Notre Dame’s New Digital Marketing Master’s Is Unique In One Big Way

Admits to the new digital marketing master’s at Notre Dame Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame

Almost all digital marketing master’s degrees available on the market today have one thing in common: They are offered online, not in-person.

That’s where Notre Dame’s new degree, announced July 31, is different. The Mendoza College of Business will offer a STEM-designated, 10-month Master of Science in Digital Marketing beginning in August 2025 that is residential to the school’s storied South Bend, Indiana campus.

“MSDM students will join a growing community of Mendoza’s specialized master’s students, which provides increased opportunities to learn, network and socialize with others,” says Kristen Collett-Schmitt, associate dean for the Undergraduate and Specialized Master’s Programs. “These experiences make our programs truly transformative far outside the classroom.”

AI TO FIGURE PROMINENTLY IN CURRICULUM

Applications are now open for the new program, which is designed to meet increasing demand for professionals in a career sector projected by the school to be one of the fastest-growing in the next decade. Intended for students with business or non-business undergraduate degrees with less than three years of work experience, its 32-credit-hour curriculum features courses in AI, brand strategy, social and email media marketing, search engine optimization, and automation.

For the subject matter, Notre Dame’s new program is nearly unique in being a residential program rather than an online one. Other noteworthy digital marketing programs include:

• Arizona State University’s Master of Science in Digital Audiences Strategy
• Penn State University’s Master in Marketing Analytics and Insights
• Rutgers Business School’s Master of Science in Digital Marketing
• The University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism offers a 1- to 2-year online MS in Digital Media Management

What all the above programs have in common is that they are online programs, not residential. Additionally, several top schools, including Wharton and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, offer digital marketing certificate programs.

‘A FOUNDATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF DIGITAL MARKETING’

“Digital marketing is an exciting area of career growth where there is a critical need for skilled professionals who think deeply about the ethical dimensions of this powerful discipline,” says Kevin Hartman, Notre Dame Mendoza MSDM academic director, former chief analytics strategist at Google, and author of Digital Marketing Analytics: In Theory and Practice. “The Notre Dame Master of Science in Digital Marketing is uniquely designed to develop both applied skills and a mindset of using digital marketing innovatively and responsibly.”

The “Early Action” deadline to apply to Notre Dame’s MSDM is September 5, 2024; the Round 1 deadline is October 15, Round 2 ends January 7, 2025, and Round 3 ends March 17, 2025. Final notices of admission will be sent by early June. Tuition has not yet been set; the cost of similar programs at other schools ranges from just over $16,000 to more than $30,000.

“Our imperative at Mendoza is to ‘Grow the Good in Business’ by developing servant leaders who want to succeed professionally through their contributions to human flourishing,” says Martijn Cremers, Martin J. Gillen dean and Bernard J. Hank professor of finance. “Our MSDM program will provide a foundational understanding of digital marketing as well as a comprehensive, values-focused perspective on the power of digital marketing to drive business excellence.”

Applicants who received an undergraduate GPA of 3.3 or higher, or those who will have their degree conferred from the University of Notre Dame, are eligible for a test waiver. Learn more here.

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