Tom Screnci: So thank you for joining us again for this chat with the chair of our digital marketing and design program. We're going to jump right in to our presentation here. Once I click on the right screen. Excellent.
The slide title changes to "Moderators." Below, headshots of Steve Dupree, Program Chair of Digital Marketing and Design, and Tom Screnci, Associate Director of Admissions and Enrollment. Steve's email is sdupree@brandeis.edu, and Tom's is tscrenci@brandeis.edu.
Tom speaks: So first and foremost introductions. My name is Tom Screnci. I'm the Associate Director of Admissions and Enrollment here at Brandeis Online. So as you're working through the process, have questions, you can email me directly. The email address on the bottom of the screen is our general inbox, online@brandeis.edu. I also check that. So you can email me in either of those two ways. That's totally fine. Joining us, of course, is the chair, Steve Dupree. I'll let him introduce himself.
Slide switches to say "Program Chair." Below, bullet points say: "Brandeis alumnus, BA in Math and Economics; Past roles include: Head of Marketing at Amava, VP of Online Marketing at LogMeIn, VP of Marketing at SoFi."
Steven Dupree speaks: Hi there. Nice to meet you, all, and thanks, Tom. I'm a Brandeis alum myself. I was JBS scholar. I did math economics minor in computer science when I was there. I'm based in Boston. I used to run online marketing and Ops at LogMeIn. You call that Growth today. The company still has a major headquarters in the seaport district. They've branded Goto. I've also been the head of marketing at Sofi, which created student loan refinancing, created the space. And more recently, I've been helping companies with older adults. I had a company that was helping older adults stay active and engaged, called the Mava. That company lasted until COVID kept everybody home for 3 years.
And more recently, I'm helping a company called Coverright, which is kind of like a turbotax for health care, selection, and medicare enrollment. So really cool stuff. I did an MBA at Stanford which kind of helped me understand. Sort of how marketing fits into larger business organization. And I've been working in the marketing industry for 2 decades. So really happy to bring that experience to bear with this program.
Thomas Screnci speaks: All right. Thank you, Steve and Kayla. Welcome. You've not missed a thing. So we're going to keep going forward with our presentation. Thank you for joining us. So we just had an introduction from our chair, Steve Dupree, and my name is Tom with the admissions team.
Slide title switches to say "Agenda." Below, bullet points say: "Program overview, full-time option, digital marketing and design strategy, and admissions info."
Tom Screnci: So, jumping into what our agenda is, Steve. We're going to be covering the curriculum and program, overview, breaking out a course as well, discussing the digital marketing and design industry, providing his insights into that. And then I will wrap us all up talking about the admissions, information for the master's program and certificates a little bit different for both, but very straightforward process. So with that, I'll hand it back over to Steve. If I click on the right screen to talk to us, introduce us to the defining features and program breakdown of the digital marketing and design programs.
Slide switches to say "Program Defining Features." Below, a navy blue chart lists four features: 1. Data analytics, 2. Principles of Digital Marketing, 3. Creation and implementation of campaigns, 4. Frameworks of Digital Marketing."
Steven Dupree speaks: Absolutely. I'm also gonna cover one more thing that I missed because of a page break which was kind of the role as the program chair. Something I get asked this a lot. So my role is primarily responsible for the marketing subject matter in the program. So whereas Thomas and his team. They're the staff. So they're dealing a lot more with logistics, registration admissions, all that sort of stuff.
So my involvement is prioritizing which courses get built and redeveloped for the program, helping make sure that the curriculum maps to the outcomes that we set out reviewing the syllabi interview instructors. And I'm 1 of multiple people on the Admissions Committee.
Slide title switches to "Program Curriculum." Required courses include Digital Marketing Strategy; Search Engine Marketing and Optimization; Writing for Digital Environments; Multichannel Marketing Campaigns; Conversion Rate Optimization; Marketing and Customer Analytics; and Innovation and User-Centered Design.
Steve Dupree speaks: So in this slide, we'll talk a little bit more about the program as a whole. So digital marketing has been critical to organizations that are figuring out how to scale in this day and age. Whether it's helping a small nonprofit or a fortune. 500 behemoth right, whether you have a budget of like a few $100 or 100 million dollars in the underlying principles are largely the same. The program will give you the tools you need to understand how to build and execute digital marketing, strategy, budget and campaign elements. You'll learn tactics, tools, and other essential elements of the customer journey.
