Digital Marketing & Design (MS)

Master of Science

This program is offered in the AU Online format.

Program Description

The Master of Science in Digital Marketing & Design (MSDMD) offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to give students a broad understanding of strategic brand communication. Students will emerge from the program highly skilled in data-driven consumer insight, digital production, and user experience design. This innovative curriculum breaks students out of traditional business roles and into creative, innovative marketing roles that will evolve with technology.

The student experience is highly experiential—students will extract insight from data to solve marketing challenges. They will become the managers of customer experience, creating value at each step of the customer journey. The program culminates in an option for an internship, portfolio project, and/or marketing innovation capstone experience.

Students from this program will be prepared to manage Marketing Communication teams from the vantage point of: brand, converged media, marketing data analytics, communication production, and design. Examples of job titles may include: content manager, creative director, email and omnichannel marketing manager, marketing analyst, data storyteller, marketing automation specialist, media planner, social media manager, user experience designer.

Admission Requirements

The general admission requirements can be found in the “Graduate Admission Requirements” section. Requirements for admission include:

Completed Graduate Application for Admission (aurora.edu/auapply)
Submit transcripts (official, sealed in envelope) for all prior college and/or university credit. Aurora University accepts official electronic transcripts at AUetranscripts@aurora.edu.
Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a grade point average of 3.0 or greater (on a 4.0 scale). Students with a GPA of less than 3.0 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
A professional resume
Applicants may be required to complete an interview the program director and provide letters of recommendation.

Digital Marketing & Design Program Detail

Aurora University’s MSDMD program accepts students from all academic backgrounds and an undergraduate degree in business is not required. There are no prerequisite courses required for admission to the MSDMD program. In the interest of ensuring student success, the Program Director may require limited foundational coursework or software training for students whose academic and experiential backgrounds suggest they would benefit from such preparation. Decisions about required foundational business courses are made collaboratively with students and are based on review of academic transcripts, professional experience and the results of a personal interview.

Program Requirements

The MSDMD degree requires 36 semester hours: 30 semesters of required courses and 6 semester hours of elective courses.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required Core Courses
MBA-6020	Marketing Management	3
MKT-6119	Consumer Insight for Marketing Decisions	3
MKT-6200	Design for Communication	3
MKT-6330	Marketing Analytics and Data Storytelling	3
MKT-6350	Design for User Experience	3
MKT-6400	Converged Media Strategy	3
MKT-6410	Content Marketing Creation and Curation	3
MKT-6420	Coding Lab for Marketers	3
MKT-6530	Brand and Campaign Planning	3
MKT-6910	Marketing Innovation Capstone	3
Selected Electives
Select 6 semesters of approved elective coursework of the following: ¹		6
MKT-6810-9	Selected Topics in Marketing
MKT-6940	Digital Marketing and Design Internship
MKT-6950	Portfolio Project
Total Credits		36

¹: MSDMD students may also select up to two non-MKT classes in MBA or MPA graduate programs to meet the Digital Marketing & Design elective requirements (maximum total of six non-MKT elective semester hours).

Graduate Degree Requirements

Completion of all coursework specified by the graduate program.
Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or higher if specified by the graduate program.
Submission of all pre-graduation materials required by the graduate program.
Acceptance of thesis or other required final project by the graduate program.
Submission of two copies of approved thesis or project in a specified form together with payment of binding fee where applicable.
Submission of Application for Graduation and payment of any graduation fees assessed by the university.
In the case of certification programs, submission of all governmental forms.
Residency Requirement: A minimum of 25% percent of the total credits required for the completion of the graduate degree or post-baccalaureate certificate or credential must be earned at Aurora University. Individual programs may establish more extensive residency requirements, including requirements that specific coursework be completed at Aurora University.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is mandatory for all class sections. If a student is to be absent for any reason, the student must discuss the expected absence with the course instructor before it occurs.

Academic Standards and Evaluation

Grades will be assigned to each student at the conclusion of each course according to the procedures outlined in the section “Graduate Grading System.” At the graduate level, a “C” grade indicates less than complete mastery of the content of a course. Only two grades of “C” are accepted at the graduate level in the MSDMD program. If a “C” is received within the first three courses, the student may be removed from the program by action of the Program Director.

Residency Requirement

A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit must be earned at Aurora University to receive the MSDMD degree. A maximum of six (6) semester hours of graduate credit may be transferred from an accredited college or university and applied to the requirements of this degree. Any coursework submitted for transfer must be approved by the Program Director. See the section “Transfer of Credit” for the conditions governing the transfer of credit.

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