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Digital content specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a digital content specialist. Digital content specialists usually study communication, english, or journalism. 83% of digital content specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 389 real digital content specialist resumes to see exactly what digital content specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for digital content specialists are the University of Washington and the University of Washington.

There are also many online digital content specialist courses to help get the education required to be a digital content specialist.

What education do you need to become a digital content specialist?

What degree do you need to be a digital content specialist?

The most common degree for digital content specialists is bachelor's degree, with 83% of digital content specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 83%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Associate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a digital content specialist?

You should major in communication to become a digital content specialist. 18% of digital content specialists major in communication. Other common majors for a digital content specialist include english and journalism.

Most common colleges for digital content specialists

Digital content specialists often get their degrees at University of Washington, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of Pittsburgh. Here are the most common colleges for digital content specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Digital content specialist common collegePercentages
University of Washington8.47%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill8.47%
University of Pittsburgh6.78%
Full Sail University6.78%
Ohio State University6.78%

Best majors for digital content specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Communication18.2%
2English12.8%
3Journalism9.9%
4Graphic Design8.8%
5Business8.0%

Best colleges for digital content specialists

The best colleges for digital content specialists are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Harvard University.

A digital content specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for digital content specialists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become digital content specialists.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

3. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

10. Texas State University

San Marcos, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,280

Enrollment

34,187

20 best online courses for digital content specialists

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1. Data Analysis Immersive (Full-time)

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Learn to problem solve, and effectively communicate, like an analyst. This course teaches you to use industry-standard tools to make ethical, data-driven decisions. Experience hands-on training to master SQL, Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, and Python – tools listed in virtually every data analytics job posting across industries...

2. Data Analytics (Part Time)

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Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

3. Data Analyst

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Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...

4. Marketing Analytics

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Gain an in-depth understanding of Google Analytics and marketing analytics. Analyze data and build models with Excel, Data Studio, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...

5. Digital Content Planning and Management

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The evolution of digital technology has vastly impacted the way we communicate, live and work. Whether you’re a content creator, a content manager or a brand account manager, digital content management plays a crucial role in an advertising campaign’s success. Learn what it takes to successfully inventory, create, analyze, and manage content for companies of any scale, as well as the process of implementing these systems across organizations. This practical course is designed for current...

6. Content Marketing. Content that Sells!

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Unlock the Power of Content Marketing: Strategies, Tactics, and Tools for Success. Learn how to create content that sell...

7. Content Marketing Masterclass: Create Content That Sells

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4.5
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Master content marketing to grow your business: content creation, promotion, copywriting, SEO, email marketing, & more!...

8. Digital Marketing (Part Time)

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Build confidence and capability to apply modern marketing strategies on the job. Drive growth with multichannel campaigns powered by data and customer insight. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

9. Intro to Data Analytics

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Discover if data is a career fit for you Regardless of your industry or role, fluency in the language of data analytics will allow you to contribute to data driven decision making. In this free, two-hour livestream, you’ll learn to understand, analyze, and interpret data so you too can join the data conversation. We’ll cover how to ask the right questions of your data and basic analytic functionality. Then you’ll apply your new found data analytic skills to a real-world dataset, allowing you...

10. Data Structures and Algorithms

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Get hands-on practice with over 80 data structures and algorithm exercises and guidance from a dedicated mentor to help prepare you for interviews and on-the-job scenarios...

11. Data Visualization

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You will start by building data visualizations and dashboards, considering your audiences to be as effective as possible. Then, you’ll move into drafting presentations using storytelling techniques, visualizations, and animations to provide data-driven recommendations...

12. Digital Design Masterclass For Graphic Designers

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Icon Set Design, E-book cover, Digitizing Sketches, Social Media Design, Wordpress Web Design, Adobe Xd, GIFS and more!...

13. Best of Content Marketing, SEO & Copywriting + 23 Templates

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4.4
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Content Marketing, SEO & Copywriting Course filled With Animated Videos, Quizzes, Assignments & 23 Copywriting Templates...

14. Digital Marketing

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Gain real-world experience running live campaigns as you learn from top experts in the field. Launch your career with a 360-degree understanding of digital marketing...

15. Intro to Data Analysis

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Start your data science journey right with this hands-on introduction to the discipline of data analysis. In this course you'll learn the 5 key stages of the data analysis process and apply them to real data sets using Python libraries NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib...

16. Content Marketing: Business Growth w/Content Marketing + AI

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17. Content is King: Writing Killer Content for Web & Marketing

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Master the Art of Writing Online Content for e Books, Websites, Blogs and Marketing. Develop Content Ideas for Marketing...

18. Data Visualization

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Discover how data visualization can communicate insights far more effectively than text or tables. In this course, you’ll learn how to build data visualizations programmatically using Python, and how you can use visualization to both discover and convey trends in your data...

19. Experimental Design & Recommendations

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Learn two of the most in-demand skills in the entire field of data science! By the end of this course, you’ll know how to generate personalized recommendations based on user data, as well as run statistically valid tests that produce clean, interpretable results...

20. Best of Copywriting & SEO: Content, Copywriting & SEO Course

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Learn SEO, Content Marketing & Copywriting FAST & FUN. Enjoy Quizzes & Animated Videos. Download Professional Templates...

Top 10 most affordable universities for digital content specialists

The most affordable schools for digital content specialists are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for digital content specialists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for digital content specialists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for digital content specialists

The hardest universities for digital content specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for digital content specialists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for digital content specialists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for digital content specialists

The easiest schools for digital content specialists to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, mount saint mary's university, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a digital content specialist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for digital content specialists.

1. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

8. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

9. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

10. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

Average digital content specialist salary by education level

Digital content specialists with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $62,070 annually. With a Master's degree, digital content specialists earn a median annual income of $61,582 compared to $55,103 for digital content specialists with an Bachelor's degree.
Digital content specialist education levelDigital content specialist salary
Master's Degree$61,582
Bachelor's Degree$55,103
Doctorate Degree$62,070

Digital content specialist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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