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Digital media planner education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a digital media planner. Digital media planners usually study marketing, communication, or business. 89% of digital media planners hold a bachelor's degree, and 7% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 588 real digital media planner resumes to see exactly what digital media planner education sections show.

The most common colleges for digital media planners are the New York University and the New York University.

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

What education do you need to become a digital media planner?

What degree do you need to be a digital media planner?

The most common degree for digital media planners is bachelor's degree, with 89% of digital media planners earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 7% and master's degree degree at 2%.
  • Bachelor's, 89%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Associate, 2%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a digital media planner?

You should major in marketing to become a digital media planner. 21% of digital media planners major in marketing. Other common majors for a digital media planner include communication and business.

Most common colleges for digital media planners

Digital media planners often get their degrees at New York University, University of California - Davis, and Boston University. Here are the most common colleges for digital media planners in the US based on their resumes.
Digital media planner common collegePercentages
New York University10.28%
University of California - Davis10.28%
Boston University8.41%
Michigan State University8.41%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey6.54%

Best majors for digital media planners

RankMajorPercentages
1Marketing21.1%
2Communication19.3%
3Business14.8%
4Advertising10.4%
5Public Relations6.0%

Best colleges for digital media planners

The best colleges for digital media planners are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

A digital media planner 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 media planners. 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 media planners.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

7. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

8. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

10. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

20 best online courses for digital media planners

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1. Data Streaming

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2. Introduction to Digital Advertising

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The digital advertising landscape is complex. There are many different types of ads, including: display, video, audio, sponsored, native, social media and search. Consumer data and the ad tech that action on that data are both ubiquitous and complicated. As a result the sheer number of options available to digital marketers is hard to comprehend and manage. This course covers the major forms of digital advertising, from basic display ads to search to cutting-edge programmatic advertising...

3. Microsoft 365 Planner - Beginner

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4.2
(260)

Learn how to work more efficiently with your teams with Microsoft 365 Planner...

4. Digital Advertising and Marketing 101: The Complete Guide

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4.4
(4,919)

Complete Digital Marketing Course: Social Media, Search, Video, Display, over 60,000 Students - Updated 2023...

5. Social Media Marketing Agency: Digital Marketing + Business

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4.5
(6,320)

Learn to build a business, find clients, & social media marketing all in one. Facebook ads, Instagram, Google ads & .....

6. Digital Marketing Agency Start a Social Media Business

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4.7
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Build a Digital Marketing Agency Business with Social Media (SMMA), Chat GPT, Facebook Ads, Instagram, Word Press, SEO...

7. The Complete Digital Marketing Course - Learn From Scratch

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4.5
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All in One Digital Marketing Course for Professional Career: SEO, Affiliate, Google Ads, Social Media Marketing etc...

8. Introduction to Programmatic Advertising - Digital Marketing

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4.6
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Learn the inner workings of a massive digital industry - How advertisers use programmatic to execute their digital buys...

9. 146 Digital Marketing Hacks: ChatGPT & Social Media

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4.6
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Digital Marketing Hacks: Chat GPT, Prompt Engineering, Social Media, Word Press, SEO, Email, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram...

10. Best of Digital Marketing: #1 Digital Marketing Course 2023

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4.1
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11. Digital Marketing Strategist. Unlock your career growth

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13. Digital Marketing B2B: Dekker's Ultimate Digital Marketing

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Digital Marketing Course Udemy A-Z (Unofficial): Learn B2B Digital Marketing from a F100 Exec: Udemy Digital Marketing...

14. Online Business Masterclass: Sell Your Own Digital Products

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Create, Launch & Market an Online Business w/ Digital Products: Online Courses, Coaching, e Books Passive Income Course...

15. Digital Marketing Course 2023: Be a Digital Marketing Nomad

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Learn Digital Marketing, Copywriting, Ads, SEO, Video Creation. Become a Digital Marketing Nomad. Freelance and Travel...

16. Learn Digital Marketing (12 Courses in 1)

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Master Digital Marketing Strategy, SEO, Advertising, Social Media Marketing, Email, Analytics, Content Marketing & More...

17. Strong & Effective Marketing Plan (Plan Template & Example)

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4.2
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Innovative approach for a winning offline and digital marketing plan (important part of your business plan)...

18. Digital Marketing Business Online For Free Social Media 2023

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Setup Online Profiles For Your business on Facebook, Instagram & Google My Business & website to get optimized SEO...

19. Complete Digital Marketing Course in Hindi with Google

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4.3
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Digital Marketing Course in Hindi with Google Ads Adwords SEO Facebook Ads Social Media Marketing Google Analytics...

20. Social Media Marketing Advertising with Dekker, MBA 2023

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4.7
(487)

Udemy Social Media Marketing (Unofficial) for Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, Reddit, Quora, You Tube Etc...

Top 10 most affordable universities for digital media planners

The most affordable schools for digital media planners are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for digital media planners 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 media planners.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for digital media planners

The hardest universities for digital media planners to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for digital media planners 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 media planners 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,428

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for digital media planners

The easiest schools for digital media planners to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a digital media planner 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 media planners.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

Average digital media planner salary by education level

According to our data, digital media planners with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $57,306 annually. Digital media planners with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $55,605.
Digital media planner education levelDigital media planner salary
Master's Degree$57,306
Bachelor's Degree$55,605

Digital media planner 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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