A guide to professional marketing qualifications

Many (if not most) marketing professionals don’t have specific qualifications. While getting a professional marketing qualification can be useful, it’s not essential for a successful career in the sector. So, don’t feel that you’ve got to keep studying if you don’t want to. However, although industry-specific qualifications aren’t a requirement for most roles, they can help you stand out from the crowd.

In this guide, we'll outline some of the most popular marketing courses and qualifications. We’ll cover:

• Institutes that offer qualifications for marketing professionals
  • The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
  • Institute of Data & Marketing (IDM)
  • The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)
• How would I fund a professional marketing qualification?
• Is a university degree a professional marketing qualification?
• Where will a professional marketing qualification take me?

Several bodies in the UK offer marketing qualifications, including:

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) offers various professional qualifications, ranging from level 3 to level 7 (which is the equivalent of a master’s degree).

Typically, marketers undertake a CIM professional qualification after they complete an undergraduate degree (either in Marketing or another related subject). However, you can undertake CIM qualification even if you don't have an undergraduate degree, and some marketing degrees offer CIM as part of the course, too.

For current students or recent grads looking to enter marketing, the Foundation Certificate in Professional & Digital Marketing is a great place to start. It’s a level 3 qualification that will give you the foundational skills for your future marketing career. You don’t need relevant experience, which makes it particularly appealing to those wanting to make their first move into the sector.

For higher-level CIM marketing qualifications, you’ll need industry experience. Many CIM certificates, diplomas and programmes are for current marketing professionals who want to grow their existing skills.

If you’re interested in a specific area of marketing, you might want to explore CIM courses. The institute offers short-term training courses in dedicated subjects, which are great for filling in a skills gap or honing in on a specialism.

The Institute of Data & Marketing (IDM) is the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)’s accrediting institute. Together, they provide marketing courses for professional development.

IDM offers training masterclasses in specialisms like:

• Search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Copywriting
• Email marketing
• Data protection
• AI for marketing
• Pay-per-click (PPC)

IDM also accredits other specialised professional marketing qualifications and broader diplomas.

Its diplomas require existing work experience, so they’re for those who already have a marketing career. The level 6 Professional Marketing Diploma requires at least 18 months of experience, while the level 7 Postgraduate Marketing Diploma is for senior professionals who’ve already worked for several years in the sector.

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) provides the advertising and marketing sector with tools and resources to help agencies and their members create effective marketing campaigns.

The IPA offers a range of marketing courses and qualifications.

It offers certificates in a range of industry skills, including:

• Communications planning
• Creative brainstorming
• Applying AI in advertising

There’s also the IPA Foundation Certificate for anyone with less than one year’s experience in marketing, advertising or communications – including recent grads.

In its current format, the course is 30 hours of online learning and a formal two-hour exam. It will give you an in-depth overview of all areas of advertising. It will also help you understand consumers and their motivations.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to fund a standalone professional marketing qualification through student finance (like how you probably funded your undergraduate degree).

If you want to study for a professional marketing course, you might need to self-fund (ie. pay for it upfront by yourself). That can be an expensive undertaking, so you need to know that it’s what you want. As we’ve said, it isn’t essential to have a professional certificate to get a job, so keep the price in mind. How much a professional marketing qualification will cost will depend on the provider and the exact course you choose.

If you’d like to go on a marketing course but don’t want to (or can’t afford to) pay the fees, you could ask an employer if they’d fund your qualification. Some organisations pay for employees to upskill themselves because they’ll benefit from a highly skilled workforce. If learning is important to you, it’s worth asking potential employers if they offer professional development opportunities.

A university degree in Marketing or a related subject isn’t a professional marketing qualification.

Many degrees in the field are more academically based and have a research-oriented focus on a specific field of study (eg. digital marketing). Typically, professional marketing qualifications teach you specific skills for precise roles, whereas you can apply degree knowledge to a variety of career paths.

However, some Marketing degrees are accredited by industry institutes (such as CIM). So, look out for industry accreditation. While your Marketing undergraduate degree is different from a CIM marketing qualification (for example), it will still be useful in the industry. If you study an accredited course, you also have extra reassurance that what you’re studying is relevant to the real world.

A professional marketing qualification can help you get to where you want to go – but it’s down to you to shape your career path. Going on a marketing course won’t automatically make you a marketing professional. Equally, you don’t need to have an industry qualification to have a successful marketing career. Employers will value other factors like your experience, attitude, transferable skills and more when deciding who to hire.

If you do gain a marketing qualification, shout about it. There’s little point putting in all the time and effort (and often money) if you aren’t going to use it to help you stand out. Add your certifications to your CV and LinkedIn to show potential employers that you’ve gone the extra mile to expand your skills.

While professional marketing qualifications can give you a competitive edge, they certainly aren’t essential.

Marketing courses aren’t an industry requirement, so most marketing professionals won’t have undertaken one. However, courses do offer a structured way of boosting your skills – and often come with a qualification that proves them.

If you’re already working in marketing, qualifications from institutes like CIM, IDM and IPA can help you progress further in your career. Once again though, it’s possible to climb the ladder without formal learning.

It’s up to you whether you think a professional marketing course is worth the investment.