Singelyn Graduate School of Business

FAQ for Digital Marketing and Marketing Analytics | Master of Science in Digital Marketing

This page contains frequently asked questions and answers for the Master of Science in Digital Marketing that provides specialty in Digital Marketing Strategy and Marketing Analytics.

Program Overview and Curriculum

Our program covers both digital marketing strategy and marketing analytics equally well. Students will have sufficient skills for both sides, but we allow students to deepen their knowledge and skills by choosing a specialty, depending on student’s career objectives. Digital Marketing involves not only digital marketing strategy (e.g., social media marketing, SEO, database marketing, mobile marketing) but also evaluating and tuning up the marketing programs based on data. Although the program name does not have the word “analytics,” it is inevitable for digital marketing to deal with analytics. For marketing analytics, we cover not only the traditional research method dealing with primary data, but also secondary data generated by CRM tools, using data science methods tailored for marketing. Whether you are oriented towards the creative side or analytic side, we cover both so that no matter which side you may prefer to focus in your career, you can communicate effectively to the other side and manage both sides as you move up the ladder in your organization.

While job decisions are a personal choice, graduates of this program will be trained for entry-level jobs or managerial positions for brands and suppliers. Example positions that graduates of the program would be prepared for can be broadly classified under the two categories.

Digital Marketing Strategy:

  • Digital Marketing Specialist / Manager / Director
  • Growth Marketing Manager
  • Content Marketing Manager
  • Social Media Marketing Specialist / Coordinator / Manager
  • Email Marketing Manager
  • SEO Specialist
  • PPC (pay-per-click) Specialist
  • Database Marketing Specialist
  • Web Design Specialist
  • Content Marketing Specialist

Marketing Analytics:

  • Marketing Analytics Manager
  • Digital Marketing Analytics Manager
  • Customer Analytics Director
  • Marketing Data Scientist
  • Marketing Data Analyst
  • Digital Marketing Data Analyst
  • Email Marketing Analyst
  • Marketing Strategy Analyst
  • SEO Analyst
  • Social Media and Web Analytics Specialist
  • Consumer Insights Analyst
  • Research Associate
  • Research Director

Yes, even though you must take the required digital marketing core courses, you can choose any courses for electives. We grouped elective courses into two specialty areas – (1) Digital Marketing Strategy and (2) Marketing Analytics for advising purposes, but if you wish to mix courses in the two specialty areas to cater to your own needs, you are welcome to do so.

Our faculty is well-connected to the industry, bringing practical, hands-on projects to the classroom. Our curriculum is responsive to changing industry development, offering networking opportunities and industry expert series. Plus, the Center for Customer Insights and Digital Marketing provides students with infrastructure for research and internship opportunities. To help students get ready for the job market, MSDM faculty integrate micro-internship into their courses and support student clubs.

R is widely used in the program because it is a powerful, open-source statistical programming language optimized for modern data science, known especially for data visualization with the ggplot2 package. R is easier to learn than Python, a more popular data science programming tool and general purpose, object oriented language. R is made up of tens of thousands of packages that experts across scientific fields created to share with the scientific community. There is a committee that evaluates new packages submitted for use in the R community. There are conferences of R users to push the envelope for the love of science. There are many websites, blogs, and YouTube videos that teach R and provide support to R users. Due to vibrant community efforts, innovations and advancements in methods are instantly added to R. There is nothing you cannot do with R that you can do with proprietary commercial statistical packages such as SAS, SPSS, and STATA. Users of proprietary statistical software are switching to R. R and its ecosystems will satisfy all your analytics needs. Due to its importance in the program, students will be required to take IBM 5910 (Strategic Data Wrangling and Visualization) course in their first semester. In most analytics courses, R is likely to be the major tool. Due to the steep learning curve in learning R, it would be a good idea to learn some basics of R from many online programs such as DWV101.

The university requires all master’s programs to have a culminating experience before students graduate. In the MSDM program, we adopt a group project conducted over three semesters, instead of an individual thesis project. Throughout the three semesters, they will identify the problem, determine research objectives, do a background research on client company, industry, customers, and relevant customer behaviors, determine research methods, collect data, wrangle and visualize data, model data, interpret data in light of the research objectives, make actionable recommendations for the client’s marketing program, and potentially execute some of the recommendations.

Students need to take a total of 34 credit hours to finish the program. Typically, students will finish in one or two years. The one-year completion roadmap is ideal for students who do not work full-time, taking 12/12/10 credit hours over three terms. If you intend to work full-time, we strongly advise the two-year completion roadmap, with about six credits in each of the six terms until graduation.

For graduate students, taking six credits is considered full-time. This is beneficial for students seeking part-time on-campus jobs as RAs or TAs, which usually require full-time student status.

All courses are offered one night a week, Monday through Thursday. For 3-unit courses, classes meet from 7:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., and for 2-unit courses, we tend to schedule two 2-unit courses back to back from 6:00 p.m. to 9:50 p.m. During the summer, however, the class hours will be longer since 15 weeks of instruction will have to be condensed into 10 weeks. Thus, 3-credit-unit course will meet 4.5 hours per week, while 2-unit courses will meet 3 hours per week. Each class will meet only once a week.

Admissions Requirements

Required documents are:

  1. 4-year Bachelor’s degree with all college transcripts that contribute to the 4-year college degree (All transfer credits and their grades should show up on the transcripts)
  2. A minimum overall GPA of 2.5 out of 4.0
  3. At least one letter of Recommendation
  4. Personal Statement or Statement of Purpose
  5. (For international students), Proof of English Proficiency.

