The Master in Digital Marketing and Communication is the answer to the requests of today’s communication market: the rapid changes in this market are revolutionizing the industry year after year, and only a Master’s program that keeps its content in step with current trends can provide students with all the tools they need to emerge in the world of digital communication.
The 12-month, full-time, English-language Master aspires to provide solid marketing fundamentals, focusing on the creation, management and performance analysis of social media and digital content. Through case studies, workshops, company projects and dialogue with executives from leading companies, the Master in Digital Marketing and Communication is able to convey the key concepts of the digital age of communication: listening, sharing and participation.
The strong and timely support of the Career Service, always available to assist students in planning the steps needed to structure a career, turns the Master’s program into a fast way to enter the business world: the placement rate six months after the end of the course exceeds 90%.
Young graduates with excellent English language knowledge who want to acquire, in a multicultural context, cutting-edge skills and tools to deal with the fast-changing market of digital communication and marketing.
In a classroom of different cultural and geographic backgrounds, Master in Digital Marketing and Communication participants are able, after a year of training, to understand the world of marketing and anticipate its developments.
Thanks to Bologna Business School‘s link with the University of Bologna and with leading global companies, the Master in Digital Marketing and Communication is a true incubator of ideas and techniques immediately spendable in the business world, with privileged access guaranteed by the final internship and the BBS network, which supports students, alumni, faculty and professionals throughout their careers.
In just one year, the Master in Digital Marketing and Communication combines learning the techniques needed to enter the digital marketing business with a strong personal and professional development. Upon completing this path, stepping into the business world is a certainty and, with the necessary experience, managers trained by Bologna Business School can aspire to roles such as Digital Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, SEO Manager, PR & Communication Manager, Web Analyst, Media Planner.
To align your career with the future trajectories of communication, contact the master Program Manager and book an appointment to find out more.
Bologna Business School provides student support services included in the tuition fee for the Master.
Programme Advisory Committee:
Accreditation
Bologna Business School is EQUIS – EFMD Quality Improvement System accredited, one of the most important international quality assessment and continuous improvement systems for Schools of Management and Business Administration.
Augusto Valeriani
Director of Studies
augusto.valeriani@unibo.it
" Our program is a journey at the intersection of latest trends in digital media and cutting-edge marketing strategies. Our students will master state-of-the-art tools and techniques of communication and digital marketing. Most importantly, they will be trained to anticipate transformations in a professional field where a forward-looking attitude is the skill that makes the real difference. "
Roberto Grandi
Co-Director of Studies
roberto.grandi@unibo.it
" Creating effective digital marketing and communications strategies that successfully meet the increasingly complex and evolving challenges in the field is one of the most important goals for companies. Your professional future depends on your ability to provide these answers. This Master's programme is updated every year, to prepare you to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow with knowledge and competence, thanks to a faculty composed of academics and professionals with solid international experience. Your professional future is our mission. "
25 y.o.
AVERAGE AGE
52%
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
13
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
77%
FEMALE STUDENTS
The Master in Digital Marketing and Communication is a full-time program structured in 1.500 hours of learning activities over 12 months of study, divided into: 400 hours of lectures, an estimated 600 hours of independent study, and 500 hours of internship.
The structure of the Master is divided into:
The first term aims to provide an in-depth understanding of marketing fundamentals and communication strategies, with a focus on branding, storytelling, digital marketing, and corporate communication. Key topics include business ethics and sustainability, data analysis for market research, and the structure of the media industry.
The second term explores digital strategies and social media marketing, covering major online platforms, search marketing techniques, and the application of artificial intelligence in the field. Through hands-on workshops, participants will develop advanced skills in content marketing and digital culture, with the flexibility to tailor their learning path by choosing modules on interactive marketing, personal branding, applied neuroscience in marketing, and customer value management.
Following the period of lessons and projects, students will start an internship that can be carried out at companies or agencies in Italy or abroad. This experience allows students to practically apply the theoretical and practical skills acquired during their studies, learning directly from industry pleadres. At the end of the internship, the student will present a “Final Report” to the Director of Studies, containing a description of the activities performed and an analysis of the knowledge gained during the classes period.
For international students, the School offers the opportunity to participate in an Italian language course during the classroom study period.
The Master is held on campus at Bologna Business School. Attendance involves approximately 30 hours of weekly classes, structured to allow time for group work while also ensuring attention to individual students and the management of interpersonal relationships.
