Earning a university degree can equip you with skills and credentials that will be a tremendous asset in your professional life. As Abigail Johnson Hess reports on CNBC.com, the long-held notion that a college degree “can be a clear path to stronger job opportunities and higher earnings” still holds true. College graduates take home about $30,000 more each year than those whose highest level of education completed is high school.  

When choosing a college degree, it’s important to follow your passion, but you should also consider whether the field you’ve chosen has growth potential. Once you’ve found a promising professional area, having an educational credential that employers value can help you compete for emerging positions.  

With these facts in mind, let’s look at the added benefits of a degree in business. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in business and financial operations occupations is expected to grow by 5% by 2029, which is faster than the average growth rate for all occupations. That amounts to nearly half a million new jobs for which a bachelor’s degree is the minimum educational requirement. If you’re a business-oriented job seeker, or plan to be one, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration can be the differentiator that gets you in on the ground floor. 

A four-year degree is not your only option for professional advancement, however. You can add an undergraduate certificate in digital marketing to any online bachelor’s degree program at The University of Texas Permian Basin. If you have a passion for business, mastering digital commerce is a shrewd career move. Commerce in the digital realm is growing and is expected to continue doing so, creating more job opportunities in this innovative field. Let’s look at digital commerce a little more closely and see why a BBA degree combined with an undergraduate certificate can benefit you. 

What Is Digital Commerce? 
According to one definition, digital commerce “enables customers to purchase goods and services through an interactive and self-service experience. It includes the people, processes and technologies to execute the offering of development content, analytics, promotion, pricing, customer acquisition and retention, and customer experience at all touchpoints throughout the customer buying journey.” Some of the most popular digital marketing channels include social media, paid search, search engine optimization (SEO), affiliate marketing, and email. 

The Future of Digital Commerce 
Digital commerce, also referred to as e-commerce, has been growing steadily for some time. What’s more, COVID-19 has hastened a digital-first strategy among retailers in a market where brick and mortar commerce was already on the decline, according to an Entrepreneur.com article. In parts of the world where the coronavirus was particularly prevalent, Facebook marketing jumped 50%.  The increase in digital commerce is expected to spur a corresponding increase in job growth in roles as diverse as sales, operations, software and app development, and content creation. As of 2020, purchases through digital commerce channels made up 10% of all retail sales, a number that’s predicted to increase by 15% annually. 

Our Online Bachelor of Business Administration Programs 
UT Permian Basin offers four AACSB-accredited BBA programs online, each in a vital and dynamic business field: 

Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting 
Build a wide-ranging skillset in analyzing and solving financial problems as you receive expert guidance for accounting careers in nonprofit, government, public, or private organizations, or as a CPA. 

Bachelor of Business Administration in Healthcare Management 
Learn how to apply business fundamentals within a healthcare setting through courses covering topics including ethics, patient care, and regulatory environments. 

Bachelor of Business Administration in Management  
Gain an in-depth theoretical understanding and practical working knowledge of business and leadership fundamentals. 

Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing    
Prepare to expertly promote an organization through both traditional and digital marketing efforts based on effective analyses of demographics and consumer behavior.  

Our Online Undergraduate Certificate in Digital Marketing
You’ll compound the skills and credentials gained from our BBA programs with a specialized undergraduate certificate. Certificates will expand your expertise and help position you for a broader choice of professional roles. 

Our online undergraduate certificate in digital marketing is a 12-credit certificate program comprised of your choice of four eligible courses, all of which are offered as electives in our BBA programs. By choosing these applicable electives, you’ll earn an additional credential while completing the same number of total credits in the same amount of time—with no delay in graduation.  

Our digital marketing certificate program will help you understand and succeed within the rapidly evolving digital landscape. You’ll gain a foundational understanding of the differences between traditional and digital marketing, build proficiency in Google Analytics and other search engine optimization tools, and master social media’s unique marketing tactics. 

Advantages of Earning College Credentials Online 
Our Bachelor of Business Administration degrees and undergraduate certificate in digital marketing are presented in a 100% online asynchronous format. This allows you to complete your coursework anywhere with internet access, 24/7, at your own pace. If you have professional or family responsibilities to attend to, or both, our flexible program is just what you need. Most of our program courses last just eight weeks, and all are taught by the same acclaimed faculty who teach them on campus. When you’re done with your degree program, you’ll graduate with two respected, career-enhancing credentials that can help you in many business roles. 

Expand your business acumen and career potential by adding our undergraduate certificate in digital marketing to your UT Permian Basin BBA program!