of the 4Ps of marketing.

This is considered among the best online MBA programs because of its excellent student support services, opportunities for peer-to-peer collaborations, and flexible schedules.

Rutgers University

Rutgers Business School Newark and New Brunswick

Online Mini-MBA in Digital Marketing

Tuition per Credit: $1,218 (in-state)
Units Required: 35 hours
Program Length: Approximately 14 weeks
Financial Assistance Options: Company tuition reimbursement

Rutger’s Mini-MBA in Digital Marketing program empowers students to become strategic and tactical thinkers that enable them to create effective and efficient marketing strategies. Students gain the knowledge and skills to become leaders of their organizations, too, thanks to the heavy emphasis on business administration courses.

This is considered among the best online MBA programs, too, because students have unique opportunities for personalized learning in an interactive virtual classroom setting. Their professors use real-world examples, many of which are based on their work experiences, to emphasize business administration and digital marketing concepts. The Rutgers Business School also provides students with excellent networking opportunities.

Core Courses:

Digital Marketing Strategy
Search Engine Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Web Analytics and ROI for Better Decision-Making
Digital Customer Acquisition

The MBA in Digital Marketing program’s coursework first establishes a comprehensive understanding of advanced business administration concepts. Students tackle 10 modules including concentration courses that develop their abilities in search engine optimization, popular digital marketing techniques, and web analytics. The coursework emphasizes the impact of digital innovations on the marketing profession, too.

Clayton State University

College of Business

Online MBA in Digital Marketing

Total Tuition: $12,705
Units Required: 33 credits
Program Length: 12-24 months
Financial Assistance Options: Graduate assistantships, veteran benefits, grants, and loans

The AACSB-accredited MBA in Digital Marketing program prepares students for success in the challenging yet rewarding digital marketing profession. Students develop their skills in the development of online strategies that are aligned with organizational goals and place companies at an advantage.

These skills include consumer acquisition, performance analysis, and content creation, along with a broad understanding of business administration concepts. With these skills, graduates are highly sought-after by e-commerce and brick-and-mortar businesses that want to establish or strengthen their online presence.

Core Courses:

Marketing Strategy
Digital Marketing and Strategy
Social Media Marketing
Foundations of Accounting
Foundations of Quantitative Methods

Business administration courses comprise the bulk of the coursework in the MBA in Digital Marketing program. But the concentration courses are challenging and, thus, push students to know more about digital marketing, including consumer behavior, branding, and search engine optimization, among others. Students are also encouraged to apply their knowledge and skills in the development of innovative solutions for consumer engagement across a wide range of digital channels.

Fort Hays State University

W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship

Online MBA in Digital Marketing

Tuition per Credit: $350
Units Required: 33 credits
Program Length: 12-24 months
Financial Assistance Options: Scholarships and federal financial aid

If you’re looking for an affordable online MBA program with a digital marketing concentration, then FHSU’s MBA in Digital Marketing program is your best bet! But its affordability doesn’t compromise its top-notch academic quality – its graduates are employed in many of the largest marketing agencies, e-commerce businesses, and corporations.

Core Courses:

Integrated Marketing Communications
Strategic Electronic Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Social Media Marketing Content and Analytics

The business administration core courses are conducted in eight-week sessions that enable students fast and flexible program completion. Students thrive under the guidance of their expert professors, dedicated academic advisors, and career placement and counseling professionals, the latter of which is provided for life. On-campus graduate teaching assistantships are available for online students, too, and provide them with learning opportunities valuable for their current and future work.

Applicants don’t have to submit GRE/GMAT scores. The MBA in Digital Marketing program has a rolling admission policy. Prospective students can choose from multiple start dates. Applicants are evaluated based on holistic criteria regardless of their undergraduate degree presented.

McKendree University

School of Business

Online MBA in Digital Marketing

Tuition per Credit: $555
Units Required: 39 credits
Program Length: 17-24 months
Financial Assistance Options: Federal financial aid and employer reimbursement

Yet another affordable online MBA program is offered by McKendree University and it’s made even more affordable by financial aid. The MBA in Digital Marketing program enables students to build their traditional and digital marketing skills based on a strong theoretical foundation. Students learn about marketing analytics and social media marketing as part of their training in digital marketing as well as gain a broad understanding of business administration concepts.

Core Courses:

Digital Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Marketing Analytics
Organizational Behavior
Corporate Strategy and Leadership

Students in the MBA in Digital Marketing program develop their strategic thinking skills vital for success in the competitive digital business world. Their lessons cover topics in human interactions on social media platforms, online community formation and its relationship to branding, and content creation for optimum audience engagement, among others.

The flexible online format of this master’s degree takes 17 months of full-time studies. Both students and graduates assert that their learning experiences were influenced by the diverse perspectives that their peers and professors brought into the lectures, discussions and assignments.

