According to Statista, close to 85% of people in the EU use the Internet daily. That’s a huge population that demands a working digital infrastructure and expects online services to function seamlessly. This has resulted in extreme demands for digitizing online services across industries and sectors, with seven of the 10 most prominent companies in the world focusing on digital platforms. The process has been dubbed the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

With the advent of digital-first business accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are seeking experts in digital transformation to adapt to new practices. These positions are highly sought after and compensated accordingly, with the average yearly salary for digital transformation experts in Germany being €96K. In the U.S., similar positions can pay up to $200K per year.

That’s where the best online master’s degrees in digital transformation come in. Outfitted with future-proof knowledge and practices, you, too, can lead companies in making these pivotal changes. What’s important is to choose the best programs—like the one from OPIT—to give you the necessary edge and expertise in this forward-facing career.

Understanding the Value of Online Education in Digital Transformation

At its core, digital transformation is firmly entrenched in technology use and relies on many principles brought out by rapid globalization. All industries rely on technology and digital systems in one way or another, whether those are services, sales, marketing, or even production. And technology is changing more quickly than the educational systems can keep up.

With online education, the curriculum can adapt to the most recent advancements in the industries, from optimized data tracking to AI use. It allows direct access and a deeper dive into the same platforms you’ll be using during practical work. The basic practices you learn during an online curriculum can be immediately applied to real-life work and extrapolated onto custom projects in your career.

Furthermore, online teaching evens out educational opportunities across the globe. So long as you have an internet connection, you can access world-class education piloted by leaders regardless of the institution you wish to enroll in.

Online learning also allows you to set your own learning pace. It’s an excellent option if you’re already a career professional who wants to be more aligned with the needs of the modern world while still working full-time or providing for your family.

What to Look For in Top Online Digital Transformation Programs

With so many online and offline teaching programs that promise state-of-the-art education in digital transformation, it can be extremely challenging to find the best options. Here’s what you should look for in your digital transformation degree or course:

  • Curriculum relevance: Digital transformation combines data science, management, and analysis and how technology affects businesses and entrepreneurs, which should be must-haves in the program. Also, look for classes that focus on engineering, finance, project or product management, and marketing.
  • Innovative teaching: Due to the subject’s inherent reliance on available technology, opt for programs that have interactive tests, simulations of real-life events and platforms, and real-world practice projects.
  • Industry partnerships: Look for programs supported by leading digital-first companies or those that provide internships and real-life projects as part of the dissertation.
  • Accreditation: Find programs that are accepted as fully accredited Higher Education Institutions, such as the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), EAHEA, EQUIS, AMBA, and AACSB, or a member of an international body such as ENQA. It will ensure your degree is universally accepted.
  • One-on-one teaching: Apart from traditional group teaching, look for courses that allow for dedicated one-on-one supplemental teaching and mentorship.
  • Modern concepts: The course doesn’t need to teach just the theory of the currently dominant technologies and practices but also set up future concepts and teach a theoretical basis that accounts for future advancements.

Best Online Masters in Digital Transformation

Here are the top five options for your online digital transformation degree.

OPIT’s MSc in Applied Digital Business

Developed by industry leaders from modern educational institutions and leading companies such as Amazon, the EQF-accredited Open Institute of Technology has built the 18-month course in Applied Digital Business from the ground up. As a result, the course aims to train students for careers in digital transformation, data science, marketing, and business analysis. Due to its online-first nature, the course immerses you into the digital management sphere from the get-go, guiding you via a combination of theoretical analysis and practical projects.

In the first term, the program provides a detailed post-graduate education in data science, digital project management, problem-solving in the digital era, and customer value management analysis. In the second term, the course focuses on digital transformation, platform, and project management, as well as finance in the digital-driven economy. Finally, the course ends with a long-term research capstone project to consolidate your skills with full support from a faculty mentor.

It’s one of the most versatile programs available that will allow you to transfer your existing skills into modern practices and create opportunities for growth in both current and emerging industries. With support from global industry leaders, you get access to a wide network of peers to set you up for success.

University of Hull Online – MSc in Digital Transformation

This is a focused 2-year program in digital transformation, teaching the relevance of emerging technologies in modern digital systems, such as AI, blockchain, 3D printing, and quantum computing. However, the curriculum also contains subjects that touch on information and project management, how customers affect digital businesses, and digital innovation and strategy development. The program is fully online with a part-time commitment and optional group webinars, with the University of Hull accredited by AMBA.

University of Edinburgh Online – MSc in Digital Education

While not a focused master’s degree in digital transformation, this degree in digital education provides a well-rounded theoretical basis for working in the digital sphere. It focuses on how digitization will affect education, making it a lucrative choice for people employed in academia who want to future-proof their skills. It lasts from two to six years of part-time online study, and the university is currently ranked among the top 20 in the world.

ESSCA Online Campus – MSc in International Business 4.0 – Leading Green & Digital Transformation

ESSCA Online is a triple-accredited online school that teaches international business practices, digital transformation techniques, and sustainable operation management. It also provides an overview of blockchain, Web3, the metaverse, project management, fintech, and data analysis. It’s a 12- or 24-month program with case study programs and consulting projects with companies affiliated with ESSCA.

University of South Wales – MSc in Leading Digital Transformation

This degree course focuses on leadership, digital technologies, and innovation in the digital field, with a particular focus on the healthcare sector. However, it also teaches UX design, management within digital-only teams, and agile business practices. The program lasts for two years of part-time study (half a day each week) and is delivered through online real-time courses with guests from leading companies.

