Professional Certifications

Looking for that next step in your career to level up your marketing skills and stay on top of your game? Become Professionally Certified with the NZ Marketing Association, in partnership with the University of Canterbury and earn yourself a micro-credential. By entering this pathway, you’ll not only gain the expertise you need to advance your career, but you’ll also prove to employers you’re equipped to take on modern marketing challenges.

The programme is flexible so you can fit it into your busy schedule. We offer the required workshops either in-person, or online.

How does it work? You choose which of our three professional certifications you'd like to pursue:

Professionally Certified Core Skills Marketer
Professionally Certified Digital Marketer
Professionally Certified Strategic Marketer

After making your choice, you will complete four core workshops and two elective workshops (to be completed within two years of your enrollment date).

You will then need to complete a work-based project which is assessed by the University of Canterbury.

Note: the assessment requires an additional $525 + GST. This will be taken directly by the University of Canterbury at the time of assessment registration.

Once you pass your work-based project, you are then given a certification, and awarded a postgraduate micro-credential from the University of Canterbury.

Note: a level 5 micro-credential is awarded for the Core Skills certification. A level 8 micro-credential is awarded for the Strategic or Digital certifications.

How can I enrol and pay?

There are two ways you can enrol and pay for your Professional Certification.

Pay upfront. By enrolling and paying for your courses in bulk, you will receive a discount on your workshop costs. The discounts for each certification are as below:
- Core Skills: discount of $650
- Digital: discount of $550
- Strategic: discount of $405
Pay as you go. Enrol via the Professional Certification Enrolment Form and pay for your workshops individually.

- Individual workshops are $650 + GST each for MA members.
- Note: the above discount is only available by purchasing the bulk pricing in option 1.

We can’t wait to see you start your Professional Certification journey and take the next step in your marketing career!

*Note: you do not have to be an MA member to purchase a Professional Certification. However, you do need to be a member to receive your certification. It is significantly less costly overall to purchase the workshops at membership price.

Professionally Certified Digital Marketer Certification

Digital expertise is an essential part of a marketer's job and it’s critical to keep up with the latest trends and technologies in the field. The Professionally Certified Digital Marketer programme helps you master the core tools, channels and analytics that drive successful digital campaigns and transform how you work.

Facilitated by digital specialists and grounded in the latest industry practice, this programme blends practical skill-building with strategic insight. It’s a comprehensive course designed to help you sharpen your digital capabilities and advance your career. From understanding digital strategy and analytics to leveraging social platforms and emerging technologies, you’ll gain real-world skills that you can apply immediately in your role.

Entry Requirements: three years of relevant work experience or a Masters level marketing qualification.

As part of this Certification you will complete the following four core workshops plus two electives:

Strategic Marketer Certification

Strategic thinking is at the heart of effective marketing, and strong strategy is what turns insight into impact. The Professionally Certified Strategic Marketer programme helps you build the skills and confidence to develop clear, commercially focused marketing strategies that drive long-term business success.

Facilitated by experienced marketing leaders and grounded in real-world practice, this programme blends strategic frameworks with practical application. From understanding customers and markets to setting direction, prioritising initiatives and measuring success, you’ll gain the tools to think more strategically, influence decision-making and elevate your role within your organisation.

Entry Requirements: three years of relevant work experience or a Masters level marketing qualification.

As part of this Certification you will complete the following four core workshops plus two electives:

Strategic Marketer - Core Course

Breakthrough Marketing Plans

Strategic Marketer - Core Course

Critical Thinking for Marketers

Strategic Marketer - Core Course

Building Blocks of Brand Strategy

Strategic Marketer - Core Course

Stakeholder Management

Core Skills Marketer Certification

Strong fundamentals are the foundation of great marketing. The Professionally Certified Core Skills Marketer programme equips you with the essential knowledge and practical skills every marketer needs to perform confidently and effectively in today’s fast-paced environment.

Facilitated by marketing practitioners and informed by current industry practice, this programme focuses on building capability across the core areas of marketing. The programme is designed for early-stage marketers who want to develop practical marketing skills and become industry-ready. From planning and execution through to communication, customer focus and measurement, you’ll develop practical skills and build a solid platform for career growth.

As part of this Certification you will complete the following four core workshops plus two electives:

Core Skills Marketer - Core Course

The Secret Sauce of Great Copywriting

Core Skills Marketer - Core Course

Social Media for Marketers

Core Skills Marketer - Core Course

Introduction to Marketing Plans

Core Skills Marketer - Core Course

The Essentials of Digital Marketing

Professionally Certified Core Skills Marketer

Core marketing skills helps build a broad base of knowledge, from core marketing planning to copywriting and social media.

10/12/2026

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Professionally Certified Digital Marketer

Digital is an essential part of the job for marketers – and it’s critical to keep up with the latest trends and technologies in the field. Ensure you're up to speed with a Professional Certification in Digital Marketing.

10/12/2026

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Professionally Certified Strategic Marketer

Take your strategic thinking to a new level with a Professional Certification in Strategic Marketing.

10/12/2026

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A Professional Certification is issued by the New Zealand Marketing Association, the professional body for marketers in New Zealand, and demonstrates you have a knowledge base that will enable you to be more effective in your chosen role. By entering this pathway you’ll not only gain the expertise you need to advance your career, but you’ll also prove to employers you’re equipped to take on modern marketing challenges.

Complete the core courses and specified electives and then complete your work-based project. This project is assessed by the University of Canterbury for which you will receive a mark of a pass or fail. On successful completion, you will be issued a certification from the NZ Marketing Association and receive a University of Canterbury micro-credential.

No, it doesn’t matter – the content is the same whether you do the course live online or face-to-face.

The time between your enrolment and the last course can be no longer than 2 years.

Once issued with a professional certification you need to complete within the following two years the equivalent of two days of professional development. This may be made up of:

- MA Workshops – this can be either online or face-to-face.
- MA Conferences
- Brainy breakfasts – 4 = 1 day of professional development
- Sunrise Sessions - 6 = 1 day of professional development
- Any University marketing related qualification

• Professionally Certified Marketer, Core Skills: Open entry
• Professionally Certified Digital Marketer and Professionally Certified Strategic Marketer:
- 3 years of work experience
or
- Masters level marketing qualification

The University of Canterbury has developed a rubric for these assessments. In education terminology, rubric means "a scoring guide used to evaluate the quality of students' constructed responses". Put simply, it is a set of criteria for grading assignments.

The project put forward must be a live current scenario – not something that is retrospective.

The cost is $525 + GST to be paid directly to the University of Canterbury.

If you have completed courses at MA within the last 2 years then they will be recognised as credit towards the relevant courses. For example, if I did copywriting in 2021 then I get credit for this either as a core course in the core skills or as an elective in the other two certifications.

Yes – we will give a bulk rate discount for courses if all are paid for up front. You will have two years to complete the six courses.

Professional Certifications

Member Pricing

Bulk Certification Pricing