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Digital media strategist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a digital media strategist. Digital media strategists usually study communication, marketing, or business. 87% of digital media strategists hold a bachelor's degree, and 7% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 814 real digital media strategist resumes to see exactly what digital media strategist education sections show.

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

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

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

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

The most common degree for digital media strategists is bachelor's degree, with 87% of digital media strategists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 7% and master's degree degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 87%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

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

You should major in communication to become a digital media strategist. 24% of digital media strategists major in communication. Other common majors for a digital media strategist include marketing and business.

Most common colleges for digital media strategists

Digital media strategists often get their degrees at New York University, Pennsylvania State University, and Michigan State University. Here are the most common colleges for digital media strategists in the US based on their resumes.
Digital media strategist common collegePercentages
New York University8.78%
Pennsylvania State University8.11%
Michigan State University8.11%
University of California - Davis6.76%
Boston University6.08%

Best majors for digital media strategists

RankMajorPercentages
1Communication24.2%
2Marketing14.2%
3Business9.7%
4Advertising6.8%
5Public Relations6.4%

Best colleges for digital media strategists

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

A digital media strategist 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 strategists. 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 strategists.

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 strategists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for digital media strategists

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

If the best universities for digital media strategists 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 strategists.

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 strategists

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

Some great schools for digital media strategists 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 strategists 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 strategists

The easiest schools for digital media strategists 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 strategist 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 strategists.

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 strategist salary by education level

According to our data, digital media strategists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $67,973 annually. Digital media strategists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $63,565.
Digital media strategist education levelDigital media strategist salary
Master's Degree$67,973
Bachelor's Degree$63,565

Digital media strategist 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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