Corporate communication encompasses all the communication that takes place between an organization and its various stakeholders in order to project the company’s brand within and beyond the organization. Corporate communication is responsible for creating and maintaining the brand and looking after the organization’s reputation.
Grandi RobertoThis course explores the ethical, social responsibility, and governance challenges facing businesses today and how individuals and firms can address those challenges. The course aims to enhance the skills and expertise of participants through combining an examination of ethical, social responsibility, corporate governance and managerial theory with a discussion of common ethical, sustainability, and governance problems in context. Course material includes individual moral theory, stakeholder theory, and theories of corporate governance. The course also covers the development and evaluation of ethical, governance and sustainability management systems designed to respond to ethical, governance, and sustainability challenges, and includes wide-ranging discussions regarding current major trends, challenges, and opportunities in the field of ethical business, corporate governance and social responsibility. Finally, the course explores how business ethics, social responsibility, and corporate governance affect society at large by impeding or by fostering the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Mura MatteoThe course is aimed in first place at acquiring a full understanding of storytelling as a communication practice by addressing it through the theoretical lenses of sociology, psychology, and semiotics. Our main focus will be digital storytelling as we will consider how technical affordances of different social media platforms, patterns of attention economy online, and dynamics of digital celebrity affect the way different narrative techniques can be employed to develop marketing strategies. Case histories of digital storytelling employed in corporate, institutional and political marketing will be presented and analyzed.
Valeriani AugustoThrough the development of concrete business cases, this course aims at developing the fundamental skills of content creation and content marketing strategy. Leveraging all the theories and tools related to the digital world, students will learn to apply them to the business goals that are more common in international companies.
Cianetti PatriziaIntroduction to marketing research: descriptive analysis. Utilizing probability and hypothesis in marketing research. Design and technical development finalized for collecting primary data. Data analysis: regression. Segmentation and clustering techniques. Perceptual maps and positioning.
The course aims to introduce students to the most relevant issues (foundational and more advanced) of digital technologies, discussing the most important present and future consequences on the lives of individuals and on the structure and functioning of organizations and processes. The course consists of 5 seminars: Ai & Machine Learning, All-in Security, Cloud & Beyond, The Science of Data, Internet of Things.
This course enables students to develop an effective and updated vision of the digital scenario using social network marketing, digital marketing, lead generation, e-commerce, loyalty and content marketing.
Tuan AnnamariaThe goal of the course is providing the knowledge needed to implement a marketing strategy that includes information technology as a tool to analyze customer needs, to communicate and sell. A quantitative approach to measure the efficacy of Digital Marketing will be followed for the online context (e.g. Social Media, E-commerce, Direct Marketing), including also digital technologies for the offline context (e.g. Apps and Mobile Marketing in retailing). Among the goals of the course, are defining and implement a consistent digital marketing strategy, generating leads by selecting the most appropriate tools and monitoring the analytic performance.
Konus UmutThe course is divided into three modules: Email Marketing, Web, SEO & Web Analytics. The course aims at preparing students to understand the digital marketing tools ecosystem; acquire email marketing automation know-how, develop the ability to independently use basic and advanced features of a professional digital marketing platform; practice with a brand site building blocks: hosting, backend, frontend and content; learn how to build, maintain and publish a website and how to integrate basic marketing functionalities on a website.
Ciacci RobertoThe course focuses on a comprehensive overview of social networks, emphasizing the significance of social media strategy, community management and the identification of target audiences. Through the analysis of success stories, viral content, reels, TikTok trends and sophisticated strategies for content curation, it addresses the market analysis, the identification of influencers and the tools for an effective lead generation. Studying the critical importance of metrics and key performance indicators in the digital landscape students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to interpret data effectively and to set digital strategies for optimum success.
Leshchenko AnastasiaThis course aims to build a clear industry overview of digital communication, including typology of companies, agencies and professions. The course will cover the following topics: market dimensions and forecasting; indexing and ranking; associations (IAB, Assocomunicazione, Fedoweb); media agencies; creative agencies; web agencies; PR agencies; technology and provider company publisher; media owner; sales house; ad-networks; job titles and descriptions; local and global Industry.
Marco Dall’OlioThe course is organized in order to provide students with the possibility to learn by actively applying the tools learnt in class to concrete cases. Due to its practical nature, the course will enable students to learn about the tools to be used in order to generate, nurture, and maintain over time the relationship with the customer.
