🎓 Completion Requirement
To earn the Digital Marketing Certificate from WGU, students must:
Complete four foundational digital marketing courses
Complete a 4–8 week real-world employer project on Riipen
Complete the post-project reflection performance assessment administered by WGU
The Riipen project is the capstone experience and reflection are required for certificate completion.
⏱️ Program Timeline
The capstone experience with Riipen, should be completed within no more than 8 weeks.
✅ Student Commitments
Once a student completes their courses and receives access to Riipen, students must:
Select a project within 3 days of receiving Riipen access
Complete the project within 4–8 weeks of start date
Complete 40–80 hours of project work during that period
Follow all deliverable expectations and maintain timely communication with the employer
Students should only select a project they can confidently complete within the timeline they set.
🛟 Contingency & Support Pathways
⏳ Extension Requests
Students may request a one-time extension of up to 2 weeks
Must be approved by program administrators and acknowledged by the employer
Requests must be submitted before the project end date
🔁 Project Withdrawal & Rematch
In the case of emergency or documented hardship, students may:
Withdraw from the project
Request to be rematched in a future cohort (based on availability)
A formal request form is required for review
If you need to drop out of your project:
You must notify your employer through the Riipen platform to maintain professional communication
You must email wgu@riipen.com to inform the Riipen team
The Riipen team will cancel your project to prevent further progress or tracking
To request a rematch, you must contact WGU directly, who will assess next steps for your program pathway
Follow these instructions to pause your account with WGU:
Log in to your student portal at goacademy.wgu.edu
Click the Settings menu at the top right (in the circle with your initial/profile)
Click “Manage Enrollment”
Click “Pause Access” and follow the instructions.
Please note that your account will pause for 14 days. You can choose to restart at any point during those 14 days, but at the conclusion of the 14 days, your account will automatically reactivate.
🧩 Alternative Capstone (Non-Riipen Option)
If a Riipen project cannot be completed, a WGU-designed capstone project may be provided
This allows for certificate completion but does not include the Riipen credential or employer experience
Offered only after all other options are explored