Coursework

Requirements for Advertising

Our curriculum prepares students for careers in account services, brand management, account planning and research, copywriting, design and layout, media planning, and advertising sales. Advertising majors learn to think critically and creatively in a collaborative and hands-on learning environment. They also get to showcase their work, hear from industry professionals, gain experience through internships, and get involved with a variety of student organizations.

Required Coursework & Elective Groups

Students majoring in advertising are required to complete 64 semester hours within the college. Alongside 11 required courses, advertising majors will complete 31 elective hours of coursework across Groups A, B, and C, in order to customize their degree plan and enrich their education with well-rounded industry knowledge.

In addition to 33 hours of required coursework, students majoring in advertising must select 9 hours of Group A electives from Advertising (ADV), 12 hours of Group B electives from within the College of Media & Communication (MCOM/COMS/CMI/JOUR/PHOT/PR), and 10 hours of Group C electives from outside the college.

Students are responsible for exploring the elective hours that interest them in each group. Other course options may be satisfactory with department chair approval.

33 Core Course Hours

 

31 Elective Hours from Groups A, B and C Options

 

Recommended Curriculum

Sample 4-Year Coursework Plan from the official academic catalog

First Year

Fall (Total: 17 hours)

• MCOM 1300 - Foundations of Media and Communication
• POLS 1301 - American Government
• ENGL 1301 - Essentials of College Rhetoric
• MATH 1300 - Contemporary Mathematics
  • OR MATH 1320 - College Algebra
• Life and Physical Sciences
  • (choose from the University's core curriculum)
• MCOM 1100 - Success in Media and Communication

Spring (Total: 16 hours)

• MCOM 2310 - Business and Professional Communication
• POLS 2306 - Texas Politics and Topics
• ENGL 1302 - Advanced College Rhetoric
• MATH 2300 - Statistical Methods 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • OR MATH 2345 - Introduction to Statistics with Application to Business (must be passed with a C or better)
• Life and Physical Sciences
  • (choose from the University's core curriculum)

Second Year

Fall (Total: 15 hours)

• ADV 3310 - Principles of Advertising
• MCOM 1301 - Introduction to Digital and Social Media
• MCOM 2320 - Writing for Media and Communication
• HIST 2300 - History of the United States to 1877 Social and Behavioral Sciences (choose from the University's core curriculum)

Spring (Total: 15 hours)

• ADV 3312 - Advertising Writing
• HIST 2301 - History of the United States since 1877
• MCOM 2301 - Visual Storytelling (fulfills Creative Arts requirement)
• MCOM 2330 - Media Literacy (fulfills Language, Philosophy, and Culture requirement)
• MCOM 2350 - Communicating in a Global Society

Third Year

Fall (Total: 15 hours)

• ADV 3318 - Advertising Research and Consumer Insights
• ADV 3320 - Advertising and Society
• MCOM Global Communication (or Foreign Language) - 3 Semester Credit Hours
• Group A Elective - 3 Semester Credit Hours
• Group B Elective - 3 Semester Credit Hours

Spring (Total: 15 hours)

• ADV 3351 - Advertising Media Planning
• MCOM Global Communication (or Foreign Language) - 3 Semester Credit Hours
• Group A Elective - 3 Semester Credit Hours
• Group B Electives - 6 Semester Credit Hours

Fourth Year

Fall (Total: 15 hours)

• ADV 3361 - Advertising Design and Layout
• Group A Elective - 3 Semester Credit Hours
• Group B Elective - 3 Semester Credit Hours
• Group C Elective - 3 Semester Credit Hours
• MCOM Elective - 3 Semester Credit Hours

Spring (Total: 12 hours)

• ADV 4312 - Advertising Campaigns
• MCOM Elective - 3 Semester Credit Hours
• Group C Electives - 6 Semester Credit Hours