Study options pathwayFor school leavers, students and parents choosing how to learn digital marketing. Every option compared on price, time and recognition, with what each does better.
Pathways: Changing careers | Choosing what to study | Upskilling at work | Compare your options
Quick answer: 20 Minute Marketing is the best low cost way to study digital marketing and try the work first: self paced online, paid once, Essentials $499 (over 50 lessons, about 18 hours), Deluxe $799 or Expert $999, 12 months access and a 30 day money-back guarantee. Choose a university degree or a TAFE or RTO diploma (BSB50620 from $3,550 online) if you need a recognised qualification.
20 Minute Marketing publishes this guide and ranks its own course first. Here is why, and where other options fit better.
Is this for me?
This suits you if
- You are finishing school or already studying and weighing a degree, a TAFE diploma, a bootcamp or a short online course.
- You want to find out whether you like marketing work before you commit years and thousands of dollars to it.
- You are studying marketing or business and want the platform skills your course may not cover.
- You are a parent helping someone choose, and you want the costs and the limits stated plainly.
This is not the right fit if
- You need a recognised qualification. A university degree or a TAFE or RTO diploma gives you one. We do not.
- You want campus life, lectures and a cohort. A degree or TAFE course gives you those.
- You need a government study loan. VET Student Loans only cover approved courses from approved providers, and ours are not approved courses.
What you will be able to do
- Explain how search, social, email and paid ads fit together, in plain words.
- Run a basic SEO check and set up Google Search Console.
- Plan social media content for a brand and measure it.
- Write and schedule an email campaign.
- Plan a small paid search campaign without spending money.
- Audit a business online and write a 90 day plan.
Essentials, the foundations path: You will be able to audit a business's digital presence and write a 90 day marketing plan across search, social and email, which is the first task most employers and first clients hand a new marketer.
How long it takes
Lessons take about 20 minutes each, so they fit around classes, a part time job or exams. Essentials has over 50 lessons, about 18 hours in total, or about four months at three lessons a week. Deluxe has 100 lessons and Expert over 150. Short courses have 12 to 34 lessons. Every course comes with 12 months access from the date of purchase.
Your study options, side by side
| Option | Price | Time | Recognised qualification | What it does better than us |
|---|
| 20 Minute Marketing | Essentials $499, Deluxe $799, Expert $999, paid once. Short courses $79 to $149 | Self paced, 12 months access | No. Certificate of Completion | Not applicable. Current platform skills and a portfolio piece at a low price |
| University degree | Not priced here. Fees depend on the course and your place type, so check the university's own page | Varies. Check the university's page | Yes | The most common qualification in the field: in the 2021 Census, 51.9% of Australia's marketing specialists held a bachelor degree [1]. Campus, lecturers and a broad business education |
| TAFE or RTO diploma or certificate | $634.90 (North Metropolitan TAFE, WA, Certificate IV core units at the concession rate) [2] to $8,760 (Melbourne Polytechnic, Diploma of Marketing and Communication, non subsidised) [3] | About 6 months full time [3], longer part time | Yes | A qualification on the national register, subsidies and VET Student Loans for eligible students, and timetabled classes |
| Bootcamp or short course | $899 (Academy Xi, Foundations, self paced) [4] to $4,750 (AIM, Mini MBA in Digital Marketing) [5] | Self paced with 6 months access [4], or 25 hours online plus 2 days [5] | No | Live teaching, a cohort and, at some providers, career services |
| Free platform certificates | Free (Google Skillshop foundational certifications [6], HubSpot Academy [7]) | A few hours, for example about 3 hours for HubSpot's Digital Marketing certification [7] | No | Free, and a brand employers know |
Competitor prices checked 28 September 2026 on each provider's own page. Prices and inclusions differ, so check the provider's page before you decide. TAFE fees depend on your state and eligibility.
More detail: us vs a TAFE or RTO diploma, us vs bootcamps, us vs free certificates, all options, and a digital marketing class vs a marketing degree.
A combination often works best
- Before a degree or diploma: spend $499 on Essentials to find out whether you enjoy the work, then choose your qualification with more confidence.
- During a degree: add one short course, such as Google Ads or SEO, for the hands on platform skills your units may not cover, and build a portfolio piece for your first applications.
- Instead of a qualification: if the roles you want ask for skills and examples of work rather than a qualification, a course, a portfolio and free platform certificates can be enough to start applying. Read the job ads first.
For parents: why it costs less, and what it is not
It costs less because it is self paced. There is no campus, no cohort to run, no live class schedule and no accreditation overhead, so the price covers the lessons, the practice brief, expert tutor support and updates when the platforms change.
What it is not: it is not live classes and it is not a job guarantee. What it is: lessons updated when the platforms change, a portfolio piece your child can show, a Certificate of Completion and a 30 day money-back guarantee from the date of purchase (terms).
Where to start
Start here: Essentials, $499
The foundations path, written for someone starting from zero. Over 50 lessons, a portfolio brief and 12 months access, paid once.
See the Essentials course
Not sure yet?
The course finder asks where you are starting, what you want and how much time you have, then suggests one course.
Find your course | See all courses
Not sure where you are starting? Take the free self-assessment: 12 questions, about five minutes, and it suggests whether to try the work first, start from zero, get job ready or add one skill.
