The top five digital marketing courses in the U.S.

The global digital marketing industry is growing at an exponential rate. Although the COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of subsiding, it’s forever changed how we work, shop and learn, with more people conducting their everyday lives from home. In fact, global digital advertising and marketing are predicted to reach $786.2 billion by 2026. The current U.S. market is estimated at US$179.4 Billion for 2022, accounting for a 38.6 percent share of the world market. In addition, China, the world’s second-largest economy, is predicted to attain an estimated market size of US$254.9 Billion in 2026.

There are two key takeaways when discussing today’s business climate: competition is greater than ever, and our world is increasingly digitized. That’s why it’s essential for today’s marketing professionals to possess a complete digital marketing skillset and keep them current and growing. There’s an overwhelming selection of relevant and vital skills, and the savvy marketer needs to choose the perfect program to fit their needs and gain critical training and certification.

The methodology used

The following digital marketing course ranking is a result of extensive research and analysis based on four main parameters:

1. Depth of curriculum: How comprehensive is the content, and what skills does it cover?
2. Interactive hands-on learning: To what extent is the learning experience interactive, and how much focus is given to learning actual tools, solving real industry problems, etc.?
3. Program recognition: Are both the program and the final certificate industry-recognized? For example, is it recognized only in India, or is it recognized globally?
4. Student experience: Did the students like the course and did they find it useful? Feedback and inputs were taken from external ratings such as Mouthshut, Trustpilot, and other similar venues.

Based on the criteria from the above research findings, here are the top five digital marking courses available today in the United States.

1. Purdue Digital Marketing Training
2. Duke Digital Marketing Program
3. LinkedIn Learning’s Marketing Tutorials
4. Georgia State University’s Marketing M.S.
5. Simplilearn’s Digital Marketing Specialist

The following is an in-depth look at each educational resource based on rank:

1.    Purdue Digital Marketing Training

The Purdue Digital Marketing Training course, powered by Simplilearn, was created by Purdue University in partnership with Facebook/Meta. Students learn everything they need to know about the different aspects of digital marketing, including SEO, SEM, social media and content marketing, web analytics and more, through a mix of live-instructor-led classes, online self-learning and real-world projects. Students also get to take master classes from top faculty at Purdue and industry experts from Facebook, work on Harvard Business Publishing case studies and access Facebook Ask Me Anything sessions in this highly interactive and comprehensive program.

Course highlights

Mode of Learning: Online bootcamp

Course Duration: Six months

Program Recognition: Purdue-Simplilearn Joint Post Graduate Program Certification; Co-created with Facebook

Alumni Status: Purdue Alumni Association membership

Hands-On Learning: 200+ hours of live interactive learning; Capstone project in five domains; 14+ real-world projects from Yahoo!, TripAdvisor, Mastercard, and more; Harvard Business case studies; Masterclasses from Purdue and Facebook; Aligned with the top five Digital Marketing certifications including Google Ads and Analytics, Facebook Blueprint, Hootsuite, and HubSpot.

Tools Covered: Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, Semrush, Moz, Hootsuite, plus 40 more.

Capstone Project: Yes

Program Advisors: Jinsuh Lee, Brad Geddes, Matt Bailey, Mollie Spilman, Dorie Clark

Fees: $3249

2.    Duke Digital Marketing Program

Duke’s Digital Marketing Program is an online, self-paced program designed for people who want to boost their current digital marketing skills or even enter a new career in the continuously growing field. Duke Continuing Studies delivers a curriculum that offers students advanced knowledge in eight of the most vital digital marketing domains. Students learn from the practical experience they acquire from virtual simulations and real-world projects and from some of the industry’s most recognized and respected consultants and authors, all set in a schedule that fits the students’ needs and situations.

