Bachelor of Commerce (Digital Marketing) - Postsecondary ...

Hiring for academic credentials (i.e., Master’s, PhD) in the area of digital marketing will be a
challenge; most people working in the field do not possess specialized graduate degrees but
will likely have undergraduate degrees in other areas, including marketing.
The one-semester co-op semester minimum is an MTCU requirement. Prior work experience
does not release a student from fulfilling a co-op requirement, as one of the primary goals of
co-operative education is the integration of work experience with the curriculum.
5. Proposed Bachelor of Commerce (Digital Marketing)
Sherry McEvoy outlined the proposed scope of the program, identifying the proposed skill set by
“tier” and emphasizing that the goal of the curriculum is to ensure graduates are marketable:
Tier 1: Strategic Planning. Most students will be direct from secondary school or diploma
transfer students and will require a foundation in the broad business courses that are the basis
of all BComm degrees. This foundation is largely addressed through the curriculum of the
first two years of the program, prior to specialization.
Tier 2: Product & Market Management (includes the “bread and butter” marketing courses),
Measurement (CRM and Analytics)
Tier 3: Web Site Strategy, Digital & Mobile, SEM and SEO, Traditional Media Integration.
Tier3 is less theoretical than Tiers 1 and 2.
With regard to career opportunities, the program is intended to graduate marketing managers (not
technicians) who are competent in both traditional and digital marketing environments. Based on a
review of other college and university programs, the proposed focus on digital marketing would be a
differentiator for Fanshawe’s program. Fanshawe already has strong curriculum in this area in our
Advanced Diploma program. The growth in digital marketing has resulted in the emergence of
several SEM/Analytics certifications, many of which graduates will be prepared to pursue. Graduates
will also be prepared to pursue the Canadian Institute of Marketing designation.
Sherry distributed a handout with proposed vocational learning outcomes for the degree program.
Outcomes 1 through 11 are general business curriculum outcomes shared by all four of the proposed
degree programs, largely covered in the first two years of the program, and Outcomes 12 through 22
are unique to the marketing specialization.
6. Discussion & Recommendations re proposed Bachelor of Commerce program
a. Recommendation whether to proceed to develop the program
The External Focus Group agreed by consensus that the development of the proposed Bachelor of
Commerce (Digital Marketing) should proceed to the next step.
b. If proceeding, what should be the scope of the program
Graduates of the Business – Marketing (BMK) and Business Administration – Marketing
(BAM) programs would have a direct pathway to degree completion. These students would
be exempt from several marketing courses in the degree program based on internal credit
transfer from their diploma program. For example, BAM graduates would receive credit for
many of the digital marketing courses included in the final two years of the degree program.
However, a bridging semester would, in all likelihood, be included in the degree completion
48 Bachelor of Commerce (Digital Marketing)