Marzocchi Gian LucaThe process of marketing and sales management: from value analysis for the client to communication and delivery in the market. Value analysis for the client: the drivers of value for the client. Construction value for the client: segmentation, targeting, positioning and defining value proposition. Measuring the value for the client and pricing choices. From the construction of the value to the commutation of the value: communication above and below the line. Distributing value: go to market, sales and key account management. The marketing plan, sales metrics and marketing performance.
Matta ShashiThe objective of this course is to introduce students to the fundamentals of applied neuroscience methodology, with a view at providing an understanding of human behavior in marketing contexts and neuroscience-based methods for its investigation. The course will be centred around neuroscience research exploring why and how the investigation of implicit processing and neurophysiological responses is vital to understand human behavior. After this course, students will be able to integrate neuroscience-based insights into their work for a better understanding of consumers behavior and application in marketing strategies.
Mario UbialiThe goal of the course is to give the participants a toolbox of techniques to apply in personal communications. Vital among these is providing tools for analysing, comparing and contrasting yourself with your audience. A series of techniques for lateral thinking and persuasion in the context of personal communication will be reviewed. The scope of these final meetings will be preparing for the job interviews demanded by the placement process at BBS. To this end, a series of “mock interviews” will be executed by professionals in the HR and Marketing fields.
Bekins Russell JamesThe strategic importance of all the customers; customer satisfaction; the value concept; to understand the value; the market sensing; to understand companies in their role as customer; market strategy. Introduction to general trade marketing principles; strategies and terminology. Overview of FMCG market; mass market sales channels; new media for retail marketing applications. Introduction to the main retailing mix tools. Practical introduction to trade marketing strategies; customer planning; cluster analysis; major clients action plans.
Scarpi de Claricini DanieleThis course explore how search marketing works, both SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and paid search. Web analytics and CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) topics are also covered as well as: industry main player and trends, software tools, testing methodological approach. Students will also be challenged to test the theories through real business cases.
Sciutto NereoIntroduction to basic accounting principles, accounting concepts, and accounting terminology. Financial statement analysis. Basic cost concepts and cost accounting. Introduction to management control principles and techniques.
Monaco EleonoraArtificial intelligence (AI) is a discipline whose goal is to realize this dream through the use of a wide variety of techniques, from logic-based symbolic computation to sub-symbolic models inspired by the structure of the brain, such as neural networks. This course will provide an introductory overview of the various existing artificial intelligence techniques, focusing on industrial applications, discussing future challenges and opportunities, and also addressing some of the social, economic, and ethical implications.
Gabbrielli MaurizioThe Master’s program is designed to provide a solid theoretical basis, immediately complemented by practical applications, to prepare students to confidently and competently enter the job market. The teaching activities are designed to be practical and experiential, promoting effective learning and comprehensive assessment by the instructors.
The program combines lectures, business case studies, group work and company presentations, offering an interactive approach. Additionally, master lectures delivered by experts from the business, academic, and political areas, along with numerous opportunities to engage with companies through the analysis of case histories, further enrich the learning experience.
Faculty members at Bologna Business School work together offering outstanding teaching standards. An international and interdisciplinary approach is guaranteed by a joint team of distinguished national core professors, adjunct, visiting professors, guest speakers and top managers.
Russell James Bekins
Communication Coach
WordWorks-Express your Business
Roberto Ciacci
Digital Experience Director
Gattinoni Travel
Patrizia Cianetti
Marketing and Communication Director
Ducati Motori Holding
Maurizio Gabbrielli
Full Professor of Computer Science
University of Bologna
Roberto Grandi
Full Professor of Communication and Chairman
Bologna Istituzione Musei
Umut Konus
Professor and Researcher of Marketing Analytics & Digital Business, and Program Director of Bachelor Programs in Business Analytics
University of Amsterdam
Anastasia Leshchenko
Founder
Spazi Belli
Marco Dall'Olio
Mario Ubiali
Founder and CEO of Thimus
Gian Luca Marzocchi
Full Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behavior
University of Bologna
Shashi Matta
Professor, Innovation and Creativity and Vice Dean of Internationalization
WFI – Ingolstadt School of Management, KU Germany
Eleonora Monaco
Assistant Professor
University of Bologna
Matteo Mura
Associate Professor of Management Control Systems
University of Bologna
Gabriele Pizzi
Associate Professor of Marketing
University of Bologna
Roberto Amadini
Associate Professor of Computer Science
University of Bologna
Daniele Scarpi de Claricini
Associate Professor of Marketing
University of Bologna
Nereo Sciutto
CEO & Co-Founder
Webranking
Annamaria Tuan
Senior Assistant Professor of Marketing
University of Bologna
Augusto Valeriani
Associate Professor in Sociology of Culture and Communication
University of Bologna
The School is fully committed to creating employability, by way of a systematic career service action, constantly focused on matching at best the students’ professional projects with the needs companies have.