Optional documents include:

  1. Resume
  2. Portfolio
  3. Certificates
  4. Evidence of working knowledge of college-level math (Algebra and Calculus) if your transcripts do not show the course.
  5. Evidence of working knowledge of basic statistics if your transcripts do not show the course.
  6. GMAT/GRE

Yes, you don’t need to have attended the bachelor’s degree granting university for four years.

No, we understand that it is not easy to get it from a professor if you graduated long time ago. Thus, the letter can be from your supervisor (current or former) who knows your work very well.

There have been many challenges to the utility of standardized tests in predicting student’s academic performance and success. For instance, there are some great students who perform badly on tests due to test anxiety. There are many other factors that determine one’s success in study and professional career. Thus, increasingly more universities have removed GRE/GMAT tests from requirements (e.g., Harvard).

We look for your sincerity. it should show which specialties (Digital Marketing Strategy or Marketing Analytics or both), your sense of motivations, your preparations through undergraduate study or job experience, intended contributions to the vibrant learning community once you joined the program, and career objectives.

No. The M.S. in Digital Marketing program is open to all students with a 4-year baccalaureate degree in any academic discipline such as liberal arts and/or STEM from a regionally accredited college or university.

Currently, we do not require work experience. Admission to this program is based on a holistic view of the submitted package. Weaknesses in one area can be made up by strengths in other areas. Applicants with no work experience should show clear career objectives in digital marketing strategy or marketing analytics or both in the personal statement essay.

Students need solid written and oral communication skills and knowledge in algebra, basic calculus, and basic statistics. Students who have not taken College Algebra can apply as long as they had taken a statistics course.  Depending on the level of applicants’ course work in math and science as shown in the transcripts, the program can admit applicants with a recommendation to take crash courses in math or/and statistics with an advising hold placed on their account.

We understand that in some countries, college education is only three years with lower credit hours than the norm in 4-year bachelor’s programs in the U.S. The one year difference is not trivial in establishing eligibility for the application requirement. In this case, we expect a post-baccalaureate degree such as one-year post diploma degree or master’s degree that can augment the 3-year bachelor’s degree.

Some country’s grading systems are hard to interpret. We suggest that you use online verification services and have them verify your transcript. Submit the report together with your original transcript

No, please use online translation/verification services. Submit the translated version with the original version.

Here are a list of acceptable tests and minimum score:

  • TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based) or 80 (internet-based)
  • IELTS of 6.5 or above
  • Duolingo Test 105 and above

Yes, you can get an exemption by submitting evidence that your university used English as a primary medium of classroom.

How do I apply to the program?

Refer to the Application page on our website for detailed application instructions.

Your official transcripts and English Proficiency exam scores are to be sent to the Admissions & Enrollment Planning at: 

Admissions & Enrollment Planning
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
3801 West Temple Ave.
Pomona, CA 91768

All other application items should be uploaded to your Cal State Apply application.

After completing your application for admission and claiming your account, you’ll gain access to BroncoDirect. Once logged in, click on “View my Application Status” under the Admissions section to see your application’s current standing in the admissions process.

Unfortunately, BroncoDirect does not indicate if our offices have received your supporting documentation. Please call our office at +1 909-869-2288 or email us at msdm@cpp.edu if you have any questions. If any supporting documents are missing, we will inform you via email.

International Students

Yes! The program’s CIP code is CIP 52.1399, which makes the MSDM a STEM-designated program by the Department of Homeland Security. International students with STEM-designated degrees are eligible for a 24-month extension of their Optional Practical Training (OPT), beyond the standard 12 months. This allows you to work in the United States for up to 36 months after graduation without needing employer sponsorship for a work visa.

For international applicants, the same general admissions requirements, as stated above, will apply. However, international applicants are also required to provide the following information, in addition to the CSU application: 

  • Affidavit of Financial Support
  • Agreement to Purchase Cal Poly Pomona Group Health Insurance
  • Supplementary Information of International (VISA) applicants
Please contact  Admissions & Enrollment for more information about international admissions.

There are multiple steps in the admission process. After you submit your application, the admissions office will verify that you meet the minimum requirement (4-year bachelor’s degree and 2.5 GPA). This may take one to two months on average. Then the Admissions Office will forward your application package to the MSDM program office for final decision. We will need one to two weeks of time before we inform the Admission Office of our final decision so that the office can send you an acceptance letter. At the same time, the Admissions Office will notify of the International Office for its preparation for I-20 document. The International Office will contact you to get the necessary information from you before they can prepare for I-20. All these steps take time. The MSDM office does not have any control in the process except for the time we take to make acceptance decision. In our experience submitting by the deadline of May 1 is too late for applicants from some countries. We advise that international students submit their application by the end of March to get two – three months for visa preparation. Do not wait until the May 1 deadline.

Financial Aid and Assistantship

We have a very limited number of scholarships of small amount, which will not be sufficient to meet the cost of education. Thus, do not expect to be able to cover your cost using the scholarship. You do not need to apply for it either, as the admission application will be sufficient for us to select awardees. If you are American citizens or permanent resident, you may be qualified for the Department of Education’s student loan. For more information about scholarships, FAFSA, and different types of financial aid, please visit the Office of Financial Aid website.

MSDM tuition is competitive and the same for in-state and out-of-state students, offering significant savings for students from overseas and other states. Please visit the Financial Aid and Scholarship website for the current costs of tuition.