COURSES

Diploma in Digital Marketing (Level 6)

Strategy-driven, AI-powered, Industry-ready

Marketing today lives online, and skilled digital marketers are in demand across every industry.
That’s why the Diploma in Digital Marketing has been developed with industry experts to build the skills you need to work in digital marketing, grow a business, or start your own freelance agency.
The course covers everything from content and social media marketing, SEO (search engine optimisation), SEM (search engine marketing), and data analysis, digital design and web assets, and of course, AI and future technologies that are reshaping the marketing industry.
We teach live and online in our virtual lectures and studios, so you’ll get the most updated industry information and ensure your Diploma keeps up with industry trends and platform updates.
You’ll also join a connected community of future creators, strategists, and analysts who are shaping the future of marketing across New Zealand.

 

Diploma in Digital Marketing (Level 6)

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DELIVERY METHOD
Online Campus
DURATION
1 Year full time or 2 years part time
EMPLOYMENT RATE
86%
START DATE
23rd February 2026

This course connects you directly with the Digital Marketing industry. You’ll learn from professionals who share real campaign insights and tools used in the field every day.

Each of the 5 courses in the Diploma builds practical experience you can apply straight away. You’ll start with the foundations of digital marketing and design thinking, creating campaigns and visuals that connect with real audiences.

Build on this with AI tools, automation, and data-driven marketing strategies to plan campaigns across platforms such as Google and Meta.

You’ll then develop a range of creative content, ad campaigns, landing pages, and email strategies that work together to engage audiences. Finish with a capstone project where you design and present a full campaign for a real or simulated client, graduating with a professional portfolio that shows your digital marketing capability.

  • The programme has been co-created with Digital Marketing specialists, so you’ll earn a recognised industry qualification.
  • The programme is taught by industry practitioners, meaning your course content is current and relevant.
  • You’ll be able to design and implement digital marketing strategies across a range of platforms, including Google, Meta (Facebook, Instagram), TikTok Tok and more.
  • You’ll learn how to think creatively, manage projects, and present with impact, building the confidence and skills to stand out in today’s fast-changing Digital Marketing industry.
  • Gain New Zealand’s only accredited Diploma qualification in Digital Marketing. On graduation, you’ll receive the NZIE Diploma in Digital Marketing (Level 6), which leads to the NZ Diploma in Digital Media and Design (Level 6).
Request a Brochure

The Diploma in Digital Marketing is an action-oriented course with a new approach to online learning.
It’s built around Learning Pods, weekly studio sessions, and hands-on problem solving. So you build real skills on top of your knowledge base.

A dedicated learning platform to support you throughout the journey. Your weekly study will include:

  • Learning Pods – short, focused modules covering tools, skills, or industry insights
  • Lectures –guided sessions that explain core marketing ideas and frameworks
  • Studios – collaborative sessions where you apply your learning to real digital marketing challenges

Our Virtual Campus also gives you access to the Learning Hub, a space designed to support you with online study, announcements, and messaging tools to stay connected with tutors and classmates.

For more than ten years, NZIE’s Digital Marketing School has supported students to build new skills, grow their businesses, and begin freelancing ventures.

Hear from our CEO, Rob Marks, as he explains why NZIE’s Diploma in Digital Marketing remains one of the strongest ways to future-proof your career.

Even in a challenging job market, 86 percent of our graduates are employed, freelancing, or applying their skills to power their own businesses. The Diploma is NZQA-accredited, delivered fully online, and takes only one year full-time (40 weeks plus holidays).

 Study from anywhere in New Zealand and gain industry-recognised skills in less time than a traditional degree.

Digital marketing offers flexibility and a wide range of options. Many graduates use their skills to grow their own business or brand, while others move into roles with agencies or in-house marketing teams. The mix of creative, analytical, and technical skills means you can shape a career that fits your goals and lifestyle.

Common roles include:
Digital Marketing Coordinator / Specialist, Content Creator, Social Media Marketing Coordinator, Digital Performance Marketing Specialist, SEO Specialist, Email Marketing Specialist, and more.

Here’s a summary of the content delivered across the 5 courses in the Diploma:

Digital Marketing Principles and Practice
A foundational course introducing concepts and theories behind digital marketing, and how to apply them in real business settings. Learn the value of KPIs and data-driven decision making.

Content Marketing and Media
Learn how to make content resonate through authentic storytelling and design.  Build effective content strategies and learn how to automate and optimise content planning.

Digital Design
Apply design skills using Affinity and Canva. Learn how to create a range of brand assets such as brand visuals, ads, and social media videos.

Websites
Get behind the scenes of websites by taking a look at the web ecosystem, helpful plugins, the principles of User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI), as well as web messaging. Design interactive landing pages ready for your next campaign.

AI Marketing and Automation
Explore how AI interacts with Digital Marketing by learning about generative search, quality prompt design, building agents, and AI’s ethical implementations.

