Digital marketing talent is in high demand by organizations nationally. In fact, it is the most recruited role by marketing leaders, according to the McKinley Marketing Partners 2019 Hiring Trends Study. This trend won’t be ending anytime soon; 61 percent of the leaders surveyed said they are planning to expand their marketing teams.
To ensure that DePaul students are well prepared for these opportunities, the Driehaus College of Business has launched a digital marketing concentration in its undergraduate marketing major. DePaul announced the concentration to the business community during a Feb. 21 reception attended by more than 100 business professionals.
The program is led by faculty member and alumna Jacqueline Kuehl (BUS ’87, MBA ’95), who brings experience as a marketing consultant and executive to the role. Associate Professor of Marketing J. Steven Kelly and Marketing Chair Steve Koernig (MBA ’94) created the curriculum with input from the marketing department’s advisory board of alumni and industry leaders.
“We developed the courses based on conversations with these business leaders about the skill sets they are seeking from marketing graduates,” Kelly says. “The courses address fundamental needs in business today.”
The courses cover internet marketing and analytics, inbound and content marketing, and search engine, social media and mobile marketing, among other industry-relevant topics. Each student also is required to complete an internship in digital marketing. “With digital communications pervading every aspect of human engagement today, students with digital marketing skills have a wide range of career opportunities, from Fortune 500 companies to startups to nonprofits,” Kuehl says.
Department of Marketing advisory board member John Digles, executive vice president of the public relations firm MWWPR, attended the kickoff reception and says he supports the new concentration’s focus on digital marketing as an essential skill for marketers.
“The curriculum was developed to address social media, data analysis, audience targeting and even influencer marketing,” Digles says. “It’s an exciting start for DePaul and the students, as well as the hiring managers seeking candidates with this coveted background.”
Kuehl added: “We plan to host more events for the digital marketing community to ensure we continue to address the skill needs of businesses.”
By Robin Florzak