Perhaps most important. You'll cover broad aspects of the function, including design principles, writing styles for different customer stakeholders, analytics, technical aspects, the impact of AI and using tools there in communicating marketing objectives within and across your organization.
We've seen across the industry there's been a massive shift concerning needs and wants as organizations look to grow their marketing program. Some of the old school marketers are focused on hard to measure aspects, things like branding, brand advertising. As an example, branding is still important. But since everything in digital marketing world and is able to be tracked, measured, and analyzed, that really misses misses the boat a bit, I mean, even billboards can be measured.
Digital marketing, of course, lends itself to testing iteration and improvement. Fortunately for you, many of the undergraduate business degrees and communications degrees. They focus on high level principles, but not the substance. And even at a graduate level there's a shift from the MBA to these specialized master's degrees, where, like digital marketing seems to be underrepresented. So fortunately for you, this program covers that stuff. It's not just data analytics either, or design or coding. It's putting, like all of this together that matters. So it's multidisciplinary. The program brings across principles and frameworks of digital marketing to help you ask the right questions and make informed decisions when interpreting data and working with customers. You don't have to be an engineer or designer or writer, or an analyst, or even that far into your career yet. But you'll come out of this program understanding how to work with all of these tools in your own professional career.
Slide title switches to say "Program Curriculum."
Steve Dupree speaks: So this is a look at the curriculum for the digital marketing design program. It differentiates itself from traditional marketing degrees, and how it blends together principles of digital marketing, design and overall strategy with hands on tactics and analytics.
There's a concentration on a technical application of marketing theory and digital environments. We give students a rich toolkit for delivering sound customized digital campaigns for whatever type of audience you're working with. We have students from healthcare, nonprofit Academia consumer and enterprise software companies and many, many other fields.
This is a 30 credit program. It currently comprises 7 required courses which are on the left in 3 electives. The 7 required courses span several aspects of digital marketing, including analytics, writing, channel strategy. One of the more recent additions is conversion rate optimization, also known as lifecycle marketing, where you would learn appropriate ways to continue marketing and building relationships with customers, members, etc. After you've brought them on basically like your your list or your past customers. There's a healthy balance of analytical, creative, technical, and strategic dimensions across the curriculum. Newer topics, such as the impact of generative AI on the digital marketing field are touched upon across courses as appropriate.
Slide title changes to say "Required Course Breakdown." Information for RDMD 110: Search Engine Marketing and Optimization is listed below. Assignments include the use and optimization of Google My Business and Google Ads Fundamentals.
Tom Screnci speaks: Now I'm going to jump into breaking down one of our initial courses that students will partake in, either in the certificate programs or the Master's degree program. So Steve will let you discuss this as well. Please.
Steve Dupree speaks: Sure, Tom, so this is a digital marketing design, 110 search engine marketing and optimization. This is an early course that we offer. Usually the second or 3rd course, someone takes the fundamental, a classic. You'll get an overview of search engine marketing commonly referred to as paid search. So that would be how to run paid ads on Google, also Bing, etc. Search engine optimization commonly referred to as organic or natural search, which is how to drive visibility and discoverability of your site through marketing tactics. This includes a coverage of features such as Google local and the impact of AI on SEO, which is big. If you've typed anything in Google recently. And you see, AI snippets, that's a field that's changing very rapidly.
The course content investigates applications in both B2C, business consumer, and business to business, with a focus on technical considerations for achieving high search results and an effective return on investment or ROI. Special topics covered include keyword development landing page optimization updates to the algorithms, etc. AI and machine learning impacts. A critical class for every digital marketing, professional, whether you work with search engines on a day-to-day basis, or you simply need a working knowledge of how to leverage them.
Slide switches to say "Marketplace Information." Under fields that employ graduates with this degree, lists: "Digital, channel, or online marketing; acquisition or growth marketing; marketing operations or analytics." Under job titles of anticipated graduates, lists: "Digital marketing manager/director, Social media manager, Marketing analyst, Communications manager, Growth marketing lead and more."
Thomas Screnci: Thank you, Steven. So we've talked a lot about the program and giving you a breakdown of what a required course would be like a course that most students would be exposed to at a degree or certificate program. So now we're going to shift, focus a little bit and talk, start to talk about industry insights and then about the faculty industry expertise as well. So, Steve, I'll hand it right back to you, please.
