MSDM Onboarding Steps for Admitted Students
From Admission to Curriculum Plan
1 Instructions
Congratulations on your acceptance into the program! Welcome to the MSDM Admitted Student Resource Hub. This page provides essential information to help you transition smoothly into the program—from activating your accounts and submitting required documents to understanding curriculum options, choosing your degree emphasis, and planning your roadmap. Use this guide as your starting point to complete key onboarding tasks and explore the academic decisions that will shape your MSDM journey.
Most importantly, you will need to meet with me to review the curriculum and finalize your curriculum decisions if this page doesn’t give you enough information. Please come prepared by reviewing the curriculum, considering your roadmap options, and identifying any questions you would like to discuss. Thoughtful preparation will help us use our time together effectively.
2 Key Actions You Must Take Soon after Your Admission
Claim your Bronco ID and activate your Bronco Email.
Activating MyCPP Login with two-factor authentification
Check your CPP and personal email regularly for university and program updates.
Submit your Intent to Enroll.
Request an I-20 (Only for International Students)
Meet your faculty academic advisor/Program Director.
Submit your Curriculum Contract Form and Roadmap Worksheet.
- Failure to submit the (1) curriculum contract and (2) roadmap worksheet will result in an advising hold, which will prevent you from registering for future courses.
Register for courses.
3 Essential On-Campus Websites for New Students
3.1 The Resources You Need Immediately for Onboarding
The list should cover all you need for onboarding at Cal Poly Pomona, but if something is missing, let me know.
How to request I-20 (International Students only)
On-Campus Jobs
Handshake (Most jobs are posted here at CPP)
SGSB New Student Orientation (1/14/2026) Slides (CPP Login Required)
3.2 On-Campus Resources You Need Throughout Your Study
Revisit here to access the websites whenever you need throughout your learning journey.
4 Video Presentation about the Program & Curriculum
If you have not attended MSDM information session before, seeing the video recording will be beneficial. Go to MSDM Program Information Session
5 Step 1: Start Filling out Curriculum Contract Form
To plan for your curriculum, fill out the Curriculum Contract Form available below.
- To complete the form, you will need to read through Step 1 through Step 6.
If you have any question about the curriculum, you are welcome to schedule an appointment with your academic advisor1 before you complete the Curriculum Contract Form below.
In this contract form, you will be asked to do three big tasks:
Selecting Your Degree Emphasis:
Digital Marketing Strategy (DMS),
Marketing Analytics (MA)
Balanced/Customized
Selecting Your Completion Roadmap:
1-year
1.5-year
2-year
Complete your Roadmap Worksheet and sending it to the academic advisor.
Curriculum Contract Form (Google Form)
Submit the curriculum contract form above online and email a completed roadmap spreadsheet to your academic advisor, who is the MSDM program director.
Failure to submit the (1) curriculum contract and (2) roadmap worksheet will result in an advising hold, which will prevent you from registering for future courses.
In deciding the three things above, refer to the following Steps:
6 Step 2: Know the Curriculum (Degree Emphasis) Options
It is important that you align your aspired job roles after graduation with the Degree Emphasis. To learn about career and job roles, refer to Typical Job Roles in Digital Marketing section of the Careers page and come back here to proceed.
For the Curriculum Overview, you may visit the official web page for the curriculum, but the implication is that there are basically three curriculum options for you. Select the one that would be best match for your aspired career path. In Step 4, you will be provided with the factors to consider when choosing degree emphasis.
Three Curriculum (Degree Emphasis) Options
Digital Marketing Strategy (DMS) Emphasis
- This emphasis is best suited for students who want to have a career in Content & Creative Roles, such as Content Writer/SEO Writer and Social Media Manager.
- For Major Electives: Emphasis Recommended, choose all 10 units under DMS Emphasis: IBM 6100, IBM 6150, IBM 6250, and IBM 6300
- For Major Electives: Emphasis Other, choose IBM 6450 and one more course from any other graduate-level IBM-prefix courses or GBA 5140.
Marketing Analytics (MA) Emphasis
- This emphasis is best suited for students who want to have a career in Marketing Data Specialist Roles such as Marketing Data Scientist, Marketing Engineer, and Marketing Data Analyst.
- For Major Electives: Emphasis Recommended, choose all 10 units under MA Emphasis: IBM 6520, IBM 6530, IBM 6540, and IBM 6600
- For Major Electives: Emphasis Other, choose IBM 6700 and one more course from any other graduate-level IBM-prefix courses or GBA 6520.
Balanced/Customized
This track is best suited for students who want to have a career in various Technical & Performance Roles such as SEO Specialist, PPC Specialist, Email Marketing Specialist, Marketing data analyst, except for Marketing Data Scientist or Marketing Engineer, for which MA Emphasis will be a better fit.
