Advertising Major

Advertising is an award-winning program experiencing growth with advances in digital and social media. Advertising relies on clever copywriting, eye-catching visual design and dynamic media interactions to draw the hearts and minds of today’s consumers whether they are checking their smartphones or driving by billboards. Our program provides courses and experiences to cover the full scope of the advertising industry, including advertising graphics, visual media design, media planning and buying, research and campaigns. Internships and jobs take students to advertising or marketing agencies, consumer and B2B brands, sports organizations and nonprofits. Join a field where successful ad alumni creatively drive brands at global agencies, such as Leo Burnett and GSD&M, as well as independent agencies such as Nelson Schmidt and Hoffman York. Our ad alumni lead creative marketing for CNN to Discover Wisconsin, and in media planning at Facebook to Starbucks. Students gain professional experiences in courses, as well as in internships and Ad Club. UWO participates in the National Student Advertising Competition through the American Advertising Federation, and has placed in the district and national competitions.

The advertising curriculum worksheet provides complete information on the major. Information about degree requirements follows.

Degree Requirements 

Department Core – 15 Credits

• 141 – Intro to Media: News, Public Relations and Advertising
• 221 – Writing for the Media
• 251 – Foundations of Multimedia Storytelling
• 324 – Editing
• 412 – Law of Mass Communication
• 499 – Culminating Experience (seniors take this pass/fail course for 0 credits)

Advertising Empasis Core – 9 Credits

• 250 – Principles of Advertising
• 351 – Advertising Copy, Layout & Production
• 353 – Advertising Media

Advertising Electives – 9 Credits

• 211 – Principles of Public Relations
• 331 – Visual Media Design OR 452 – Special Topics in Visual Journalism*  
• 340 – New & Emerging Media
• 424 – Strategic Campaigns in Advertising
• 440 – Application of New & Emerging Media OR 457 – Media Organization and Management
• 472 – Research in Strategic Communication

*Special topics courses vary each semester, focused on a new subject (for example: sports, politics, technology or body image in the media) to explore and develop skills in key topics critical and modern to the field. Students may not take the same subject twice in special topics courses.

Department General Electives

Two (2) electives between 61-001 and 61-498 from the list of AMP courses. Note that 427, 429 and 452 DO NOT count as electives, and transfer students may count 199 ONCE in department majors or minors

One Statistics Course From the Following:

• Math 189 – PBIS Statistics
• Math 201 – Applied Statistics
• Psychology 203 – Elementary Psychological Statistics
• Sociology 281 – Social Statistics

The Internship (427) course will NOT count toward the 39 credits for the journalism major.