Temple University

Fox School of Business

Online MBA + Master of Science in Digital Marketing

Tuition per Credit: $1,250
Units Required: 63 credits
Program Length: 2-3 years
Financial Assistance Options: Federal financial aid, merit-based scholarships, Temple Alumni rewards, and veteran benefits

Offered as a dual degree program, the MBA + MS in Digital Marketing program allows students to earn the two separate degrees with a faster time to completion. When taken separately, the master’s degree programs have a 78-credit total – 48 credits for the MBA degree and 30 credits for the MS in Digital Marketing degree. There are 15 credits counted for both master’s degree programs.

Core Courses:

Consumer and Buyer Behavior
Digital Innovation in Product Management and Branding
Information Technology Management
Marketing Management/Strategy
Social Media Innovation

These courses are delivered in five-week and ten-week sessions. Students become fully immersed in each course and then move on to the next course.

The online MBA in Digital Marketing program delivers on its promise of a standout business education suitable for working professionals with ambitious career advancement goals. Students learn via a state-of-the-art online learning platform that encourages interactive learning experiences and student engagement.

There are professional development workshops and career development services offered, too. Students may also choose to participate in the optional global immersion experience. There’s a mandatory five-day online residency and an in-person residency.

The digital marketing concentration builds key competencies in business acumen and reasoning, financial acuity, marketing research, and influential leadership along with topnotch digital marketing skills. Students learn through a combination of didactic coursework, hands-on practice, and real-world examples.

Concordia University Chicago

College of Business

Online MBA in Digital Marketing

Tuition per Credit: $727
Units Required: 48 hours
Program Length:
Financial Assistance Options: Federal financial aid, active military and veteran benefits and their eligible dependents, and grants

Find more lucrative career advancement opportunities with an MBA in Digital Marketing degree from CU Chicago! Graduates become respected business and digital marketing professionals who combine the art and science of both disciplines in their work. The digital marketing program has challenging coursework ideal for working professionals who are in entry-level and mid-level positions and desire managerial roles.

Core Courses:

Digital Strategy and Planning
Digital Marketing Analytics
Social Media Marketing Communications
Mobile Marketing

Students in the MBA in Digital Marketing develop their strategic, tactical, and analytical thinking skills that enable them to transition between traditional and digital marketing with relative ease. Their expertise covers the multiple aspects of digital marketing analytics, digital marketing strategy, and data analysis for marketing campaigns. Such a data-driven approach to digital marketing means graduates can immediately apply their learnings to real-world settings.

Benedictine University

Daniel L. Goodwin College of Business

Online MBA in Digital Marketing

Tuition per Credit: $800
Units Required: 39 credits
Program Length: 12-22 months
Financial Assistance Options: Federal financial aid and institutional scholarships

Graduates of the MBA in Digital Marketing program at Benedictine University are well-prepared for leadership positions in marketing agencies, for-profit corporations, and nonprofit organizations. Students must be prepared for the rigorous coursework that comes with earning a top-level business education from a 130-year-old university with 21st-century philosophies.

Students in the MBA in Digital Marketing program can choose from either the accelerated or the traditional track. The accelerated online MBA program has a 12-month completion period but requires a more challenging two courses per semester load. The traditional online MBA program has a 22-month time-to-completion on a one-course-per-semester load. In either track, working professionals are able to maintain a good work-life balance.

Core Courses:

Managerial Accounting
Operations Management
Brand and Marketing Management
Advanced Search and Social Marketing
Advanced Content Marketing, Automation, and Google Analytics

Students in the digital marketing MBA program must complete a capstone experience but don’t have to worry about a master’s degree thesis requirement. The capstone experience demonstrates the depth and breadth of their learnings and, thus, highlights their readiness for the leadership challenges ahead.

Messiah University

School of Graduate Studies

Online MBA in Digital Marketing

Tuition per Credit: $755
Units Required: 36 credits
Program Length: 12 months plus capstone
Financial Assistance Options: Federal financial aid

Future leaders are shaped by the MBA in Digital Marketing program at Messiah University! Here, students learn the latest – and best – in traditional and digital marketing strategies as well as the best technologies and techniques. Big data analytics, social media marketing, and mobile marketing are a few of the competencies developed.

The MBA in Digital Marketing requires a culminating capstone project where students work with faculty members and their choice of organizations. The curriculum features a strong biblical integration that reflects Messiah University’s status as a preeminent Christian university.

Core Courses:

Digital Marketing
Social Media Strategy
Marketing Analytics
Managerial Accounting and Finance
Business Strategy and Execution

The courses in the digital marketing MBA program are conducted in eight-week and six-week sessions suitable for the busy schedules of working professionals. There’s a strong emphasis on practical applications of knowledge and skills learned in the virtual classroom. Students benefit from the small class sizes, faculty mentoring, and supportive online community.

Liberty University

School of Business

MBA in Strategic Media and Digital Content

Tuition per Credit: $545
Units Required: 45 credits
Program Length: 24 months
Financial Assistance Options: Federal financial aid and loans, LUTAG and VTAG, and scholarships

The combination of business acumen and digital marketing expertise learned during the students’ stay in the MBA in Strategic Media and Digital Content program contributes to its popularity. Students become informed decision-makers armed with a robust foundation in business administration and digital marketing, including optimal use of media technologies.

