Graduate Certificate in Brand Management

When a product or service wins your loyalty, chances are there's a savvy brand manager behind the scenes—someone who knows how to execute brand strategy successfully across the entire marketing spectrum. In just four or five courses, our Graduate Certificate in Brand Management will help you build a suite of skills for creating and implementing a brand strategy that resonates.

Graduate Certificate in Brand Management Program Overview

Program Structure: 4–5 courses
Class Schedule: Monday–Thursday evenings at 5:20 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Time to Complete: 1 to 3 years

Part-Time Graduate Certificate | Typical program timeline

Course offerings vary per semester

Part-Time Grad Cert — Starts in September or January.
*May be completed at a flexible pace but is usually completed in two years.

Download the program fact sheet

Unique Features

12 or 15

Credits may be applied toward a future MBA

Top 50

Among national universities (U.S. News & World Report)

The business learning you need

Learn to identify customer needs, uncover marketplace trends, and read the competitive landscape to develop an integrated brand strategy
Gain a unique perspective on brand management in the digital space thanks to Northeastern's signature focus on the tech economy
Specialize your studies with electives relevant to your goals, such as consumer behavior, new product development, marketing research, customer engagement in the service sector, or driving marketing performance
Build your confidence and experience through applied project work and case studies—key components of Northeastern's practice-oriented approach to learning
Access expert career guidance from an experienced counselor at Northeastern's office of Employer Engagement and Career Design
Complete your certificate in as few as four courses, with the option for one additional elective to deepen your knowledge
Build the foundation for a future master's degree from Northeastern—you may be able to apply your certificate credits toward an eligible master's program

Admissions

Interview required? Upon request.
English language proficiency: English proficiency, both written and verbal, is necessary for success in D'Amore-McKim classrooms. For more information, review our admissions policies.
GMAT Required? No.
Where do I apply? Learn more here.
Eligible for International Student Visa? No. This program is not F-1 visa compliant.
Is a graduate business certificate worth it? Learn more here.

Campus-Based Graduate Certificates

Application Deadlines	Decision Notifications	Classes Begin
Sept. 26, 2024	Rolling Basis	January
Oct. 24, 2024*	Rolling Basis	January
Dec. 5, 2024	Rolling Basis	January
Jan. 9, 2025	Rolling Basis	September
March 27, 2025**	Rolling Basis	September
May 15, 2025	Rolling Basis	September
June 26, 2025	Rolling Basis	September
Aug. 7, 2025	Rolling Basis	September

*Oct. 24, 2024 deadline is the final deadline for international candidates who require a new F-1 or J-1 visa (Full-time certificates only)
**March 27, 2025 deadline is the final deadline for international candidates who require a new F-1 or J-1 visa (Full-time certificates only)

Tuition

Northeastern Student Financial Services publishes the tuition rates for Graduate Certificates. Under the “Graduate Programs” section, the cost per credit appears next to “D'Amore-McKim School of Business Programs.”

Financial Aid

Northeastern offers resources to help you finance your graduate education, and the Student Financial Services team will guide you through your options. Please visit the Graduate Financial Aid page.

Once you are a student, your financial aid advisor will work with you one-on-one to answer your questions, point you to resources and provide valuable insight as you navigate the financial commitments of your program.

Scholarships

Northeastern University has a variety of scholarships. As a graduate certificate applicant you may be eligible for the Full Circle Scholarship. You may also qualify for funding support as an alum, U.S. servicemember, or veteran.

Application Fee Waivers

D'Amore-McKim offers application fee waivers to applicants that meet specific criteria. You can review the policy on the Graduate Application FAQ web page.

The D'Amore-McKim community believes that understanding and solving problems requires constant interaction among people who bring diverse contexts and experiences to the conversation.

We value uniqueness, recognize the power and importance of diversity in our own and surrounding communities, and ensure engaged participation. Numerous student groups and campus resources focus on building inclusive communities.

View D'Amore-McKim's commitment to diversity

Apply for the Graduate Certificate in Brand Management

Curriculum

The Part-Time Graduate Certificate in Brand Management—designed for professionals in the Boston area—will familiarize you with the knowledge, tools, and techniques you need to manage a successful brand.

Your core coursework will explore the brand-building process across evolving customer-centric marketing platforms. You'll choose two or three electives from a wide-ranging list of business courses, covering relevant topics from consumer behavior and market research to lean prototyping and innovation strategies.

Required Courses

Focuses on marketing analysis and planning. Emphasizes analysis of customer needs and company and competitor capabilities. This analysis forms the basis of a sound marketing strategy that provides value to customers in a way superior to competitors. Discusses how to deliver this strategy through the development of an intergrated marketing program covering product offerings, pricing, promotion, and distribution. Includes professional accounting students.

MKTG 6200 | 3 Hours

Introduces how to measure, analyze, and evaluate the profit impact of marketing actions (MAP) by bringing together marketing, strategy, and finance. Your organization is going to spend millions on a new marketing or strategic initiative, but how will you know if it is working? Marketing performance measurement and feedback systems enable managers to take smarter risks by assessing experimental projects and forecasting the profit potential of bigger, bolder initiatives. Offers students an opportunity to explore systems that summarize marketing productivity and suggest steps for performance improvement in marketing strategy and tactics.

MKTG 6230 | 3 Hours

Electives (Choose 2)

Provides an overview of the major qualitative and quantitative marketing research methodologies available to marketing managers. Explores customer relationship management (CRM) and multivariate statistical techniques including conjoint analysis, customer satisfaction, and service quality measurement.

MKTG 6210 | 3 Hours

Focuses on the challenges and decisions new-product managers face as they take ideas through the new-product-development process. Companies need to create, develop, and market new products and services continually to compete effectively in a rapidly changing environment. Provides an overview of the new-product-development process, with an emphasis on customer involvement in this process. Provides detailed insights on such topics as new-product strategy, idea generation, idea selection and evaluation, concept development and testing, product development and testing, and market testing.

MKTG 6214 | 3 Hours

Examines how both service organizations and product organizations require a distinctive approach to marketing strategy in a world where all organizations increasingly depend on service excellence and customer engagement for competitive advantage. The world economy is dominated by services; in the United States, a large percentage of the labor force and the GDP is accounted for by services. Covers why people are essential to success, why expectations are important to consumers, and how physical and virtual environments influence delivery of value to customers. This practice-oriented course focuses on active skill building and tool development that is quickly and directly applicable to students' future careers.

MKTG 6218 | 3 Hours

Focuses on the consumer as the key element of marketing strategy and application. Explores demographic, lifestyle, social, and cultural trends and their impact on consumer attitudes, motivations, and behavior. Other topics include group dynamics, family, learning, personality, and emotions and their impact on the business world. Offers an in-depth look at the consumer decision process as a model to guide the planning and evaluation of marketing strategies.

MKTG 6226 | 3 Hours

MKTG 6230 | 3 Hours

The following is a sample curriculum and is subject to change. Enrolled students should reference the academic catalog for current program requirements.

The Graduate Certificate in Brand Management enables you to gain experience in fostering relationships with consumers through strategic brand activities. We develop your abilities to take insights from customers, the marketplace, and competitors to create informed, customer-centric brand plans that will position your brand for growth in this ever-changing marketplace.
Daniele Mathras, Associate Teaching Professor, Marketing