Digital Marketing Practice

Certificate

Course Details

Course Code	SG_BDIGI_S06
Level	6
Duration	1 semester
Credits	20
Method of Delivery	Online
Campus Locations	Sligo
Mode of Delivery	Part Time

How to Apply

How to Apply

Course Overview

Funded Springboard+ places for September 2025 have now been filled. This course is open for fee paying applications.
Click here to register your interest for future Springboard+ places and updates.

This 13-week part-time online programme aims to equip you with the practical skills to research, plan, create, publish, promote and analyse digital marketing content that will engage with your customer and help you to stand out on digital platforms. This includes familiarising you with popular digital marketing techniques used by marketing professionals to identify and target custom market segments. You will have the opportunity to explore multiple digital/social media tools and techniques used by marketing executives to manage and measure the influence and success of your own digital/social media campaigns.

The course content is tailored for digital marketers at a beginner/intermediate level.

The objectives of the programme are to:

Use contemporary digital marketing tools and platforms to achieve business objectives.
Learn practical tactics to ensure success in digital marketing using engaging and interesting content.
Learn how to optimise your content by improving your visibility across search including digital/social advertisements.
Apply digital tools and platforms to analyse and measure the effectiveness of promotional campaigns.

Course Details

Year 1

Semester	Module Details	Credits	Mandatory / Elective
1	Search Engine Marketing Introduction This module will equip students with the practical skills required to promote a website using paid and unpaid search engine marketing techniques. Students are taught best practice Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques and will learn how to use Google Ads to drive traffic to a website. Learning Outcomes 1. Conduct a search engine optimisation audit of a website. 2. Implement best practice search engine optimisation techniques. 3. Navigate Google Ads software.	05	Mandatory
1	Digital Marketing Analytics This module teaches learners how to use web and social media analytics software. Students are taught how to utilise and interpret web and social media analytical data to improve marketing decision-making. Learning Outcomes 1. Engage with various web and social media analytical online tools and platforms to understand key marketing metrics. 2. Navigate the Google Analytics Platform. 3. Identify and understand key digital, financial and marketing metrics. 4. Explain the advantages of using web and social media analytical software for marketing decision making.	05	Mandatory
1	Content Creation The module will equip the learner with the practical skills to research, plan, create and publish a various of digital content using popular PC and mobile applications using accepted design guidelines. The learner will review digital content to monitor trends and identify best practice. They will understand the role of creativity and basic design guidelines plus how best to plan and apply these to digital content creation. Finally the learner will explore the various social and digital platforms available and how best to publish and promote digital content across these platforms. Learning Outcomes 1. Plan and researchhow to create digital content. 2. Apply accepted design guidelines for content creation. 3. Create graphic and video content using a number of popular PC and mobile applications. 4. Publish digital material to a number of sources including blogs, social media and email platforms.	05	Mandatory
1	Digital and Social Media Planning This module will equip the learner with the necessary skills to plan, research, implement, record, analysis and control a digital marketing campaign delivered across a number of digital platforms encompassing legal and ethical considerations while incorporating popular management applications. Learning Outcomes 1. Examine the stages involved in developing a digital marketing campaign. 2. Apply correct legal and ethical considerations to the development digital marketing campaigns. 3. Identify digital audience and market segments. 4. Evaluate the various applications and tools that are available to aid the automation and project management of digital marketing campaigns.	05	Mandatory

Recommended Study Hours per week

There will be four modules, each with a 1-hour live lecture, each week. Live lectures normally take place between 6pm and 10pm, Monday to Thursday but this may vary depending on the availability of specific lecturers. For part-time online learning, it is recommended that students allow for 4-6 hours per week per 5-credit modules to their studies.

Examination and Assessment

All modules on this programme are assessed using 100% continuous assessment during the semester. The continuous assessment will vary from MCQs to project work.

On-Campus Attendance Requirement

No attendance required.
Note: Check programme Examination and Assessment requirements, as they may involve examinations to be taken on campus.

Progression

This special purpose award will support (but not be sufficient in itself) a successful student in progressing to entry onto L6/L7 Programmes – exemptions may be warranted depending on the programme.

Download a prospectus

Undergraduate Prospectus Online, Flexible & Professional Development Prospectus

Entry Requirements

The Atlantic Technological University has policies in place which are fully implemented to allow for access to a full range of learners to include: The second level school leaver on the basis of Leaving Certificate performance only where minimum Institute entry requirements for L6 programmes will apply.

Non-standard applicants – any applicant on the basis of non-standard circumstances that would include, but not exclusively, maturity, other qualifications and disability. The implementation of this policy is reflected in the increased diversity of our student cohort.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) – applications for exemptions/advanced entry will be considered in line with the RPL policies and procedures. RPL is a process that may allow you to gain admission to a programme or to receive exemptions/ credit for some parts of the programme based on demonstrated learning that you may have achieved through another programme of study or through your work or career. Further information is available at www.atu.ie/rpl which our dedicated RPL portal or by contacting our admissions team at admissions.sligo@atu.ie
Base modules.ECDL) and Microsoft Office ( or similar, e.g. Open Office), the latter to an introductory standard such as described by MacOSApplicants should possess a basic level of digital literacy. You would be expected to be comfortable in working with Windows ( or similar )
In addition, international students, whose first language is not English, will be required to prove their English competency through previous examination results, recognised English language tests such as IELTS ( 6.5 or equivalent required) and through oral communication skills at interview

Fees

Total Fees EU: €1500

This courses is Free under the Springboard+ Initiative.

Further information on fees

Careers

Industry Demand for Digital Marketing Skills

The North West Regional Skills Forum (2018), SMEs Houses of the Oireachtas (2019), National Skills Strategy 2025 and Future Jobs Ireland (2019) have all published reports highlighting the industry demand for digital and social media marketing skills. With social media platforms showing a consistent increase in account ownership in Ireland (Ipsos MRBI, 2019), and users spending up to 2.5 hours everyday across multiple social media sites, its influence on consumer decision making is soaring and cannot be ignored (Smart Insights, 2020).

Further Information

Who Should Apply?

The course is very practical in nature and is aimed at those who may currently be undertaking a small amount of digital marketing but need to gain the skills to be able to build, manage, monitor and report on the success of their digital marketing activity.