The internship is an exceptional springboard, suffice it to say that six months after the end of the full-time masters at Bologna Business School on average 91% of students work in a company.
The BBS Career Service assists and supports students since the very beginning, along a training and professional development path. This is accomplished by organizing a series of workshops, with the aim of providing the fundamental tools and resources to be appropriately prepared for the labor market.
To achieve this goal, students are involved in several workshops, among which we may list:
Thanks to the collaboration with professional career counselors, students receive a customized service, in order to understand their strengths and to build their professional development plan, which will turn out to be helpful when looking for an internship. Here follow some of the activities:
Laura Fusetti – Italy
Junior SEO Specialist, Webranking
Master in Digital Marketing and Communication (A.A 2023/2024)
"Bologna Business School gave me the opportunity to challenge myself and taking advantage of the numerous opportunities allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. The diversity in my class, the skills shared by professors and practitioners of the private sector, the meetings with businesses and companies, the group activities and projects, all of this provided me with knowledge I did not have before. I would recommend the Master at BBS to all those who want to obtain the tools needed to enter the world of Digital Marketing."
Giulia Chiletti – Italy
Content Curator & Copy Specialist, Max Mara Fashion Group
Master in Digital Marketing and Communication (A.Y. 2022/2023)
"The Master in Digital Marketing and Communication was crucial to my personal and professional growth. The courses in BBS exceeded my expectations in terms of quality of the content and provided me with the opportunity to work for a major fashion company. This experience strengthened my skills and taught me how to put into practice what I had studied in class. I would definitely recommend this Master to everyone interested in a career in Digital Marketing because of the effective mix of theory and practice that equips students with the right tools to compete in the job market. "
Martina Ricci – Italy
Digital Marketing Strategy Analyst, Accenture
Master in Digital Marketing and Communication (A.Y 2020/2021)
"Attending the Master in Digital Marketing and Communication at Bologna Business School was a real honor. It gave me the opportunity to get in the digital world, giving me skills and competences that I never thought I'd acquire in such a short time. Thanks to an hands-on approach, always with an eye to internationality and innovation, I was able to start my career in one of the largest consulting companies in the world, and I couldn't be more than happy."
Lisa Gigerl – Austria
E-Commerce and Export Specialist, Coind
Master in Digital Marketing and Communication (A.Y. 2020/2021)
"This Master offers both in-depth theoretical input on the digital world and the possibility of acquiring useful practical skills through internships at market leading companies, making easier finding a way around an international job market. The excellent courses catalogue and the supportive BBS network were the main reasons for my application to this Master. The acquired knowledge and skills made it possible for me to land a job at one of the leading private label coffee roasters in Italy. I can warmly recommend BBS to any student having high expectations towards their educational institution."
Adriana Daidola Castberg – Italy/Norway
Marketing & Content Analyst, Deloitte
Master in Digital Marketing and Communication (A.Y. 2020/2021)
"I was looking for a Master Programme focused on a practical and international teaching profile, based on professional experiences of industry leaders. The BBS offered me all of that, allowing me to start a new career path in one of the Big Four with the best possible preparation and awareness. I would recommend the BBS to anyone looking for a Business School with particular focus on placement and community in an international environment."
Anna Lysenko – Russia
Luxottica Retail Media Lead, Zenith (Publicis Media Italy)
Master in Digital Marketing and Communication (A.Y. 2017/2018)
"The reason I always wanted to pursue a Master’s degree abroad was an opportunity to boost my international career. Thanks to BBS, the desired became possible: straight after the program, I joined one of the world's largest communications groups and have already had a chance to work on Ferrero, GSK and Kering media accounts. In fact, I believe this is one of the strongest points about the School: BBS can open up a lot of doors for its students."
Petra Kraus – Germany
Account Manager, Google
Master in Digital Marketing and Communication (A.Y. 2017/2018)
"Thanks to this Master I am currently working in an international consulting company that offers me the opportunity to grow in the digital world. During the Master, what I appreciated the most was the relationship with colleagues from all over the world and the teachings of professors and entrepreneurs who always pushed me to do my best. I would absolutely repeat this experience and I recommend it to anyone who wants to grow professionally but also personally."
