Gordon Secures Digital Marketing Certification Partnerships from DMI and AMA 

Gordon students can now be certified by the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) and the American Marketing Association (AMA)—the two largest resource organizations for marketers and accreditations in the marketing world––thanks to a partnership with both institutions. 

“This gives our students a leg up in the industry in addition to their degree,” Greg Smith, professor of business and marketing, says. “They will leave here with a certification from one of the biggest names in the marketing world. It will help them jumpstart a career in marketing.”   

The Best Online Digital Marketing Certificate Programs 

The AMA is “the essential community for marketers,” the top thought leader in marketing and academics, with industry-leading practices and resources for marketing professionals to succeed in this field. DMI has the best online digital marketing certificate programs in the world, with thousands of internationally recognized courses, webinars and other materials that help marketers stay ahead of their competition in skill and expertise. 

To make their knowledge more accessible to students, these two prestigious organizations partner with higher education institutions to credential certain courses. This allows students to complete an already-existing class at their school for a sum, instead of paying full price for the official course at DMI or AMA, and still get the same authorized certification.  

Smith had investigated the official course as a possibility for his students, but when he heard about the partnership, he submitted the curriculum for his Digital Marketing course at Gordon College. Both organizations jointly certified it, declaring his course just as strong as the official certifications for marketing.  

Becoming Certified Digital Marketing Professionals 

For $250 any student who takes and passes Smith’s Digital Marketing course with a C or higher can report this accreditation on their resume. Outside of this partnership a DMI certification costs upwards of $1,500, meaning Gordon students are saving money and time by having the material built into their existing course schedule and requirements.  

Smith’s course is a project-based, hands-on learning experience. Students learn to build their own websites and write blogs, social media ads, social media posts, emails and more. They also can create their own businesses or connect with a local, real-life business to offer marketing support. Smith often has students complete certifications through other noteworthy organizations, like HubSpot, Google Adwords and Hootsuite, but DMI and AMA are the names that will establish students as certified digital marketing professionals. 

“I partnered with a hair salon and asked them, ‘What are you looking for from a marketing standpoint? What does your website look like?’  For every aspect of the class, I worked with the company to develop content that would further their marketing efforts. Smith’s class ensures you know how to do the work yourself,” says Brenndan Teeter ’26, who is currently taking the DMI certification class.  

Looking to the Future 

Smith is confident that this course will not only empower students to learn and gain credentials from prestigious marketing thought leaders, but that it will also open doors for them long after they graduate.  

“Even if they don’t go into digital marketing, it’s a huge name drop for a resume,” Smith says. “And the fact that it’s not just DMI, but is also connected with AMA, is very powerful. It’s a huge differentiator.”