If you want to be well-rounded so that you can be prepared for various digital marketing roles across content, performance, and analytics, balanced option will be ideal.
This option allows you to choose courses from both emphases to tailor to your career needs and your current set of skills and knowledge. For example, if you have been working as a social media coordinator for an organization and want to keep pursuing your career on Content and Creative Roles, you should have pretty good working knowledge about social media platforms and strategy. In that case, there is no reason to take IBM 6250 (Social Media Marketing); instead, you can take any other remaining electives (from MA Emphasis) to expand your skills and knowledge.
7 Step 3: Know Curriculum Completion Roadmap Options
Each course is offered only once per year in a designated term due to prerequisites and scheduling constraints.
7.1 2-Year Completion Roadmap
Availability:
Available for both Fall and Spring admissions
Spring admits may complete in 1.5 years
7.2 1-Year Completion Roadmap
Availability:
Available only for fall admission.
Not available for spring admission.
7.3 Spring Admits
Students starting in Spring can finish in 2 years or 1.5 years.
In the first fall semester, Spring admits can take:
IBM 6010 (Make-up)
IBM 5910 (Make-up)
IBM 6500 (Required for second fall)
IBM 6200 (Required for second fall)
8 Step 4: Which Curriculum Option to Choose?
Choosing between Digital Marketing Strategy, Marketing Analytics, and Balanced/Customized Option requires careful thought. Below are key factors to guide your decision.
8.1 VISA Status (Domestic vs. International Students)
8.1.1 Domestic Students
Domestic students typically face fewer constraints in hiring. Job outcomes depend mainly on experience, skill fit, and flexibility on role, location, and compensation.
8.1.2 International Students
International students often face different hiring realities:
A. OPT/STEM OPT is usually “easier” for employers than H-1B
During OPT/STEM OPT, you already have work authorization, so many employers can hire you with relatively low legal burden.
For STEM OPT, employers must be in E-Verify and support the student’s Form I-983 training plan requirements.
B. H-1B is employer-sponsored and more demanding
H-1B requires the employer to file an H-1B petition for a “specialty occupation” role (typically one that requires a bachelor’s degree or higher in a specific specialty).
Employers must also file a Labor Condition Application (LCA) and attest to wage and working condition requirements.
C. Hiring on OPT and sponsoring H-1B are often different decisions
- An employer may be willing to hire for OPT/STEM OPT but not sponsor H-1B because H-1B involves legal filings, fees, compliance obligations, and (for many employers) timing uncertainty.
If your priority is maximizing long-term U.S. work options, you are often better positioned in roles that clearly align with specialized, degree-linked skills—especially analytics and more technical performance/MarTech roles.
Marketing Analytics emphasis: generally strongest alignment with “specialty occupation” patterns (measurement, experimentation, modeling, data work).
Balanced/Mixed option: a strong second choice if you intentionally build technical/analytics depth (e.g., SQL, analytics implementation, experimentation, BI).
Digital Marketing Strategy emphasis: can still lead to great careers, but sponsorship can be less common in roles that are primarily creative, coordination, or generalist execution—because degree specificity may be harder to document.
Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Sponsorship depends on the employer, the exact job description, and current rules.
8.2 Your Passion
Entry to mid-level career jobs in Digital Marketing can be grouped under three big categories before they move into leadership roles. For details about the taxonomy, refer to Typical Job Roles in Digital Marketing.
Content & Creative Roles
Techncial & Performance Roles
Analytics (Marketing Data Specialist) Roles
Based on the immediate career goal right after graduation, my recommendation for Degree Emphasis would be different as follows:
If you prefer to take Content & Creative Roles, such as content writer/SEO writer, copy writer, social media manager, and graphics/visual designer –> choose Digital Marketing Strategy Emphasis.
If you prefer to take Technical & Performance Roles, such as SEO Specialist, PPC Specialist, and Email Marketing Specialist –> choose Balanced/Mixed Option.
If you prefer to take Analytics (Marketing Data Specialist) Roles, such as Marketing Data Analytist, Marketing Data Scientist, and Marketing Data Engineer –> choose Marketing Analytics Emphasis.
8.3 Pay (ROI) Considerations
For the early career stage of jobs you will be seeking right after graduation, we will focus on the three roles below, leaving out the strategy/leadership roles, which are the latter stage of your career.
Content & Creative Roles
- Content Marketer/Copywriter: $61,000 – $73,660
- Social Media Manager: $64,000 – $74,536
Technical & Performance Roles
- SEO Specialist / Analyst: $66,000 – $81,407
- PPC / Paid Media Specialist: $70,000 - $81,000
- Email / CRM Specialist: $79,911 – $95,000
Analytics Roles
- Marketing Data Analyst: $82,000 – $93,336
- Marketing Data Scientist: $118,000 – $165,018
- Marketing Data Engineer: $134,000 – $195,000
For details, go to the Job Outlook and Salary section.