Giovanni De Falco – Italy
Product Manager - Marketing Automation, ShopFully
Master in Digital Marketing and Communication (A.Y. 2016/2017)
"An internship in a world leading company in marketing and advertising that turned into my actual job and the ability to do it well: this is what I aspired to and what I obtained thanks to the Master. A solid network of knowledge in the world of Digital Marketing able to offer solutions and opportunities in one of the most dynamic areas of our time, this is what was created thanks to the network of BBS and its careful selection of students. The experience in the international environment and the program entirely in English have been fundamental to compete with an advantage in the world of work."
The goal of the Career Service is also to allow students to connect with national and international companies. Over the years, Bologna Business School has managed to establish a wide-ranging network and a sound partnership with leading companies in Italy, thanks to a personalized approach, based on each company’s needs. The collaboration features the following activities:
In-class activities with case studies presented by Managers and/or HR professionals
Moreover, companies support the Master in Digital Marketing and Communication with scholarships, professional opportunities, career fairs and company presentations. The companies that worked with us in 2023/2024 are:
ACETUM ADECCO AMPLIFON ANGELINI ARTEMEST BITBANG BOOSTER BOX CAFFEINA CAMST CHAMPION EUROPE CLICKABLE COMECER CRIF DALLARA DUCATI ENGEL&VOLKERS FABBRI 1905 FEDRIGONI GROUP GARAGERAW GLAM HEINEKEN HERA INTERCOS ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP ITALIAN WINE PODCAST ITALPIZZA KERAKOLL LAVAZZA LESSISMORE LIU JO LOACKER MACCAFERRI MARPOSS MAX MARA FASHION GROUP MORESCHI MUSIXMATCH MUTTI OPPO OVS P&G PIZZOLI PRAGMATICA QUINK REVLON SHERWIN WILLIAMS SHOPFULLY SIDEL SKY STONE ISLAND SURGITAL TAKEOFF THE ARMIN BAR THE SOCIAL HUB THIMUS TIPOGRAFIA ALTEDO TOYOTA MATERIAL HANDLING TUTELA DIGITALE V SHAPES VERSACE VERTIV VETPARTNERS VOLKSWAGEN GROUP ITALIA WE ARE SOCIAL WEBRANKING WEGG AGENCY WISERFUNDING WOOLRICH
The tuition fees for the Master is 14,800 euro (VAT free) to be paid in three installments:
The fee includes participation in the Master, all the study material available through the online platform, and access to the services and facilities of Bologna Business School. Furthermore, the fee gives participants the right to take advantage of the supporting activities of the School, such as the language courses and the master lectures by invitation.
Free parking is also available within BBS Campus.
Additionally, with the Student Card of the University of Bologna, students have access to all of the university facilities, including over 100 libraries, digital resources and study halls (including databases and online subscriptions) and all university student related discount offers. More information is available on the site of the University of Bologna: http://www.unibo.it/it/servizi-e-opportunita
For more information on honor loan, contact us by email: communication@bbs.unibo.it
Bologna Business School is pleased to offer partial scholarships of €6,000 and €4,000 that are merit-based and will be awarded to the top-ranked candidates in the selection process. The students who come out on top in the selections will be students who not only come from strong academic or practical backgrounds but also those who display the strongest motivation to take part in this program. Winners you will be informed at the moment of admission.
In order to be admitted to the Master’s course you must have:
The admission to the Master is subject to the positive evaluation of the selection test in line with the number of places available. The selection process, held online, consists of one Aptitude Test and one English Language Test, both prerequisites to be admitted to the motivational interview in English.
1. Register on “Studenti Online” by connecting to the site studenti.unibo.it
2. Select: First Level Master >Master in Digital Marketing and Communication
3. Pay the participation fee for the selection (60 euro)
4. Upload the required documents online:
For further guidance, candidates who obtained a bachelor’s degree abroad are encouraged to check the page below: https://www.unibo.it/en/teaching/enrolment-transfer-and-final-examination/declaration-of-value-translation-and-legalization
For information regarding the selection process, please download the Call for Application and the related attachements.
CALL_PROFESSIONAL MASTERS CALL_MASTER IN DIGITAL MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION INSTRUCTION TO APPLY FOR THE SELECTIONS CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT FORM