If you’ve been thinking about a career – or are already in the industry – in marketing, advertising, or promotions, you probably shouldn’t have trouble finding a job. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outlook for marketing managers “is projected to grow 12 percent from 2012 to 2022, about as fast as the average for all occupations.”
For most marketing managers, a bachelor degree is required. However, if you want to really get ahead of the competition, you should consider continuing your education by earning a marketing certificate. Unfortunately, that can be a tad challenging when you’re working full-time.
The good news? There are more than enough learning institutions that offer online programs where you can complete your certification. Not only have educators given online education 74.1% rating “as equal to or better than on-campus classes”, students can work at their own pace and on their own time.
One thing to be cautious of when it comes to locating the right certification program is to ensure the program you choose is actually worth your time. You don’t want to spend your time and money on a program that won’t help you advance your career!
With that in mind, we’ve put together ten learning institutions (in no particular order) that offer marketing certificates. Some of the programs are from well-known content marketing companies, while others are from respected educational institutions. We selected this variety so you can find the program that best suits your needs and budget.
Market Motive has been offering online courses and certifications since 2007. As one of the most recognized web-based training platforms, Market Motive provides ten different disciplines taught by industry leaders – such as web analytics, PPC advertising, SEO, email marketing, and content marketing – with three levels of certification; certified specialist, certified practitioner and certified master.
The curriculum for these self-paced courses are also used by higher education institutions like Duke, Rutgers, Benedictine, Polk State, and The DMA (Direct Marketing Association). Through Market Motive you can also take approved courses for the Online Marketing Certified Professional (OMCP) Certification, which is the premier certification for online marketing professionals.
Individual membership for courses start at $299 per month. There are also group plans for agencies and teams.
Launched by Stanford professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller in 2012, Coursea is a for-profit educational technology company that connects online students with some of the top universities in the world. For example, there are marketing courses provided by the University of Pennsylvania (Business Foundations) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Digital Marketing).
The curriculum includes short video lectures, interactive quizzes, and the opportunity to connect with instructors and peers on your own schedule. After completing your courses, you’ll own a verified certificate from an accredited university.
While some courses are available for free, if you wanted to earn a Specialization Certificate, you can expect to spend $95 per course.
Founded by one of the leading evangelists for content marketing, Joe Pulizzi, the Content Marketing Institute has become one of the most-respected resources for marketers if they are in need of content marketing education.
It should be no surprise then that CMI also offers an Online Training and Certification program on top of the informative articles they publish. The program includes classes from experts in seven tracks – Plan, Audience, Story, Channels, Process, Conversations, and Measurement – which can be used to either round out your resume or to educate yourself in online marketing if you’re a business owner.
While the program isn’t accredited by any university, you will receive a certificate upon completion from one of the most comprehensive content marketing programs available online.
The curriculum is currently available through a yearly subscription of $995.
The Online Marketing Institute (OMI) has been educating marketers through it’s industry leading certification programs since 2007. These programs are broken into two levels and are taught by credible and well-known instructors.
Certifications offered in Level 1: Essentials & Strategy include Digital Marketing; Agency Digital Strategy & Planning; Small Business B2B Digital Marketing; and Digital Essentials. Level 2: Integration & Execution provides certificates for SEO, content marketing, email marketing, paid search, B2B social media marketing, and mobile marketing.
The certification programs for OMI are video-based, which makes them practical and flexible for students since they can view whenever they have the extra time. On top of the on-demand learning model, OMI is trusted by brands like Google, Cisco, Intel, and IBM. It also has an award-winning eLearning Library.
The Enrollment Fee OMI is between $859 – $1499 per certification.
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, the Digital Marketing Institute now has programs in over 50 countries across the world. In fact, DMI boasts it has “trained more graduates to a single digital marketing standard than any other certification body.” The courses are taught by leading digital marketing experts and are geared for everyone ranging from beginners, professionals, managers, and directors.
While you’ll be able to study anywhere, at anywhere, what makes the DMI program intriguing is that the syllabus is advised and validated by brands like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter. Programs are also accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
The price for the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing is $1,995.00.
As a part of Cornell University’s online learning subsidiary, eCornell offers one of the top online professional and executive development programs in the world – it was named the “Best Leadership Development Program” for 2009 by eLearning! magazine. There are more than 30 award-winning professional certificate programs, including marketing, that is taught by a highly ranked faculty.
The marketing program, which was developed by the faculty from Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, includes unique certificate options: Data Driven Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Hospitality Marketing, and New Media Marketing for the Hospitality Professional. Each course involves in-depth strategies, concepts and research methods.
Tuition for certificate programs ranges from $3750 to $8100.
Founded back in 2000 by an actual marketing professor, it only made sense for the marketing education site Marketing Profs to launch the Marketing Profs University. MPU provides comprehensive online training for a number of disciplines, including content marketing, email marketing, measurement & technology, search marketing, and marketing writing.
Each course is completely online and consists of 10 – 12 hours of instruction from an expert in their respective fields. Not only are these courses informative, they also share the latest practices, tools and strategies in marketing. After completing a course, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion.
Each course costs $595.
As part of the University of California Irvine, which was established in 1962 and has been ranked within the top 50 universities nationally by the U.S. News & World Report, UC Extension offers cutting edge techniques and methods for students. With over 60 certificate programs, the UC Extension is a great option for anyone looking to build-up their resume or skill set distantly.
More specifically, the Marketing & Communications certificate program shows students how to develop an effective business strategy, how to conduct market research and provides an analysis of the best marketing tools and techniques currently available. Students have up to five years to complete a program.
Pricing for courses range from $535 to $625.
Most of us are familiar with HubSpot, which was founded by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah while at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006. The company has helped over 13,500 companies from 90 different countries with its industry leading inbound marketing platform. So, it was only natural for HubSpot to take its services to the next level by offering a number of marketing certifications.
For those starting out, there’s the free Inbound Certification which is composed of 11 classes that cover the fundamentals of online marketing. The total length of these classes comes out to around 6 hours, so you should be able to complete them quickly. For HubSpot customers, the Academy offers the HubSpot Certification. This will prove your knowledge of HubSpot’s inbound marketing. There’s also the Partner Certification and the Contextual Marketing Certification.
It’s been estimated that 500,000 students have taken a course at the Harvard University Extension School since it was established in 1910. For those who already have experience as, or want to become, a marketing manager, marketing analyst, social media manager, or brand manager, the Marketing Management Certificate is a graduate certification that will strengthen the marketing skills and knowledge of students. It could also be an assist for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Through four online courses, students will learn marketing fundamentals (market research, product, and service planning), market research design (qualitative and quantitative data) and marketing communication principles (strategies for leadership and management). Students do not have to apply to Harvard Extension School and have up to three years to complete the program. Students can also use this graduate certification towards a Master’s Degree.
Course tuition is $2,920.