Steven Dupree: Sure, this is kind of showing some of the outputs of the program. You know, digital marketing professionals their job on the rise. It's an industry that's changing a lot with AI. But it's really really important for most organizations that have any level of scale. These are some examples of fields that employ graduates with the degree functional fields, right digital channel and online marketing, acquisition and growth marketing, marketing operations, marketing analytics for those who are making a career transition through the digital marketing design program. You know.
I'll give you an example of of 10 titles you might explore upon creating the program. You know, digital marketing manager or director, social media manager, marketing, analyst Comms manager, digital marketing, copywriter or editor, search paid search or SEO or search engine optimization, specialist growth or growth marketing manager, a product marketing manager, a web or a product or mobile analytics, Guru, an email marketing manager or lifecycle marketing manager.
Thomas Screnci: All right.
Slide switches to say "Industry Expertise." Below, job titles of Brandeis Online instructors are listed: Co-founder and Principal of 215 Marketing, Director of Digital Content Strategy for Boston Medical Center, Chief Communications Officer for Central Park Conservancy, VP of User Experience for New York Life Insurance Company, and more.
Steven Dupree speaks: Alright, so this is a list of some of the faculty members that are involved teaching in the program and where they where they work. You know, as I previously mentioned, one thing that we do well is keep our courses and curriculum current and relevant to what's happening in the real world.
So we use a pretty sizable network of marketers from industry that teach courses and also serve on our advisory board. We're pretty proud of our programs, industry connections. All instructors are experienced professionals, and they're active in fields external to Brandeis. They engage with us part time. We instruct them how to teach online. Following our standards, you see some professional experience here from the digital marketing faculty. It includes the range of B, 2 B+B, 2 C companies operating and consulting work and digital marketing in several industries, including software healthcare, education, nonprofit and more.
Thomas Screnci: Awesome.
Slide switches to say "Advisory Board and Industry Mentors." Below, bullet points list: Marketing Specialist at 451 Alliance, Director of Digital Marketing at BitSights, Talent Programs Partner at Pegasystems and more.
Thomas Screnci speaks: Thank you, Steve. So Steve gets a break. I'm going to start to jump in here. Talk about the Advisory Board and the mission. So Steve's going to stick around and answer questions if you have any, at the end. But I'm going to take it off from here. One addition to what he said, which should have been added to the presentation, which is my fault, but happy to say, it is one of the defining features that I love about the program is all of our faculty. Engage with us part time, and they work full time in their field. Same with our Advisory Board. So their knowledge and expertise as Steve has such amazing experience as an example, they're bringing that to their classroom, to the online platform, to their students, so amazingly relevant expertise, not full time lecturers going to conferences every so often full time professionals in their field, so definitely great aspect of our program.
And with all of our programs. All of our programs have professional advisory boards, consisting of executives from leading companies who offer strategic guidance and expertise on the latest advances and the demands of the industry. We're going through a review right now with our software engineer program. We did one a few months ago with bioinformatics, amazing robust conversations of different industry expertise as to what trends they're seeing, what curriculum changes they think we should have. So it's amazing guidance of our program development as well as advisor and guidance to our students on a, you know, session to session, academic session basis so hugely impactful in a variety of different ways.
Members evaluate program goals and coursework to assess. If graduates have the skills required of leading professionals in these respective industries, they help to identify trends as mentioned, align educational courses with emerging areas as well, and the challenges that are coming within the industry. As a Brandeis Online student, you'll have many opportunities to network with those in your field, through those in your class who are working professionals. 98% of our students work full time in their field. So they're bringing a variety of expertise and a variety of industries to their classes, and, as I mentioned, your professors are full-time professionals rather, and part-time professors.
The Brandeis community extends beyond our online classroom, offering student opportunities to expand their professional circles through networking events. Webinars shared job postings, Linkedin and others to provide meaningful connections with our faculty, the program chairs, advisory board members, and others in our community.
It's important to note that our classes are asynchronous meaning. There are no set meeting times. You are responsible on a weekly rotation to log onto your classroom board. Do any assignments, do any readings or watch any videos the professor may have provided. So you really get to work at your own pace on a weekly rotation. So it really is accessible to those who have full-time jobs, full-time families and other responsibilities in their life. So definitely, very accessible program in that regard as well.