Email Marketing
Learn segmentation, email trends, and campaign automation. Explore the balance between strategy, data, and ethics.

Social Media Marketing
Understand how to navigate Social Media. Learn how to build communities, manage content across different platforms, and implement social media strategies to meet campaign goals.

SEO and SEM
Learn SEO fundamentals (including how AI is transforming the SEO landscape). You’ll also learn how to develop Google Ads campaign strategies with the option to become Google Ads certified (foundation + advanced).

Data Analysis and Reporting
Dive into Digital Marketing analytics. Gain insight from data by utilising AI to drive improvements in strategy. With the option to become Google Analytics certified (foundation + advanced).

Professional Soft Skills
Alongside Digital Marketing, you’ll build practical soft skills in areas such as Design Thinking, Presentations and Project Management, so you’re ready to lead, collaborate, and stay ahead as AI and future technology reshape the industry.

See the full course content

2026 Course Tuition Fees: $9824 

Student loan available through Study Link. Check if you are eligible here. 

Course Related Costs:

Item Cost $ (approximate)
Chat GPT $410
Canva $200
Optional Course Costs
Adobe Creative Cloud $600
Microsoft Office $150

Canva is billed in Australian Dollars, meaning the end price is variable.

Chat GPT is billed in US Dollars, meaning the end price is variable.

Fees-Free Scheme

If you are a first-time tertiary learner, you may be able to get Fees Free for your final year of study, up to $12,000.

 

Practical and interactive learning
Our diploma is built around real projects, studio sessions and a capstone experience. You will graduate with a portfolio of work that shows employers what you can do.

 Taught by industry experts
Learn from tutors who have hands-on experience in digital marketing, design, and strategy. They bring current industry practice into every class.

Career-focused support
Our Student Success Team provides academic, cultural, and well-being support. You will also receive career advice and guidance to help you connect with opportunities in the industry.

Key information for students

The easy way to see qualification info

testimonials

Success Stories

Digital Marketing Student Collette
kiki student photo
NZIE Diploma in Digital Marketing Graduate, Marianne
Adriaan Diploma student NZIE

NZIE is accredited and approved by:

New Zealand Qualification Authority (NZQA)

This is a government department that sets the standards for courses and quality. https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/. NZIE is a Category 1 Provider. You can find the last EER report here.

Tertiary Education Commission (TEC)

This government department funds institutes to accept local domestic students. This means that New Zealanders can study at NZIE and also access the Student Loan and Allowance scheme to support them through their studies. https://www.tec.govt.nz/

Course Content

CREDITS 15    |    LEVEL 5

Digital Marketing Practice and Design

This course introduces learners to the core concepts of digital marketing and design thinking. You’ll explore how businesses use digital tools and platforms to connect with audiences across a range of channels such as Social Media, Email Marketing etc.  Through practical exercises, you’ll apply design thinking principles to identify marketing problems and you’ll begin creating your first marketing assets. that align with business goals. By the end, you’ll have a strong foundation to build more advanced digital marketing and design skills.

CREDITS 15    |    LEVEL 6

AI and Automation for Digital Marketing

This course explores how artificial intelligence and automation are transforming marketing practice. You’ll design automated workflows, build AI-driven campaigns, and learn how to use tools that personalise customer experiences and optimise performance. You’ll also examine the ethical use of AI in marketing and how to balance automation with human creativity. By applying design thinking frameworks, you’ll produce AI-enabled digital assets and processes that meet real-world marketing needs.

CREDITS 15    |    LEVEL 6

Digital Marketing Strategy

This course focuses on the development of strategy in Digital Marketing. You’ll learn how to research audiences, analyse data, and build strategies that align with business goals. Using design thinking, you’ll plan campaigns across multiple channels and develop frameworks for testing, reporting, and optimisation. You’ll also explore AI-driven insights, budgeting, and performance analytics to guide decision-making. By the end, you’ll have the confidence to design and implement effective, data-led marketing strategies.

CREDITS 30    |    LEVEL 6

Digital Marketing Asset Development

This course takes you from concept to creation by developing a full suite of digital marketing assets. You’ll design content for websites, ads, and social media platforms while applying principles of UX/UI, branding, and storytelling. You’ll use both creative and analytical tools, including AI-assisted platforms, to prototype, test, and refine your work. The course emphasises professional standards in design, project management, and collaboration, ensuring each asset serves a clear marketing purpose.

CREDITS 30    |    LEVEL 6

Digital Marketing Capstone Project

In this final course, you’ll bring together everything you’ve learned to design and deliver a complete digital marketing campaign. Working independently or with a real business, you’ll manage a full project from research and strategy through to execution and presentation. You’ll apply digital technologies, creativity, and data analysis to solve a complex marketing challenge. The project concludes with an industry presentation and provides the opportunity to build a professional portfolio for employment or freelance work.

