Updated in 2023
Hi, I’m Polina! Formerly, I worked as a senior digital marketing manager and now I am the marketing mentor at Pathrise. I help job-seekers prepare for their future in digital marketing. Check out my review of Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate.
- What does Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate do?
- Who is Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate for?
- What does Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate cost?
- Ratings and reviews of Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate
- Alternatives to Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate
- How does Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate compare to Pathrise?
What does Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate do?
Duke Continuing Studies has partnered with Simplilearn, an online training platform, to offer a Certificate in Digital Media & Marketing. The program is self-paced. It provides 2 live 1-on-1 mentoring sessions per month and weekly class Q&As with the instructors. Students also receive access to video lessons, webinars, readings, assignments, and more over 9 modules and 7 short elective courses.
Those in the program have access to course materials for 12 months. They should expect to take about 350 hours to finish the program. Though flexible, they recommend that students commit between 5-10 hours per week to coursework. To pass a module, students must complete all of the course requirements and receive 80% or higher on the exam.
Before moving on to advanced modules, which can be taken in any order, students must complete the Digital Marketing Certified Associate (DMCA) module. This prepares students to take an OMCA certification exam. OMCA, which stands for Online Marketing Certified Associate, is a certification for entry-level marketers that verifies that they have knowledge of digital marketing concepts and practices across various disciplines.
The advanced curriculum includes modules on search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, and social media, as well as pay per click (PPC), website conversion rate optimization, web analytics, and more. Students complete labs using Mimic Pro and Mimic Social to learn how to develop paid and social media strategies that are based on real data and analytics.
Tools
Students also practice using popular and in-demand tools, including Google Analytics, Facebook Advertising, YouTube and video marketing, Mailchimp, and more. Those who complete the DMCA module and 6 of the advanced modules are eligible to take an exam to earn their Online Marketing Certified Professional (OMCP) certificate. This well known certification is for online marketing professionals with extensive knowledge of the field.
While the program prepares students for various digital marketing roles, they do not offer assistance with the job search. However, students can take shorter elective courses in more niche topics to help advance their career, such as personal branding and digital marketing in other markets.
Who is Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate for?
Students who are new to digital marketing, as well as those with more experience, can benefit from the program. It is a fairly long program. So, people who are looking to learn quickly might want to look for a different course.
What does Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate cost? How much work is involved?
Tuition for the course is $3,195. Students can either pay the tuition upfront or take out a loan through a private lender, such Sallie Mae or Wells Fargo, for the full cost of the program.
To register, students must fill out a brief application with their personal information and confirm that they are at least 18 years old. Then, they pay tuition and email the course assistant to set up their account.
Ratings and reviews
Search Engine Journal included the certification program in their top 28 digital marketing certificate programs. Similarly, BestMarketingDegrees.org added the program to their list of top online digital marketing certification programs.
While there are not too many reviews online, most people who took Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate course thought highly of the program. One Quora grad, who took the same Simplilearn program, felt like he benefited from the program’s practical lessons. They said, “each week focuses on a new component where you not only learn theory and best practices, but you are required to apply your learning by completing case study assignments each week.” On a Reddit thread, one reviewer similarly advised that “If you want to learn something new, the courses might be useful.”
However, that same Reddit reviewer also said that the credential itself is not important: “If you want a certificate, don’t take them, [because] nobody cares in the industry.” Another reviewer on the thread echoes this, noting that “from the perspective of a hiring manager, I don’t pay much attention to these types of certificates.”
Alternatives to Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate
If you are looking for alternative courses and resources to learn digital marketing, check out the following list.
- edX is one of the largest online learning platforms. They have courses from top universities like Harvard and MIT as well as big tech companies like Microsoft. Learn more about edX in our review.
- Online learning platforms, Coursera and Pluralsight have courses in digital marketing, as well as other topics, which are typically shorter.
- You can also check out Udacity and Springboard. These are online learning tools that students can use to brush up on the basics or advance their current tech skills. Read more about Udacity and Springboard in our reviews.
- GrowthX Academy is an online bootcamp with courses in growth marketing, UX design, and sales and business development.
- Similarly, Pluralsight, SDSU Bootcamp, Bootcamp Digital, Digital Creative Institute, Somerville Academy, Skillcrush, Kellogg Executive Education, and InternStreet offer tracks in digital marketing.
- SEMRush Academy, Copyblogger, QuickSprout, Facebook Blueprint, HubSpot Academy offer free courses in their software as well as other digital marketing topics.
More alternatives
- With online and in-person options, Noble Desktop has courses in SEO, Google Analytics, social media, and more.
- Similarly, NJIT Digital Skills Bootcamp, Highway Education, Miami Ad School, Pepperdine Graziadio Bootcamps, and DeltaV Code School have online courses in digital marketing and other topics.
- Likewise, Loyola University Digital Skills Bootcamp and Jelly Academy have marketing courses.
- One of the most well known bootcamps is General Assembly. They offer full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on a variety of topics like software engineering, data science, UX design, digital marketing, product management, and more. Read more about General Assembly in our review.
- Students located in the Bay Area or looking to work in Silicon Valley can check out Tradecraft, which has tracks in product design, growth marketing, engineering, and sales.
- Likewise, School16 and GreenFig teach marketing, sales, and product management.
How does Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate compare to Pathrise?
Duke’s Digital Media & Marketing Certificate is an online certificate program for new and experienced digital marketers who want to practice using the latest marketing tools and further develop their knowledge in a specific topic, such as SEO and web analytics. However, the program does not offer job-search guidance.
Pathrise is a full service organization that helps fellows with every component of the job search. Our mentors have years of experience on both sides of the hiring table. Fellows receive 1-on-1 guidance every step of the way. They participate in workshops and personalized sessions that focus on technical and behavioral interviewing, as well as resume and LinkedIn optimization, portfolio building, negotiation, and more.
Our program is flexible. There are only 2-4 hours of sessions per week. Fellows can schedule 1-on-1 sessions whenever they need support. The Pathrise income share agreement (ISA) means that fellows don’t pay anything until they start working at a new job they love. We never require upfront payments or deposits.
Pathrise is an online mentorship program that works with professionals 1-on-1 so they can land their dream job in tech. If you are interested in optimizing your job search by working with a mentor, become a Pathrise fellow.
Apply today.