Slide switches to say "Application Checklist." List includes Online Application, Official transcripts, Resume, Statement of goals, and Letter of recommendation. Below, text says "No application fee! No GMAT or GRE required!" Spring-2 deadline is March 4, Fall-1 deadline is July 29.
Thomas Screnci speaks: So we've covered a lot about the admissions process. The program process. Now, let's step into the admissions process. This application checklist is specific to the degree program. There is no application, fee or standardized testing required for either of the Master's degree or certificate application. So you can apply kind of hassle free. No commitment, you could say in some way, just by submitting these materials on our own application.
We require official transcripts from all your previous schools. This is specific to your bachelor's degree. If you have a Master's degree, we don't technically require the Transcript. You can, of course, send it to us, but we're not going to, you know. Hold off on reading your application because you haven't, submitted the Master's Degree. We are looking for anything related to your bachelor's degree. So if you transferred schools anything like that, we would require all official transcripts.
A current resume is required as well. This can be as long as you need it to be some students. It's just one page we truly break from the traditional belief that it needs to be one page in length. It can be 3, 4 pages long. You can dive into great detail the projects you've worked on experiences. You've learned professional development opportunities. You've had so feel free to be lengthy and wordy. It's great to have as much context of you as an applicant as we can, and we're not critiquing the formatting and styling of your resume. So please feel free to give us as much detail as you want, and that's always very helpful to our review.
Also required is a 500 word or more statement of goals. In one letter of recommendation the statement of goals is you just answering why you're applying to this program? Why Brandeis, what you're hoping to get out of this program. You can give us context of your personal and professional life. Some students may have had a rougher undergraduate experience. Change careers, gaps, or things like that in their profession, or whatever it may be, please feel free to dive into detail if you want to. If you feel that's an important part of your story, please feel free to share it with us. But however you think best answers those questions, Why this program? Why Brandeis? What development are you looking for? Those are the key things to address in the statement of goals.
The letter recommendation is typically a current or former manager or supervisor. Younger graduates may have not had a manager supervisor in this field. So someone who's overseen you in a working environment, in a research or internship project are also acceptable. So anyone like that is a preferred letter of recommendation. You can absolutely send 2, 3, or more if you wanted to. One is a minimum, and one is completely acceptable. To send and be reviewed for the application. So please feel free to just do that.
The master's certificate is much shorter. We just require a resume and an online form submitted, and you complete the form, of course, and that's really it. Regardless of the application. Whether it be a certificate or master's degree, they're all rolling admission, meaning. As applications are completed, we review them. We try to get decisions out to people once applications are completed within about a week's time.
And that is, after that, of course, up to you to decide if you are looking to come to Brandeis always, of course, email us, or call us with questions regarding your admission or the program structure start times, things like that. All of our digital marketing and design programs can be started throughout the year. We offer currently 5 academic sessions a year. All sessions are 8 weeks long. So you can even going part time doing one course at a time in a certificate program. You can complete the program in under a year's time. So that's a huge advantage of the program. Also, big advantage is the certificate programs are stackable into the Master's degree. So if you wanted to just start with a certificate, you were unsure. If you wanted or needed the degree, you can start with a certificate, and have all those credits transfer into your master's degree, and kind of have that progress already completed. So it's amazing segue. You kind of get 2 birds with one stone, so to speak. You kind of you get the certificate and the Master's degree in the same progress, same process. So a huge opportunity. If you're looking for it, of course, up to you as a as a individual, what you're looking for, and we admissions are always happy to help in terms of what we can do for you.
Slide switches to say "Keep in Touch!" Steve's email (sdupree@brandeis.edu) and Tom's email (tscrenci@brandeis.edu) are listed. The general Brandeis Online email (online@brandeis.edu) is below.
Tom speaks: That brings us to the end of our presentation, and towards the end of our recording. So I will in a moment wrap up our recording. So for those who are watching this, the recording, thank you for watching, and please feel free to email, I think one more click, actually perfect email myself, tscrenci@brandeis.edu or online@brandeis.edu. Both of them, I have access to. So either email address is fine.
You can always email Steve (sdupree@brandeis.edu) with questions as well. We're always happy to help with questions about the program structure, timeline recommendations for application things or anything like that. So for those watching the recording. Thank you. Have a good day, and hope to hear from you soon.