The UBC Certificate in Digital Strategy helps you identify and enhance your knowledge base to effectively drive your digital strategy. This includes developing a sound framework, combined with best practices in leading digital teams, assessing competitive intelligence, enabling customer engagement, identifying the digital value chain, and interpreting data to optimizing performance. Being able to assess an organizational culture and structure for digital readiness, aids in determining digital solutions and setting goals that align with the overall vision.

By taking the UBC Certificate in Digital Strategy, you will acquire skills and knowledge in:

• Applying critical and creative thinking strategies to build a comprehensive framework for a digital strategy
• defining a digital strategy, identifying stakeholders and communicating a plan that aligns with the organization's business models and goals
• undertaking ongoing market assessment to determine rapidly evolving opportunities and threats in the digital space
• prioritizing and rationalizing resource allocation for digital initiatives
• motivating and leading high-performing, cross-functional teams as well as attracting and developing talent for the digital space
• applying leadership and change management strategies to respond to emerging digital opportunities
• evaluating and optimizing digital strategy across platforms to ensure strong ROI
• articulating ethical guidelines and governance policies that support digital strategies.

Who Should Participate?
The UBC Certificate in Digital Strategy is designed for professionals, leaders and entrepreneurs who are involved in marketing, communications, analytics, finance, technology, and/ or business development, and are driving innovation and change in the digital space. Designed for those with at least five years' experience in leading teams or start-ups, managing resources, and implementing strategy, and who may come from a diverse range of industries and sectors (technology, entertainment, services, health, resource-based, government, non-profit), the program also benefits experienced digital practitioners in web/digital analytics or social media roles, and who are now taking on leadership in digital strategy.

The courses in this part-time program will be delivered 100% online. During each four-to eight-week course, you should be prepared to spend six to ten hours per week reading case studies, lectures and white papers as well as participating in online discussions and independent study. Students will complete a self-assessment exercise at the start of the program and will build their "digital skills" competencies throughout the program. Final assessment consists of creating a digital strategy plan for an organization.

To receive the UBC Certificate in Digital Strategy, all required courses must be completed within two years. Courses in the program are expected to be available for registration in Spring 2013.

You must apply and be accepted into the program before registering for courses.

Strategic Thinking in the Digital Context
Organizational leadership today demands a digital strategy that is transformative and persuasive. A comprehensive understanding of strategic frameworks, models and new technological approaches is key for organizations to succeed. Explore and apply critical and creative thinking through a strategic lens, and learn to observe, analyze and synthesize the interconnectedness of business functions as they relate to crafting a digital strategy. Recognize the importance of a digital strategy and your role as champion to lead and educate your organization moving forward. This course guides you through thinking systems and the development of a strategic roadmap, using such innovative tools as the Business Canvas Model, and provides a foundation for the entire program. Note: This course is a prerequisite to all other courses.
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Digital ROI
Confronted with a new paradigm in the digital space, digital leaders and strategists require the ability to take on a new approach to assessing the market of emerging and competing digital players. Understand how digital business models fit within the industry value chains, and learn to map and evaluate the customer‐centric experience, touch points and feedback loop. Examine how to identify and interpret signs of disruptive change, perform an audit to create a data strategy, and build digital solutions while optimizing your organization's digital ROI. Finally, leverage a risk plan that aligns with your digital model and addresses rapid growth of innovation and change in the market.

Digital Readiness
Organizations today need to rethink and reassess their current state/status and capabilities within the digital context and define their own level of digital readiness. Thinking beyond traditional and linear dimensions, the organization itself is today's change and innovation agent, able to define stakeholder resistance and influence while engaging and implementing change via an evolving digital strategy. Those involved in digital strategy must first define an organizational culture and governance model before being able to select an alternative course of action or direction, and assess the impact a digital strategy will have. The focus is on context, connection and communication, and understanding the value in the digital shift.

