Ten weeks. A real client. A way in.
Kepler U is a free, ten-week digital marketing externship run by Kepler, a 600-person marketing agency. You train on the platforms agencies use, work in a team on a live campaign for a nonprofit client, and leave with a Kepler mentor and work you can show an employer.
The application for the 2027 cycle will open in January, and accepted students will be notified by February 20.
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Cohort 12: Monday, March 29 – Thursday, June 3, 2027.
Cohort 13: Monday, September 20 – Tuesday, November 23, 2027.
How the industry works.
The first four weeks are shared core training: the digital marketing ecosystem, how agencies, brands and platforms fit together, and the roles inside them. Career panels and guest speakers from the industry explain how they got in.
Three specialization tracks.
After the core weeks, each student joins a track: Paid Social, Paid Search & SEO, or Strategy. A Programmatic workshop series runs alongside, open to every track.
A real client and a live campaign.
Every student is assigned to a project team serving a U.S. nonprofit client. Each team is led by a Kepler staff member serving as Project Lead, and mixes the tracks the way an agency team does. Together you plan, launch and manage a live campaign, then present the results to your client.
A mentor at Kepler.
Each student is paired one-to-one with a Kepler team member who coaches you on how to find, interview for and land a role in the industry. Many mentorships continue long after graduation.
When and where.
Ten weeks, Monday to Thursday, 3–5 PM ET, fully remote. Plan on six to eight hours a week of live classes and team work. The program is free. Applications for Cohort 12 open in January 2027, and the cohort starts the last week of March 2027.
Our curriculum is built from — and based on — the same Kepler University training that Kepler offers its full-time staff to address key structural barriers impacting diversity in the industry.
Awareness & Access
Gain an understanding of the digital marketing ecosystem and the roles within it. Attend career panels and hear from inspirational speakers who share their paths to success and give guidance on ways to learn from their professional journeys.
Hands-On Experience
Receive training on key media and advertising platforms, including digital concepts and interactive workshops—then put it into practice for a live campaign you launch and work to optimize.
Mentorship & Career Development
Develop one-on-one mentor relationships with Kepler team members who coach you on what it takes to find, interview for, and land a position in the industry.
We’ve partnered with COOP to make our program available to their students.
Participants must commit to the full ten-week program and should expect six-to-eight hours of live classes or group work weekly. Classes are virtual and interactive, running from 3–5pm ET Monday to Thursday. This provides students the chance to engage with instructors, mentors, outside speakers, and career panelists.
Four weeks of shared core, then three specialization tracks — Paid Social, Paid Search & SEO, and Strategy — plus a Programmatic workshop series, ending in a live campaign for a nonprofit client.
Paid Social
Paid Search & SEO
Strategy
Plus a Programmatic Workshop series
“Kepler has been one of the best things that happened in my life. I accepted a position at OMD as a digital activation associate. Thank you for being part of my journey to overcome underemployment.”
RAYMOND L. · COHORT 5
What you leave with.
Hands-on experience on the platforms agencies use. A live client campaign for your portfolio. A Kepler mentor, and a network of practitioners and peers who refer their own. Of the first 589 graduates, 81% were employed within about six months; 79% of them in the field.
