Program Overview
Bachelor of Arts in Advertising
The Bachelor of Arts in Advertising in the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University provides students with the tools and knowledge needed to advance their creative thinking skills and reach audiences through innovative advertising messaging and methods.
Program Overview
In our Advertising bachelor's degree program, you learn the fundamentals of advertising, as well as the various aspects of communication that encompass advertising, so you are prepared to create professional ad campaigns and presentations for real-life clients. Some of the aspects of advertising you can study include:
- Art direction
- Copywriting
- Critical perspectives
- Media planning
- Research and strategy
- Social media
The goal of advertising is to build connections between people and brands, ideas and institutions. Unlike public relations, it involves promoting a product, service, or organization through paid media—from billboards to social media ads to television or radio commercials. This cutting-edge field is the most visible part of the marketing process and both influences and is influenced by current trends and culture.
What Sets Apart Our Bachelor of Arts in Advertising
- A dynamic media market: Operating in the fourth largest media market in the country, students in our advertising degree program have access to leading media companies for internships, full-time employment, and programs that merge the classroom and the industry.
- Experiential learning opportunities: Our bachelor's degree program requires students to participate in either an internship or in Diamond Edge Communications, our student-run advertising agency. Students also participate in national student competitions, including the American Advertising Federation's National Student Advertising Competition, the One Club Young Ones Competition, and the Washington Media Scholars Case Competition. With the support of faculty and off-campus mentors, these options give students the real-world environment and experience needed to sharpen their creative skills and prepare them for a variety of careers in the industry.
- Theory-driven, career-oriented curriculum: Temple's faculty teaches students about the concept of advertising on a few levels—a broad view of advertising and its effects on society, and specific career tracks shaped by the various professional roles in the industry. The combined approach helps students realize their full potential as creative practitioners and participants in consumer culture.
Classes & Curriculum
Students in the Advertising degree program complete 120 credits, including a minimum of 49 credits in advertising courses. Some of the major courses include:
- Advertising Campaigns
- Media and Society
- Psychology of Advertising
Minors
Digital Media Engagement
The Digital Media Engagement minor is a 21-credit program designed for students of any major looking to build digital expertise. Upon completion of these courses, students are prepared to take the Google AdWords Certification Exam and the Google Analytics Individual Qualification Exam.
Content Creation
The Content Creation minor is an interdisciplinary program tailored to expand your knowledge of content. Through this program, you will learn to design, implement, and integrate content for various digital media. You will also build creative development skills and learn the principles behind strategic social media and content marketing materials.
Concentrations
This degree program can be completed with or without a concentration. Your concentration options include:
Copywriting
Learn to create engaging copy that drives marketing communications in all its forms, including direct mail, magazines, newspapers, and web. Work in collaboration with art directors and other creative professionals, combining words and visuals into one coherent message. Through this three-course concentration, you will become a precise and versatile writer with a professional-quality portfolio.
Art Direction
In this three-course concentration, you will develop the essential, hands-on skills needed to create compelling ads in digital and traditional media. Learn to work in collaboration with other artists and copywriters to brainstorm ideas and create fresh, branded concepts that engage, captivate, and persuade audiences.
Account Management
Build the skills needed to become an advertising account manager, including knowing the nuances that distinguish advertising on the internet, in mobile, and through traditional media. Learn to manage relationships between agency and client and the key steps of building and maintaining a brand.
Brand Strategy and Research
Study the changing demographics in the U.S. with this three-course concentration. Learn to use qualitative research to interpret consumer behavior and uncover valuable insights. Develop the necessary skills to conduct focus groups and surveys, and to analyze the data.
Media Planning
Develop highly valued skills in media buying and planning in conventional and digital environments. This program focuses on the accounting and strategic skills required for media plans and projects of multiple scales, for a variety of private and public clients.
Related Graduate Degrees
- Communication for Development and Social Change MS
- Communication Management Online MS
- Media and Production MA
- Strategic Advertising and Marketing MS
Related Graduate Certificates
- Cultural Analytics
- Strategic Communication and Cross-Cultural Leadership
Tuition & Fees
Tuition rates are set annually by the university and are affected by multiple factors, including program degree level, course load, in-state or out-of-state residency, and more.
- Pennsylvania resident: $21,360.00 per year
- Out-of-state: $37,032.00 per year
Academic Advising
Our academic advisors will help you stay on track to graduate and ensure you remain on a clear professional path. Walk-in advising is available in the first two weeks of the semester for students who need assistance with any registration issues. Express advising is available for students throughout the rest of the semester.
Student Clubs & Organizations
Joining a student organization can affect your career and college experience in meaningful ways. Examples of student clubs and organizations that can help you excel as an advertising student include:
- Diamond Edge Communications
- LatinX Media Association
- Sports Media Society for Women
- Temple AdLib
- Temple Advertising Club
Study Away Opportunities
Take on new challenges, experiences, and viewpoints in an array of academic settings in the U.S. or around the world, through the Advertising Major's Global Opportunities programs. You have the option of studying or interning in more than 20 destinations in the U.S. and around the world.