In general, Return On Investment is in this order: Analytics Roles > Technical & Performance Roles > Content & Creative Roles.
If you’re aiming for the highest ROI (typically, higher pay), analytics roles are often the best path. In that case, consider choosing the Marketing Analytics Emphasis.
8.4 Upward mobility
Many students pursue a master’s degree to advance their careers.
Note on career stage: Strategy and leadership roles are often mid-career+. Many MSDM graduates start in specialist roles (content, performance, or analytics) and move into strategy/leadership after building execution + measurement + cross-functional experience. The pathway for the students would be like this:
Entry-level: Coordinator, Specialist, Analyst (Jr.)
Mid-level: Manager, Strategist, Senior Specialist/Analyst
Senior: Lead, Director, Head of Growth/Marketing
A common pattern is:
Students with digital marketing work experience often reach a ceiling due to limited analytics skills.
Higher-level roles (e.g., Director, VP of Digital Marketing) generally require balanced knowledge of strategy and analytics.
If you already have several years of digital marketing experience → Consider Marketing Analytics courses.
If you handle data but lack confidence in statistics or machine learning → Strengthen your Marketing Analytics foundation.
8.5 Strategic Consideration
You are not required to follow the recommended elective lists exactly. Choose the courses that best strengthen your skills and make you a well-rounded professional. We support a customized curriculum within the allowed electives. This makes the Balanced/Mixed Option attractive.
9 Step 5: Which Completion Roadmap to Choose?
As you prepare for your curriculum contract and make an appointment to meet with me, I want to provide you with some information to consider in your decision to choose a 1-year vs. a 2-year completion roadmap.
Recommended if any of the following are true
You are working while in the program.
You have limited preparation in math, statistics, or programming.
You want more time to strengthen English skills.
You are an international student who needs time to acclimate.
You want to participate fully in extracurricular activities (club, competitions, workshops, symposiums).
Doable if most of the following apply
You do not have a job or family responsibilities.
You have taken college algebra, calculus, and at least one statistics course.
You earned a BS in Business Administration from an AACSB-accredited university.
You are an international student planning to return home immediately after graduation and want to minimize cost.
Financial Impact: 1-Year vs. 2-Year Roadmap
Tuition is the same overall, but auxiliary fees differ:
Auxiliary fees: ~$850/semester, ~$400/summer
Two-year students pay more total auxiliary fees
One-year students save approximately $2,100
10 Step 6: Complete Your Roadmap Worksheet
Use one of the worksheets below to plan your curriculum roadmap for the duration of your study. As you plan, be sure to follow the Course Registration Instructions.
For more information about the curriculum completion roadmap, see the Curriculum Roadmap Section.
Failure to submit the (1) curriculum contract and (2) roadmap worksheet will result in an advising hold, which will prevent you from registering for future courses.
10.1 Fall-Admitted Students
Curriculum completion roadmap worksheet for students admitted in the fall semester
- Two worksheet options (2-year and 1-year tracks) are included in the file.
10.2 Spring-Admitted Students
Curriculum completion roadmap worksheet for students admitted in the spring semester
- Two worksheet options (2-year and 1.5-year tracks) are included in the file.
11 Step 7: Submit the (1) Curriculum Contract Form and (2) Curriculum Worksheet to Your Advisor
Fill out the Curriculum Contract form introduced in the Start Filling out Curriculum Contract Form section. When you click the submit button on the Google form, your advisor will receive the form. At the same time, you will receive a copy for your reference.
In the form, you will be asked to fill out a Curriculum Roadmap Worksheet (Excel spreadsheet) and email it as an attachment to the academic advisor (Dr. Jae Jung). To do so, download the file, save it with your first name_last name in front of the file name, choose the correct worksheet for your roadmap, fill out the worksheet, and email the completed worksheet to the academic advisor.
Once I receive an email with your Curriculum Roadmap Worksheet, I will review it and give you feedback.
Your Curriculum Worksheet will be placed under your folder. If you ever needs to change curriculum later, contact me. I will be happy to discuss with you and assisting you in finding best courses for your career path.
Failure to submit the (1) curriculum contract and (2) roadmap worksheet will result in an advising hold, which will prevent you from registering for future courses.
12 Step 8: Register for Courses
Before registering each semester, review your Curriculum Completion Roadmap Worksheet. It helps you plan course sequencing and stay on track for graduation.
For detailed on courses available for a specific semester, go to the Course Registration tab in the menu.
After you register for your first semester, consider taking Boot Camp short courses if you’d like to strengthen your skills in Excel or R (including Statistics).
You can also review Course-Skill-Tools alignment table to better understand what each course emphasizes and what to expect.
Footnotes
Program director (Dr. Jung) is your academic advisor.↩︎