Online Master of Science in Digital Marketing (MSDM)

Enroll in our AACSB-accredited Master of Science in Digital Marketing (MSDM) program. Learn from industry-focused faculty about content creation, strategy and management, creative direction, social media management and SEO strategy.

Program Highlights

  • Admission in fall and spring.
  • No GRE or GMAT score required.
  • 100% online with eight- and five-week courses.
  • Graduate in as little as 18 months.
  • Exclusive networking opportunities with industry professionals.
Program Costs

Learn more about tuition and fees.

Please note: Some students may need to take one to three two-credit-hour Phase One courses to address deficiencies in their undergraduate course work.

Curriculum

Phase One Courses (6 Credit Hours)

Phase 1 may be waived with significant undergraduate coursework. Please contact us for a pre-evaluation of phase 1 coursework needs.

  • MKTG 505 Graduate Survey of Marketing (2 credit hours)
  • MKTG 515 Marketing Metrics and Statistical Analysis Tools (2 credit hours)
  • OMIS 507 Business Information Systems (2 credit hours)

Phase Two Courses

Marketing Strategy Foundation Courses (15 Credit Hours)

  • MKTG 599 MSDM Portfolio
  • MKTG 603 Marketing Research and Analysis
  • MKTG 662 Artificial Intelligence in Digital Marketing
  • MKTG 670 Digital Marketing Strategy

Plus, choose one of the following:

  • MKTG 626 Brand Strategy
  • MKTG 630 Services Marketing
  • MKTG 640 Digital Selling Strategy
  • MKTG 650 Selling for Managers
  • MKTG 654 Marketing Management
  • MKTG 655 Promotional Strategy
  • MKTG 656 Global Marketing Strategy
  • MKTG 660 Marketing Seminar
  • MKTG 664 New Product and Service Innovation

Digital Marketing Foundation Courses (12–13 Credit Hours, Choose 6 Courses)

  • MGMT 627 Entrepreneurial Creativity and Innovation
  • MKTG 671 Digital Marketing and Search Engine Optimization
  • MKTG 672 Mobile Marketing
  • MKTG 673 Social Media Marketing and Advertising
  • MKTG 674 Digital Marketing Campaign Measurement
  • MKTG 675 Content Marketing
  • MKTG 677 Building and Managing Responsive Websites
  • MKTG 678 Marketing Data Visualization
  • MKTG 679 Database Marketing
  • MKTG 680 Digital Marketing Metrics
  • MKTG 682 Online Reputation Management

Capstone (3 Credit Hours, Choose 1)

  • MKTG 684 Capstone Applications in Digital Marketing
  • MKTG 686 Capstone Digital Marketing Project
AACSB-Accredited and Industry-Focused Faculty

 

James Bossert

James Bossert is vice president of marketing solutions at Acxiom Corporation, where his focus is omnichannel marketing solutions. Bossert and his teams of digital experts enable marketers around the world to recognize, understand and deliver relevant, personalized messaging to consumers, on any channel or device. Bossert holds an MBA from DePaul University and a B.S. in Applied Computer Science from NIU. Bossert also volunteers as a member of the board for the Wayne-DuPage Hunt, Wayne Area Conservancy Foundation and NIU College of Business board of executive advisors. Bossert will be teaching MKTG 679, Database Marketing for the MSDM program.

Jaclyn Crawford

Jaclyn Crawford is the director of Digital Marketing Programs at NIU. Prior to her time as faculty, Crawford spent significant time working in content marketing and SEO, for companies such as CraftJack and the University of Chicago. She holds a B.A. in marketing from Columbia College Chicago and an M.S. in digital marketing from Northern Illinois University. In addition to leading the MSDM program, Crawford teaches MKTG 675 Content Marketing and MKTG 684 Capstone courses.

Alex Eddy

Alex Eddy has taught in the Department of Marketing in the College of Business for over five years. As manager for strategic marketing for BMO Harris Bank, Eddy provides marketing and operational support to the firm's U.S. wealth management marketing team. In a prior role for the logistics group at RR Donnelley, he served as a marketing analyst. Eddy holds two degrees from NIU – a B.S. in marketing and an M.S. in management information systems – and has worked as a graduate assistant and northern ambassador.

Donald Forti

Donald Forti teaches MKTG 677, Building and Managing Responsive Websites. You’ll learn best practices in website content strategy, structure, accessibility, usability and performance. Forti is a senior web strategist with Web and Internal Communications at NIU. He creates and maintains university websites and trains faculty/staff on website best practices. Forti’s previous industry experience includes internet director and content manager for KTTC-TV/KXLT-TV in Rochester, Minnesota, and content producer for WKOW-TV in Madison, Wisconsin, and WAOW-TV in Wausau, Wisconsin. He has also managed websites for the Association for Black Culture Centers (ABCC). Forti holds a B.A. from Knox College and an M.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a Carnegie Fellowship with ABC News in New York.

