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digital marketing

Types of Degrees digital marketing Majors Are Earning

People majoring in digital marketing may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	52
Associate’s Degree	79
Bachelor’s Degree	170
Master’s Degree	1,000

What digital marketing Majors Need to Know

Studies in digital marketing emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that digital marketing graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing digital marketing emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a digital marketing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to digital marketing careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, digital marketing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by digital marketing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	✓
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft SQL Server	Data base user interface and query software	—
PHP	Web platform development software	—
JavaScript	Web platform development software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe ActionScript	Development environment software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for digital marketing graduates include:

• Social Media Specialist
• Marketing Specialist
• Marketing Consultant
• Technical Marketing Specialist
• HTML Developer (HyperText Markup Language Developer)
• Web Consultant
• Technical Marketing Consultant
• Trade Specialist
• Market Research Worker
• Market Analyst
• Event Marketer
• Marketing Forecaster
• Trade Analyst
• Marketing Support Specialist
• Market Research Consultant

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to digital marketing graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	49.2%
Master’s degree	23.6%
Doctoral degree	8.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.8%
Some college courses	4.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.4%
First professional degree	2.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.9%
Less than a high school diploma	1.4%
Postsecondary certificate	1.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in digital marketing?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65% of digital marketing degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	847	65.0%
Men	456	35.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of digital marketing graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	721	55.3%
Asian	42	3.2%
Hispanic or Latino	299	22.9%
Black or African American	74	5.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	8	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	54	4.1%
Race Unknown	45	3.5%
International Students	59	4.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do digital marketing Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of digital marketing graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$47,976
4 years	$58,749
5 years	$68,122

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $68,122 — roughly 42% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online digital marketing Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for digital marketing. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	4	0
Bachelor’s	7	2
Master’s	6	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in digital marketing Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, digital marketing graduates earn a median of $58,749 four years after completion — roughly 55% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Marketing	52.14
International Marketing	52.1403
Marketing Research	52.1402
Marketing, Other	52.1499
Marketing/Marketing Management, General	52.1401
Hospitality and Recreation Marketing Operations	52.1910
Accounting and Business/Management	52.0305
Accounting and Finance	52.0304
Accounting	52.0301
Actuarial Science	52.1304
Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations	52.1904

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.