Students earn a certificate of completion once they finish the course and six of the eight advanced modules shown below:

• Advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Advanced Content Marketing
• Advanced Social Media
• Advanced Mobile Marketing
• Advanced Pay Per Click (PPC)
• Advanced Website Conversion Rate Optimization
• Advanced Web Analytics
• Advanced Email Marketing

Course highlights

Mode of Learning: Online self-learning

Course Duration: 350 hours

Program Recognition: OMCA certification, once the student completes six advanced modules

Alumni Status: Earns an extra 12 months of access to all existing, new, and updated materials after completing the program

Hands-On Learning: Simulation labs and projects, live mentoring sessions

Tools Covered: Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Advertising, Hootsuite, YouTube and Video Marketing, Twitter Advertising and Mailchimp, among others

Program Advisors/Instructors: Brad Geddes, Matt Bailey, Stephane Hamel

Fees: $3195. Group discounts are available

3.    LinkedIn Learning’s Marketing Tutorials

Lynda.com is now called LinkedIn Learning. With LinkedIn Learning, aspiring digital marketers can choose from over 1,000 relevant courses and more than 21,000 video tutorials. These courses and videos allow students to focus on the specific areas of digital marketing they’re especially interested in, or they can widen their focus on general digital marketing training. In addition, the platform’s monthly membership gives students the ability to stack multiple courses and programs, providing a comprehensive and well-rounded training experience. 

Course highlights

Mode of Learning: Online self-learning

Course Duration:  60 to 90 minutes for each course

Program Recognition: LinkedIn Learning Certifications

Job Assistance: Students receive full access to LinkedIn Premium

Hands-On Learning: Exercises, assignments and quizzes

Tools Covered: Google Tag Manager, Google Data Studio, Constant Contact and many more

Program Advisors: Brad Batesole, David Booth, Matt Bailey, Ashley Kennedy and more

Fees: Monthly membership at $39.99/month billed month-to-month, or $26.99/month billed annually. Both options include a one-month free trial.

4.    Georgia State University’s Marketing M.S.

Conducted by Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business, the Robinson’s M.S. in Marketing curriculum equips students with big data, digital media, social and mobile marketing, and quantitative analysis skills, among others.

This program is ideal for people who want to change careers but need the basic skills and experience to make a move, established professionals in the field who wish to upskill, and undergrads with a business degree who want to continue their marketing trajectory.

Students must have earned an undergraduate degree before applying for this program.

Course highlights

Mode of Learning: Full-time student on-premises and online

Course Duration: 12 months (3 semesters), with classes two evenings a week: Monday and Wednesday, 5:30-9:45 p.m.

Program Recognition: Master of Science in Marketing and Graduate Certificate of Specialization in Brand and Customer Management

Alumni Status: Access to a network of alumni clubs

Hands-On Learning: Research-driven projects held in collaboration with area companies such as Georgia-Pacific and Porsche

Tools/Subjects Covered: Marketing Management, Marketing Research, Marketing Metrics, Digital/Social Media Marketing, Data-Driven Marketing and more. It also includes resources such as Social Media Intelligence Lab, relevant bootcamps, professional workshops, recruiting fairs, networking events and meet-and-greets.

Program Advisors/Instructors: Gregory Cohen, Alok Saboo, Sevgin Eroglu, and many others

Fees: Georgia residents: $37,500, non-Georgia residents: $43,500

5.    Simplilearn’s Digital Marketing Specialist

Students enrolled in Simplilearn’s Digital Marketing Specialist Master’s program learn all about the core concepts of digital marketing, including social media marketing, paid ads, SEO, pay-per-click, analytics, email marketing, conversion optimization and mobile marketing and more. Students also work on case studies from Harvard Business Publishing to solve real-world problems. This program is designed in alignment with certifications from Facebook Blueprint, Google Analytics and Ads, OMCP®, Hootsuite and HubSpot.

Course highlights

Mode of Learning: Online bootcamp

Course Duration: One year

Program Recognition: Simplilearn Certificate of Achievement; Facebook Blueprint

Hands-On Learning: Virtual labs for hands-on learning with over 45 projects

Tools Covered: Facebook Insights, Google Keyword Planner, Google Analytics, Qlik, SE Ranking, etc.

Capstone Project: Yes

Program Advisors: Brad Geddes, Matt Bailey, Mollie Spilman, Dorie Clark

Fees: $1649

We live in a growing digital world, a process accelerated by events of the last few years. While there will always be a demand for brick-and-mortar establishments and onsite work/retail situations, consumers and organizations have discovered the benefits of using online resources.

Marketing professionals who want to succeed in today’s new reality will have a complete set of digital marketing skills in their toolbox. They will learn this vital knowledge from the best providers. By choosing the right skills and learning resources, they will survive and thrive in our new economy.