Madilyn Glover

Madilyn Glover serves as the instructor for MKTG 680, a course that delves into the intricacies of digital marketing metrics. The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the methodology behind crafting and seamlessly integrating these metrics to demonstrate campaign outcomes and assess brand stability from various angles. Currently, Glover is employed at Anheuser-Busch, specializing in social listening and data analytics. Her expertise particularly shines in the domains of social media and web-related brand metrics, positioning her as a valuable asset in navigating the complexities of the digital marketing landscape. In addition to her corporate role, Glover plays an active role as a member of the MSDM Advisory Board.

 

 

Andy Jeon, Ph.D.

Andy Jeon is an assistant professor in the Department of Marketing. Generally, he teaches and researches digital marketing. Specifically, his research and teaching focus on how marketers can best utilize digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and social media for their digital marketing campaigns. Currently, he has been actively researching the roles of social artificial intelligence (AI) such as smart speakers or chatbots in various contexts including branding, retailing, health, and social marketing. His research has appeared in various journals including Journal of Interactive Marketing. Before coming to the academic profession, he worked as a market researcher working with the government policymakers, the industry and the consumer groups.  

 

Vijaykumar Krishnan, Ph.D.

Vijaykumar Krishnan is a professor and the chair of the Department of Marketing, at Northern Illinois University. He is a recipient of multiple teaching awards. He teaches digital marketing strategy, marketing management in the MBA program and the capstone course on marketing strategy.

Krishnan has widely published in academic journals including in the Journal of International Marketing, the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Consumer Marketing etc. His primary research interests include Brand identity, equity and management, particularly Sonic branding and business-to-business relationship marketing

Prior to his academic career, he worked for nearly 20 years in the Indian corporate world starting with the Tata Steel group. Some of his prior roles include being deputy general manager of marketing for Shaw Wallace in India, as well as account director for JWT in India. He was also the general manager of marketing for Usha Martin Telekom Ltd, in India. Most recently, he was a business head with Bennett & Coleman Company, publishers of leading English daily, The Times of India.

He earned his Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Cincinnati. He has a B.Tech, from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and a PGDM (MBA) from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.

Reza Rajabi, Ph.D.

Reza joined the College of Business as an assistant professor of marketing in August 2019 after completing his Doctor of Philosophy degree in marketing at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He received his B.S. in industrial engineering and M.S. in socio-economic system engineering. Reza’s academic research interests lie at the intersection of marketing/sales and analytics. Applying various data analytics methods, Reza’s primary research focuses on sales analytics, salesforce analytics, and marketing/sales capabilities at early stages of startups. Since joining the College of Business, Reza has taught personal selling at the undergraduate level, data visualization and database marketing at the graduate level, and sales analytics for the sales executive program at NIU Marketing Department.

Ursula Sullivan, Ph.D.

Ursula Sullivan, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Department of Marketing in the College of Business at NIU. Sullivan's research focuses on global marketing strategy with published works covering global distribution and supply chain alliances, sales channel strategy, and branding. Her corporate and consulting experience is in the consumer-packaged goods, grocery wholesaling and foodservice industries. She sits on the board of the Marketing Management Association (MMA) and currently serves as the program chair for MMA's Fall Educators' Conference (through 2020). Sullivan teaches global marketing strategy at the undergraduate and graduate levels and the marketing core course to executive students. 

Elina Tang

Elina Tang, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Marketing. With a diverse educational background and a strong interest in transdisciplinary research, she has published in peer-reviewed journals in disciplines such as marketing, public health, statistics and journalism. Her work has been featured by Adweek, CBS, Marketing Science Institute, Missourian and Reynolds Journalism Institute. Tang serves on the editorial review board of the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and is a founding member of the Adweek Academic Council. An award-winning teacher, Tang has taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses. 

Apply

Admission to the MSDM program is competitive. To apply, you must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in the U.S. or have the equivalent level of education from a university outside the U.S.

Application materials include:

  • NIU Graduate School online application.
  • $60 nonrefundable application fee.
  • Official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended.
  • A one-page personal statement describing your preparation for graduate study in digital marketing, your career goals and how our program can best help you meet those goals.
  • Two letters of recommendation.
  • Professional resume.

Application Deadlines

We will consider late applications.

Term Deadline
Fall 2024  July 19
Spring 2025 December 13

Request More Information

Testimonial

While I plan to graduate soon, I fully expect to stay at NIU and earn my master’s in digital marketing. There is so much for me to learn, and I cannot wait to see what comes next.
Darsha Patel
Senior, Marketing

Contact Us

Office of Online Learning
815-753-6660
online@niu.edu

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