Advertising
- Master of Arts
- Doctor of Philosophy
Facilities for Graduate Work
In addition to the extensive library and computer resources available on the campus, certain special resources provide support for graduate work in advertising.
Classrooms and laboratories devoted to research and creative work in advertising include a copy and layout studio equipped with the latest computer technology for advertising design and production; the University Co-op Interactive Studio, which includes data banks of media and market studies for audience analyses, research on media trends and competitive expenditures, and other studies; the Leo Burnett Library, containing Clio award–winning commercials from 1960 to the present and creative advertising texts and periodicals; the John Paul Goodwin Conference Room, equipped for client and research presentations; and a collection of over a thousand television and radio commercials for studies on commercial trends, comparative appeals, and cultural developments.
Graduate Studies Committee
The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 2006–2007.
- Ronald B. Anderson
- Neal M. Burns
- Sejung Choi
- Isabella C. M. Cunningham
- Terry Daugherty
- Minette Drumwright
- John A. Fortunato
- Geraldine R. Henderson
- LeeAnn Kahlor
- John D. Leckenby
- Wei-Na Lee
- Michael S. Mackert
- John H. Murphy
- Jef I. Richards
- Patricia A. Stout
- Yongjun Sung
- Gary B. Wilcox
- Jerome D. Williams
Admission Requirements
The entering student must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. All students must complete each of the following courses or its undergraduate equivalent prior to enrollment or during the first two semesters: Advertising 385 (Topic 1: Strategic Advertising Principles), 385 (Topic: Media Management), Marketing 320F (Foundations of Marketing), and a statistics course.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Arts degree is offered in three options: with thesis, with report, and without thesis or report. The thesis option requires at least thirty-six semester hours of credit; the report option, at least thirty-three hours; and the option without thesis or report, at least thirty-nine hours. Advertising 380J, 382J, 387, and 388K are required. All students must also complete six to twelve semester hours in one or more minor areas of study, such as marketing, sociology, anthropology, journalism, psychology, or English. The professional internship course, Graduate School 390F, may be counted toward the minor requirement. No more than nine semester hours of upper-division coursework may be counted toward the degree, with no more than six hours to be counted toward either the major or the minor requirement. These courses must be approved by the graduate adviser.
The program is flexible, allowing students to focus on their specific interests through elective and minor coursework. Most students complete the program within eighteen months.
Option II. The Master of Arts is offered both in a traditional format and in the Option II format. Option II provides a planned program of study that includes intensive summer work and special internationally focused enrichment opportunities. It gives students enrolled in participating academic programs access to a multinational and global experience. Option II students must complete a master’s report.
Dual Degree Programs
Master of Arts/Master of Business Administration
This dual degree program is designed to develop leaders for an increasingly complex world. The program exposes students both to the issues and principles involved in communication and business and to the skills and techniques needed for efficient and effective management. The student must complete a total of seventy-eight to eighty-one semester hours of coursework in the Department of Advertising and the McCombs School of Business. The advertising program may require additional hours of background work.
A joint committee composed of faculty members from both the Department of Advertising and the McCombs School of Business selects students for admission. Students must be accepted by both programs before admission to the dual program.
Upon admission to the dual degree program, the student must pay a nonrefundable enrollment deposit to indicate that he or she accepts the offer of admission. The deposit serves to confirm the student’s intention of enrolling in both programs and is applied to the payment of fees when the student enrolls. Students who demonstrate financial need may qualify for assistance to cover the deposit.
Master of Arts/Master of Public Affairs
The purpose of this dual degree program is to allow students to study the relationships among the theories and processes of communication and a variety of public policy issues. It is designed to meet the need for public policy analysts with an understanding of the principles and techniques of communication and to equip communication specialists with an understanding of the public policy process. Students are expected to complete a total of sixty-nine semester hours of coursework in the Department of Advertising and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, including a master’s report and a summer internship.
Admission to the public affairs program is considered by an Admissions Committee made up of faculty members and second-year students. Admission to the advertising program is considered by the program’s Graduate Studies Committee. After the student has been admitted to each program, a decision on his or her application to the dual program is made by consultation between the two programs.
For More Information
Campus address: Jesse H. Jones Communication Center (Academic) (CMA) 7.142, phone (512) 471-1101, fax (512) 471-7018; campus mail code: A1200
Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin, Graduate Program, Department of Advertising, 1 University Station A1200, Austin TX 78712
E-mail: advertising@mail.utexas.edu