Entry Criteria:

To be admitted into NZ Certificate in English Language Level 4 Academic, all applicants must meet the following requirements:  

a) Be a speaker of English as an additional language; and
 
b) Hold a NZCEL Applied Level 3 [3667] or the NZCEL General Level 4) [1882]) qualification; or 
 
c) Pass an NZIE entry test that meets the requirements for the CEFR B2 requirements or equivalent; and
 
d) Be of a minimum age of 16 years or older; and
 
e) Be a New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency OR Certificate of Refugee Status and evidence of eligibility to study for the duration of enrolment; OR Have a student visa

Course Content

CREDITS 15
    |    LEVEL 6

Digital Marketing Principles and Practice

This course introduces students to the concepts and theories that underpin digital marketing approaches and their context within conventional marketing. It lays the foundation for understanding how to drive ROI-based digital marketing activities in order to achieve business objectives and goals.

CREDITS 15
    |    LEVEL 7

Content Marketing and Media

This course examines the importance of content marketing & media and analyses how to leverage digital content strategically to achieve organisational/campaign objectives. It provides students with the knowledge and skills to track and interpret online consumer behaviour and to develop appropriate content marketing campaigns based on ROI principles.

CREDITS 15
    |    LEVEL 7

Digital Design Principles

The aim of this course is to provide students with practical learning towards the development of online media using digital design principles and the application of media in the digital space. You will learn to use tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD, Adobe Premier Pro and Canva. Developing a brand include logos, google display ads and social media videos.

 

CREDITS 15
    |    LEVEL 7

Websites and eCommerce

This course integrates knowledge and understanding of websites and eCommerce fundamentals. It further examines security, legal and ethical issues, and technology that underpins eCommerce, and advances practical skills in designing a technology solution for an eCommerce application. You will learn HTML to build a simple landing page. Then you will use WordPress to build an eCommerce live website as part of this course.

 

CREDITS 15
    |    LEVEL 7

Email Marketing

This course examines how email marketing fits into an organisation’s overall business and marketing strategy.  It covers current trends of email marketing using audiences and data to develop relevant campaigns and content. This includes segmentation of strategies, understanding common types of email campaigns and the laws and ethics from national and global perspectives. 

CREDITS 15
    |    LEVEL 7

Social Media Marketing

This course examines the relevance of social media in the digital communications landscape, and provides tactical knowledge and skills to create, manage, and deliver social media strategies to achieve business/campaign outcomes. 

CREDITS 15
    |    LEVEL 7

Search Engine Marketing

The aim of this course is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the search engine business model with tools and techniques for lead generation and ROI. As part of this course, you will become certified in Google Ads at the foundation and advanced level.

CREDITS 15
    |    LEVEL 7

Data Analysis and Reporting

This course offers practical insights into the basics of Web Analytics and Measurement in order to help discover the digital insights hidden in web data and how these insights can be used to improve consumers’ online experience and achieve organisational objectives. As part of this course, you will become certified in Google Analytics at the foundation and advanced level.

Submit your details below to get the Digital Marketing Strategy Brochure.

Submit your details below to get the Diploma in Digital Marketing Brochure.

Entry Criteria:

To be admitted into NZ Certificate in English Language Level 4 General, all applicants must meet the following requirements:

a) Be a speaker of English as an additional language; and

b) Hold a NZCEL Applied Level 3 [3667] qualification; or

c) Pass an NZIE entry test that meets the requirements for the CEFR B2 requirements or equivalent; and

d) Be of a minimum age of 16 years or older; and.

e) Be a New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency OR Certificate of Refugee Status and evidence of eligibility to study for the duration of enrolment.

Entry Criteria:

To be admitted into NZ Certificate in English Language Level 3 General, all applicants must meet the following requirements:

a) Be a speaker of English as an additional language; and

b) Hold a NZCEL Level 2 qualification; or

c) Pass an NZIE entry test that meets the requirements for the CEFR mid B1 requirements or equivalent; and

d) Be of a minimum age of 16 years or older; and.

e) Be a New Zealand citizen or resident; or have Certificate of Refugee Status and evidence of eligibility to study for the duration of enrolment.

Fees 2020

Student loans available through Study Link. Check if you are eligible here. 

Fees-Free Study.  

You are only eligible for Fees-Free if you haven’t previously undertaken more than 60 credits (half a year of equivalent full-time tertiary education, 0.5 EFTS) at Level 3 or above on the NZQF – New Zealand Qualifications Framework.

To check if you meet the requirements, visit the New Zealand Government’s Fees-Free website and enter your National Student Number (NSN)

If you do not have an NSN, contact your Student Support Advisor.

Thanks for your interest in studying digital marketing with NZIE. Drop us your details, and we’ll be in touch soon!​

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