Core Courses:

Media Technologies and Communication Strategies
Strategic Media Analysis
Best Practices: Transforming the Digital Organization
Using Emerging Trends in Strategic Communication

The marketing courses cover the length and breadth of strategic marketing management, online marketing strategies, and strategic social media marketing. Students gain a well-rounded business education with courses in human resources management, operations management, and global economics and business strategy. Intensive learning occurs with the use of the latest in interactive tools and from professors with extensive business administration and marketing experience.

Degree Requirements in Online MBA in Digital Marketing Programs

In many ways, online MBA programs cover business administration and digital marketing courses in undergraduate degree programs. But since these are master’s degree programs, the depth and breadth of discussions are more advanced than at the bachelor’s degree level.

Students in online MBA programs first cover business administration core courses before tackling concentration and elective courses. The core courses form the bulk of the coursework, too, meaning students establish a robust foundation in business administration complemented by above-par digital marketing skills.

Core Courses

While the core courses and their learning outcomes vary in online MBA programs, the common courses are as follows.

Finance and Corporate Financial Management

Students learn the principles and practices in finance in general and corporate financial management in particular, as these apply to making sound business decisions. Topics include debt and equity financing, mergers, buyouts and acquisitions, and market imperfections.

Marketing

Students usually tackle several marketing courses that cover the mix of marketing elements – product, price, place, and promotion – and their applications in real-world settings. There’s an emphasis on strategic brand management with real-world examples, too.

Financial and Managerial Accounting

Students learn accounting from the perspective of managers and their responsibility to make sound business decisions. Topics covered include financial, managerial and cost accounting, and even tax accounting in many programs.

Organizational Behavior and Management

Students learn the principles and practices behind human resources in organizational settings. There’s an emphasis on strategic leadership, human resources management, and organizational strategy.

Business Ethics and Accountability

Business leaders should possess a strong sense of social responsibility alongside their awareness of the legal, ethical and cultural implications of their actions and decisions.

Students in a typical online MBA program further enhance their online education with courses in global strategic management, integrated marketing communication, and business information analysis.

Concentration Courses

Digital marketing MBA online programs feature 3-5 concentration courses like the ones below.

Digital Marketing Strategy

Students learn about search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), and social media marketing in the introductory course.

Search Engine Marketing

Students master the basics of SEM, including the techniques for growing website rankings, gaining new visitors, and managing paid search advertising campaigns.

Web Analytics

Students learn the underlying principle that makes for a successful digital marketing campaign – web analytics that measures web performance.

Thesis and Capstone Courses

Depending on the online MBA program, students may or may not be required to submit a master’s thesis; the submission of a master’s thesis will likely extend the time to completion. Most digital marketing MBA online programs have a capstone course and/or project requirement instead.

Internship and Practicum Experiences

Not every online MBA program has an internship or practicum requirement. Students, after all, chose online programs because these allowed them to maintain full-time or part-time employment while pursuing their studies and meeting personal obligations. Online MBA programs with an internship or practicum requirement usually substitute work experiences for this reason.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of digital marketing MBA online programs have plenty of career opportunities! The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the rate of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers to rise to 10% (2021-2031).

Their median annual wages are among the highest, too – advertising and promotions managers earn $127,150 (May 2021), while marketing managers earn $135,030 (May 2021). The highest earners, furthermore, can earn as much as $208,000 per year!

Specific titles that graduates of digital marketing MBA online programs can aspire to include the following.

Chief Marketing Officers

As a chief marketing officer, you will set the overall marketing strategy for the organization and collaborate with other C-suite executives to ensure its alignment with organizational goals. Chief marketing officers are also known as marketing directors.

Marketing Analytics Managers

The duties of a marketing analytics manager include analyzing the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing campaigns and staying on top of marketing trends.

Digital Marketing Managers

As a digital marketing manager, your duties include overseeing the day-to-day operations of the marketing department, working with C-suite executives and managers in creating a long-range marketing strategy, and managing the creation, implementation and evaluation of marketing campaigns. Digital marketing managers can earn $123,952 in average annual salary.

Best Online MBA in Digital Marketing - fact

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between traditional and digital marketing?

The main difference between traditional marketing and digital marketing is the medium in which the target audiences receive the marketing messages. Traditional marketing uses print and broadcast media, such as magazines, newspapers, radio and television as their medium while digital marketing uses digital media.

Many online MBA programs, however, provide students with the education and training for both traditional and digital marketing.

What are the admission requirements for MBA in Digital Marketing programs?

Since these are master’s degree programs, applicants must have an undergraduate degree in business administration or in other fields from a regionally accredited college or university. Many online MBA programs accept both domestic and international students with a few differences in their admission requirements.

These include official transcripts for the undergraduate degree and minimum GPA, letters of recommendation, a professional resume, and a letter of intent/personal statement.

Why specialize in digital marketing as part of an MBA education?

A master’s degree in business administration with a digital marketing specialization will establish a comprehensive understanding of marketing in both traditional and digital media. Your knowledge of social media management and search engine optimization, among others, will be of great value to employers while your business education will boost your skills in entrepreneurship.

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