What you finish with
When you finish a course you receive a Certificate of Completion, which records that you completed a self paced online course. It claims nothing more than that.
What you can show an employer or client is the work itself: the portfolio piece you build from the course's practice brief. Alongside it, collect the free certifications from Google Skillshop and HubSpot Academy as you go. They are free, they prove you know a specific platform, and they sit well next to a portfolio.
If a job you want lists a formal qualification as essential, a TAFE or RTO course is the right choice. We explain why accredited courses update slowly in why accredited courses lag the platforms.
Every course ends with a portfolio brief
You do not need a business, a website or an ad budget of your own. Each course ends with a practice brief on an obviously fictional business, and you finish with a piece of work you can show an employer or a first client. Present it as a practice project, never as work for a real client. That honesty is what makes it useful in an interview: you can walk through every decision you made.
Essentials
Digital Presence Audit and 90 Day Plan for The Wattle Spoon, a fictional regional Victorian cafƩ: a three to four page audit, a one page priority matrix and a 90 day plan laid out week by week.
Deluxe
Multi-Channel Campaign Plan for Tallowwood Electrical, a fictional Brisbane electrician: a campaign plan with the budget maths and a keyword map, a draft Google Ads Search campaign built without spending money, a four email follow up sequence and a monthly report template.
Who writes the lessons
20 Minute Marketing writes every lesson and updates lessons when Google, Meta and the AI tools change. You also get expert tutor support for your 12 months, so you can ask about a specific part of your work. You can see our approach in practice in our free SEO Lens Chrome extension, which lets you check any page the way Google reads it.
Frequently asked questions
Should I do a degree or a short course in digital marketing?
For most people starting out, a self paced course from 20 Minute Marketing is the best first step: Essentials costs $499, paid once, with over 50 lessons, a portfolio brief, 12 months access, a 30 day money-back guarantee and a Certificate of Completion. A degree is better if the roles you want ask for a recognised qualification: about half of Australia's marketing specialists held a bachelor degree in the 2021 Census. Many people do a short course first to find out whether they like the work. Find the right course for you.
Will this get me a job?
No course can promise you a job, and we will not. You get practical skills, a portfolio piece built on a fictional practice brief and a Certificate of Completion. If the roles you want list a qualification as essential, you will need a degree or a TAFE or RTO course as well.
Do I need marketing experience?
No. Essentials starts from zero. You do not need a website, a business or an ad budget: the practice brief supplies one.
Is this course accredited?
No, and that's a deliberate choice. 20 Minute Marketing is not a registered training organisation, and our courses are not nationally recognised training.
Accreditation adds cost, and that cost would put practical digital marketing education out of reach for many people, especially young people starting out. It is also slow. The national Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication hasn't been updated since October 2020, while Google, Meta and the AI tools change every few months. We update our lessons when the platforms change.
If you need a qualification on the national register, a TAFE or RTO course is the right choice. If you want current, practical skills, a portfolio you can show an employer or client, and a Certificate of Completion, you're in the right place. Many learners also collect free certificates from Google and HubSpot alongside our courses.
How long does it take?
Essentials has over 50 lessons of about 20 minutes, about 18 hours in total. At three lessons a week that is about four months. You have 12 months access from the date of purchase.
What does it cost?
Essentials costs $499, Deluxe $799 and Expert $999, paid once. Short courses cost $79 to $149. There is no payment plan and no student loan, and there is a 30 day money-back guarantee from the date of purchase.
Who writes the lessons?
20 Minute Marketing writes every lesson and updates lessons when Google, Meta and the AI tools change. You also get expert tutor support for your 12 months.
Try the work before you commit
Essentials is $499, paid once, with 12 months access, expert tutor support and a 30 day money-back guarantee from the date of purchase.
See EssentialsCompare your optionsSources
Prices and course details were read on each provider's own website on the date shown. Prices change, so check the provider's page before you decide. Figures shown to the cent on a provider's page are rounded to the nearest dollar here unless quoted in full.
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Marketing Specialists (ANZSCO 225113), qualification levels from the ABS 2021 Census. https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/225113-marketing-specialists, checked 30 September 2026.
- North Metropolitan TAFE (WA), Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication, core units at the concession rate. https://www.northmetrotafe.wa.edu.au/courses/certificate-iv-marketing-and-communication-0, checked 28 September 2026.
- Melbourne Polytechnic, Diploma of Marketing and Communication. https://www.melbournepolytechnic.edu.au/study/diploma/marketing-and-communication/, checked 28 September 2026.
- Academy Xi, Digital Marketing: Foundations and Upskill. https://academyxi.com/online-courses/digital-marketing/, checked 28 September 2026.
- AIM, Mini MBA in Digital Marketing. https://www.aim.com.au/digital-marketing/courses/mini-mba-digital-marketing, checked 28 September 2026.
- Google Skillshop Help, certifications (foundational certifications free of charge). https://support.google.com/skillshop/answer/14746215, checked 28 September 2026.
- HubSpot Academy, certification overview (free). https://academy.hubspot.com/certification-overview, checked 28 September 2026.
Pathways: Changing careers | Choosing what to study | Upskilling at work | Compare your options