Digital Strategic Planning
A digital strategy that provides a desired impact must be a "living" strategic plan that challenges and revolutionizes innovation and change. Learn to pitch and win influence over your digital team, stakeholders and organization, and implement a strategy that aligns with your goals, resources and vision. Identify decisions that fit within your digital model, increase digital assets and ROI, and finally define an organizational performance review that can update a digital strategy over time. Create a digital strategy for your vision and one that shapes your future path. This final capstone course takes a case-based approach and aligns with or is customized to your business or organization.

Find out more about online learning.

Program Fees
A $175 non-refundable administration fee is payable once you are admitted to the program. This fee confirms your registration in the program. There is no fee to submit an application form. All fees are payable in Canadian dollars.

Course fees are paid on a course-by-course basis (from $1,395 to $2,000 per course). The total Certificate cost, including the administration fee, is approximately $6,185 CAD.

Special Offer: Apply to the program before August 1, 2013 and save $200 on the first course "Strategic Thinking in the Digital Context"*. *offer valid until end of 2013.

Participants should be aware that texts, materials and software related to courses may constitute an additional cost in some cases.

*The regular price of the first course "Strategic Thinking in the Digital Context" is $1395 CDN. Those applying to the program before August 1, 2013 will receive the discounted price of $1195 CDN. It is necessary to apply to the program and be accepted before registering for the course.You must register for the course by the end of 2013 in order to receive the discounted price.

Textbooks
Textbooks for Digital Strategy courses are not included in the tuition fees. Students are responsible for purchasing their own books from online book sellers, local book stores or online publishers. Books are mandatory in order to complete online assignments and readings. View the list of books and readings required for all the courses.

The UBC Certificate in Digital Strategy has been developed by a diverse group of academics and representatives from industry and continues to evolve as new digital technologies, approaches and models emerge. An Advisory Committee consisting of university faculty and staff, industry thought leaders, strategists, and digital innovators facilitated the design and development of the curriculum.

Advisory Committee

• BEAUSOLEIL, Angele, Chief Innovation Officer, Agent Innovateur Inc.
• BERRY, Christopher, Co-Founder, Chief Science Officer at Authintic; former VP Measurement, Science Syncapse
• CUBBON, Paul, Instructor, Marketing Division, Sauder School of Business, UBC
• GRAYSON, Rochelle, Program Advisor, Rochelle Consulting; former CEO, Book Riff.
• HADLEY, Andrea, Partner/ President, dStrategy Media, Digital Strategy Conference
• JONES, Nick, Director, Founder Nick Jones Consulting; former Digital Product Development, CBC
• KOTY, William, Director, Centre for Sustainability, UBC Continuing Studies
• KUBRIK, Kelly, President, Online Authority.com
• REIN, Gordon, Director, Open Enrollment, Executive Education, Sauder School of Business, UBC
• SNYDER, Matthew, Founder & CEO, Analog.Digital.Objects Inc.; Co‐Founder, ResponsiveAds; Founder and Producer, MXM (MediaCrossMedia) Events
• SOUTHCOTT, Jim, Partner, Southcott Strategy; former Chief Strategic Officer, Station X
• TIPPETT, Michael, Director, New Products, Hootsuite, CEO/Co-Founder, Ayoudo; Executive Director, GrowLab; Founder, NowPublic.com

Before applying to this program you must read and understand the terms and conditions in the program handbook .

To receive the handbook by mail, please contact Client Services with your complete name and mailing address.

The program is now currently accepting applications. Estimated launch of the new UBC Certificate in Digital Strategy is spring 2013.

Applications to the program are accepted on an ongoing basis. There is no cost to submit an application; however, a $175 non-refundable administration fee is due upon acceptance into the program.

In order to apply to the certificate program, you need to:

• read and understand the terms and conditions in the Program Handbook .
• meet the admission requirements (see Program Handbook)
• fill out an online application form and provide any supporting documents.