Why Opt for OPIT’s Digital Transformation Education Online

Traditional university programs commonly use the same in-person curriculum and just deliver the content online. However, OPIT’s education system is fully tuned towards online learning. You get to interact with lecturers worldwide and learn from industry leaders in real-time or on-demand. The program combines theoretical knowledge on modern topics with practical exams and assignments that put it to the test to ensure it sticks.

OPIT’s curriculum is also designed to be future-proof. The skills you learn in the master’s degree for digital transformation will be useful in solving future challenges with yet-to-be-conceived technology. It ensures that your career can last for years with minimal re-skilling and creates a path of lifetime improvement through practice.

Start Your Digital Transformation Journey

Earning a post-graduate degree in emerging technologies and concepts can push you forward as an expert for years to come. Choose OPIT as one of the best online digital transformation degree options and receive a stellar combination of theory and practice to provide you with real-world skills crucial for career development.

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Il Sole 24 Ore: Professors from all over the world for online degree courses with practical training
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
Aug 3, 2024 3 min read

Source:

  • Il Sole 24 Ore, Published on July 29th, 2024 (original article in Italian).

By Filomena Greco

It is called OPIT and it was born from an idea by Riccardo Ocleppo, entrepreneur, director and founder of OPIT and second generation in the company; and Francesco Profumo, former president of Compagnia di Sanpaolo, former Minister of Education and Rector of the Polytechnic University of Turin. “We wanted to create an academic institution focused on Artificial Intelligence and the new formative paths linked to this new technological frontier”.

How did this initiative come about?

“The general idea was to propose to the market a new model of university education that was, on the one hand, very up-to-date on the topic of skills, curricula and professors, with six degree paths (two three-year Bachelor degrees and four Master degrees) in areas such as Computer Science, AI, Cybersecurity, Digital Business; on the other hand, a very practical approach linked to the needs of the industrial world. We want to bridge a gap between formal education, which is often too theoretical, and the world of work and entrepreneurship.”

What characterizes your didactic proposal?

“Ours is a proprietary teaching model, with 45 teachers recruited from all over the world who have a solid academic background but also experience in many companies. We want to offer a study path that has a strong business orientation, with the aim of immediately bringing added value to the companies. Our teaching is entirely in English, and this is a project created to be international, with the teachers coming from 20 different nationalities. Italian students last year were 35% but overall the reality is very varied.”

Can you tell us your numbers?

“We received tens of thousands of applications for the first year but we tried to be selective. We started the first two classes with a hundred students from 38 countries around the world, Italy, Europe, USA, Canada, Middle East and Africa. We aim to reach 300 students this year. We have accredited OPIT in Malta, which is the only European country other than Ireland to be native English speaking – for us, this is a very important trait. We want to offer high quality teaching but with affordable costs, around 4,500 euros per year, with completely online teaching.”

Read the full article below (in Italian):

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EFMD Global: This business school grad created own education institution
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
Jul 20, 2024 4 min read

Source:


By Stephanie Mullins

Many people love to read the stories of successful business school graduates to see what they’ve achieved using the lessons, insights and connections from the programmes they’ve studied. We speak to one alumnus, Riccardo Ocleppo, who studied at top business schools including London Business School (LBS) and INSEAD, about the education institution called OPIT which he created after business school.

Please introduce yourself and your career to date. 

I am the founder of OPIT — Open Institute of Technology, a fully accredited Higher Education Institution (HEI) under the European Qualification Framework (EQF) by the MFHEA Authority. OPIT also partners with WES (World Education Services), a trusted non-profit providing verified education credential assessments (ECA) in the US and Canada for foreign degrees and certificates.  

Prior to founding OPIT, I established Docsity, a global community boasting 15 million registered university students worldwide and partnerships with over 250 Universities and Business Schools. My academic background includes an MSc in Electronics from Politecnico di Torino and an MSc in Management from London Business School. 

Why did you decide to create OPIT Open Institute of Technology? 

Higher education has a profound impact on people’s futures. Through quality higher education, people can aspire to a better and more fulfilling future.  

The mission behind OPIT is to democratise access to high-quality higher education in the fields that will be in high demand in the coming decades: Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cybersecurity, and Digital Innovation. 

Since launching my first company in the education field, I’ve engaged with countless students, partnered with hundreds of universities, and collaborated with professors and companies. Through these interactions, I’ve observed a gap between traditional university curricula and the skills demanded by today’s job market, particularly in Computer Science and Technology. 

I founded OPIT to bridge this gap by modernising education, making it affordable, and enhancing the digital learning experience. By collaborating with international professors and forging solid relationships with global companies, we are creating a dynamic online community and developing high-quality digital learning content. This approach ensures our students benefit from a flexible, cutting-edge, and stress-free learning environment. 

Why do you think an education in tech is relevant in today’s business landscape?

As depicted by the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs 2023” report, the demand for skilled tech professionals remains (and will remain) robust across industries, driven by the critical role of advanced technologies in business success. 

Today’s companies require individuals who can innovate and execute complex solutions. A degree in fields like computer science, cybersecurity, data science, digital business or AI equips graduates with essential skills to thrive in this dynamic industry. 

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the global tech talent shortage will exceed 85 million workers by 2030. The Korn Ferry Institute warns that this gap could result in hundreds of billions in lost revenue across the US, Europe, and Asia.  

To address this challenge, OPIT aims to democratise access to technology education. Our competency-based and applied approach, coupled with a flexible online learning experience, empowers students to progress at their own pace, demonstrating their skills as they advance.  

Read the full article below:

Read the article