Online Digital Audience Strategy Graduate Certificate

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The online Graduate Certificate in Digital Audiences prepares students to execute digital audience strategy in any industry. Students learn to measure and analyze how consumers interact with content online, on social media and on mobile devices. This program is designed for professionals who want to develop new skills, take on new responsibilities or more effectively promote their work.

Resident tuition | Non-resident tuition
ASU Online offers start dates every 7.5 weeks.
Multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year.
Required number of credits to complete this degree.

Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication

Students in the Cronkite School’s Digital Audiences Graduate Certificate use measurement skills to develop strategies and tactics to grow audiences through search engine optimization, search engine marketing, paid and organic social media campaigns, and digital content creation.

The digital audiences certificate program prepares students for work in digital audience engagement through a data-driven, content-focused curriculum. Working hands on with current, industry-grade tools and practices, students discover how to create digital content and campaigns intended to reach target audiences. Students use audience data to identify target audiences and then formulate effective content across websites, search engines and social media. Students then track the impact of digital content, analyzing audience behavior and content performance. They put this knowledge into practice in real-time, tactical exercises using "live" tools such as Google Analytics and Facebook Audience Insights, as well as simulated environments. Graduates who earn this certificate will be ready to drive strategy execution and digital audience engagement, and be competitive in the fast-changing fields of social media, digital content and audience development.

The certificate has far-reaching appeal and application. Corporations, advocacy groups, entrepreneurs, government agencies, community groups, news organizations and nonprofits all need professionals who can execute campaigns to reach large online audiences in order to increase sales, advertising, donations, political support and community cohesion. This certificate will prepare professionals to advance their own careers and advance the work of their employers by creating content to engage digital audiences.

This graduate certificate differs from the Cronkite School's Master of Science in Digital Audience Strategy in a few ways. This graduate certificate does not include the master's capstone course or additional coursework outside of the digital audiences core curriculum such as Media Law and Digital Media Entrepreneurship. This narrower scope allows students to focus on tactical skills needed to execute digital campaigns rather than preparing them to lead development and management of organization-wide digital strategy.

For those looking to update their skills, take on new digital responsibilities or more effectively promote their work online, the graduate certificate is an excellent opportunity. For those looking to manage digital audience strategy, the Master of Science degree program may be the best option.

Award-winning program:

  • For over 15 years, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication has earned the best record (96 awards) in the Society of Professional Journalists' national "Mark of Excellence" competition.
  • Cronkite reigns first in the nation for record-breaking Hearst Journalism Awards (the Pulitzer Prizes of college journalism).
  • Cronkite has the best record of any journalism school for the international Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for reporting on social justice issues.
  • Based on student work around video journalism, Cronkite won the very first Edward R. Murrow Award.
  • Cronkite has earned more awards of any school in the nation from the Broadcast Education Association's Festival of Media Arts.

Calendar

Next Start Date:

01/07/19
Most Innovative

Featured Courses

MCO 561 - Defining the Digital Audience

Through case-study analyses and hands-on exercises, students learn how audiences differ across industries and platforms, what elements engage or dissuade users, and how to use audience data to create growth strategies.

MCO 562 – Search Engine Strategy for Digital Audience Acquisition

Students grow audiences with keyword and competitive analyses, search engine optimization and marketing.

MCO 563 - Social Media Campaigns and Engagement

Students develop skills in planning and executing organic and paid social media campaigns, audience conversation research, targeting, campaign measurement, A/B testing, community management and more.

MCO 564 - Digital Audience Research and Behavior

Students learn emerging and traditional research methods for understanding audience behavior.

MCO 565 - Digital Audience Analytics

Students learn how to access, manipulate and analyze digital audience data, and translate metrics into actionable insights.

Faculty

The Cronkite School attracts award-winning professional journalists and world-class media scholars from the country:

  • Former Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr.
  • Former BET Vice President Retha Hill
  • Digital media leader Dan Gillmor
  • Former Sacramento Bee Executive Editor Rick Rodriguez
  • Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and editor Jacquee Petchel
  • Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter Steve Doig
  • Former Knight Foundation journalism innovator Eric Newton

Program Summary

Total Hours:

15

Related Careers

Graduates with an ASU Online Graduate Certificate in Digital Audiences Strategy have career opportunities illustrated in the following list. Career examples include but are not limited to:

  • Social media management
  • Community management
  • Public relations
  • Sales
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Special events
  • Advocacy

Requirements

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited in the U.S. or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from an international institution that is officially recognized by that country.

Applicants must have a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative GPA (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of a student's first bachelor's degree program, or applicants must have a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative GPA (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

  1. Graduate admission application and application fee

  2. Official transcripts

  3. Resume

  4. Proof of English proficiency (students whose native language is not English)

Additional Application Information

An applicant whose native language is not English (regardless of current residency) must provide proof of English proficiency. A TOEFL score of at least 100 on the Internet-based test is required. Applicants can have these scores automatically submitted to ASU and the Cronkite School by using institution code 4007.

Affording College

Learn about the different types of financial aid and scholarship opportunities available. ASU offers a Cost Calculator, Budget Worksheet and Scholarship Search to make the college planning process easier.

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