About This Program
The advertising major provides a perfect blend of creativity and business acumen, allowing you to launch a successful career in the dynamic advertising industry. With a digital-first mindset and hands-on experience early on, you'll learn how to develop compelling campaigns that connect to audiences and make an impact. Read more...
Contact Information
- School Director: Emily Metzgar | mdj@kent.edu | 330-672-2572
- Speak with an Advisor
- Chat with an Admissions Counselor
Program Delivery
- Delivery:
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries*
Advertising and promotions managers
- -1.1% decline
- 28,600 number of jobs
- $133,460 potential earnings
Market research analysts and marketing specialists
- 17.7% much faster than the average
- 738,100 number of jobs
- $65,810 potential earnings
Additional Careers
- Brand Marketing Specialist
- Media Planner and Buyer
- Social Media Strategist
Accreditation
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency unless they meet specific exceptions. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog.
Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.
Current Kent State Students: Active Kent State students who wish to change their major to Advertising must have a minimum 2.000 overall GPA to be admitted.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) (min C- grade in all courses) | ||
| EMAT 10310 | MY STORY ON THE WEB | 3 |
| or MDJ 20011 | PRODUCTION FUNDAMENTALS | |
| MDJ 20001 | MEDIA, POWER AND CULTURE (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
| MDJ 20004 | ADVERTISING WRITING AND STORYTELLING | 3 |
| MDJ 20008 | RESEARCH AND MEASUREMENT IN ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS | 3 |
| MDJ 21001 | PRINCIPLES OF ADVERTISING | 3 |
| MDJ 21015 | FOUNDATIONS OF STRATEGY AND COMMUNICATION | 3 |
| MDJ 31002 | ADVERTISING COPYWRITING (WIC) 1 | 3 |
| MDJ 31003 | ADVERTISING MEDIA PLANNING | 3 |
| MDJ 31004 | DIGITAL ADVERTISING | 3 |
| MDJ 31007 | DIGITAL ANALYTICS IN ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS | 2 |
| MDJ 31011 | ADVERTISING STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| MDJ 40006 | LAW OF MEDIA AND JOURNALISM | 3 |
| or MDJ 40016 | LAW OF ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS | |
| MDJ 40011 | ETHICAL ISSUES IN INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION | 1 |
| MDJ 40027 | RACE, GENDER, CLASS AND DIS/ABILITY IN MEDIA INDUSTRIES | 3 |
| MDJ 40092 | INTERNSHIP (ELR) | 1 |
| MDJ 41099 | ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS (ELR) | 3 |
| or MDJ 41199 | CAPSTONE: CAMPAIGNS IN ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS (ELR) | |
| Media and Journalism Electives, choose from the following: | 6 | |
| SEMINAR IN MEDIA AND MOVEMENTS (ELR) | ||
| INTERNSHIP (ELR) | ||
| PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICE: PUBLIC AFFAIRS | ||
| PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICE: CRISIS COMMUNICATION | ||
| SELECTED TOPICS IN MEDIA AND JOURNALISM | ||
| POLITICAL ADVERTISING | ||
| GLOBAL ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS | ||
| PRACTICUM IN ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS (ELR) | ||
| SELECTED TOPICS IN ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS | ||
| Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| College of Communication and Information Core Electives, choose from the following: | 9 | |
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | ||
| BRANDING AND SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES FOR ITALIAN LIFESTYLE (ELR) | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | ||
| ITALIAN POP CULTURE | ||
| ITALIAN CINEMA (ELR) | ||
| DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING (ELR) | ||
| MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING (ELR) | ||
| INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN THE COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION (ELR) | ||
| INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN THE COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION (ELR) | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) | ||
| INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION (DIVG) | ||
| CREATIVE CODING | ||
| HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION | ||
| INFORMATION FLUENCY IN THE WORKPLACE AND BEYOND | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN | ||
| VISUAL DESIGN THINKING | ||
| Kent Core Composition | 6 | |
| Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning | 3 | |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each) | 9 | |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) | 3 | |
| Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 | |
| Kent Core Additional | 6 | |
| General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credits hour, including 39 upper-division credit hours) 2 | 28 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
- 1
A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement. If course is not being used to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement, a minimum grade of C- must be earned.
- 2
A maximum of 4 credit hours of Physical Activity, Wellness and Sport (PWS) courses may be applied toward the degree program.
Progression Requirements
- No grade lower than a C- in a MDJ course will be counted toward graduation or as a prerequisite for a subsequent class.
Graduation Requirements
| Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
|---|---|
| 2.000 | 2.000 |
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
| Semester One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| MDJ 20001 | MEDIA, POWER AND CULTURE (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
| MDJ 21001 | PRINCIPLES OF ADVERTISING | 3 |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| College of Communication and Information Core Elective | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| EMAT 10310 or MDJ 20011 | MY STORY ON THE WEB or PRODUCTION FUNDAMENTALS | 3 |
| MDJ 21015 | FOUNDATIONS OF STRATEGY AND COMMUNICATION | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Three | ||
| MDJ 20004 | ADVERTISING WRITING AND STORYTELLING | 3 |
| MDJ 20008 | RESEARCH AND MEASUREMENT IN ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS | 3 |
| College of Communication and Information Core Elective | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Four | ||
| MDJ 31011 | ADVERTISING STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| General Elective | 6 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Five | ||
| MDJ 31003 or MDJ 31004 | ADVERTISING MEDIA PLANNING or DIGITAL ADVERTISING | 3 |
| MDJ 31007 | DIGITAL ANALYTICS IN ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS | 2 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| General Electives | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Semester Six | ||
| MDJ 31002 | ADVERTISING COPYWRITING (WIC) | 3 |
| MDJ 31003 or MDJ 31004 | ADVERTISING MEDIA PLANNING or DIGITAL ADVERTISING | 3 |
| MDJ 40027 | RACE, GENDER, CLASS AND DIS/ABILITY IN MEDIA INDUSTRIES | 3 |
| General Electives | 6 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Third Summer Term | ||
| MDJ 40092 | INTERNSHIP (ELR) | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 1 | |
| Semester Seven | ||
| MDJ 40016 or MDJ 40006 | LAW OF ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS or LAW OF MEDIA AND JOURNALISM | 3 |
| Media and Journalism Elective | 3 | |
| General Electives | 9 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Eight | ||
| MDJ 40011 | ETHICAL ISSUES IN INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION | 1 |
| MDJ 41099 or MDJ 41199 | ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS (ELR) or CAPSTONE: CAMPAIGNS IN ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS (ELR) | 3 |
| College of Communication and Information Core Elective | 3 | |
| Media and Journalism Elective | 3 | |
| General Electives | 4 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
University Requirements
All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.
| Requirement | Credits/Courses |
|---|---|
| Flashes 101 (UC 10001) | 1 credit hour |
Course is not required for students with 30+ transfer credits (excluding College Credit Plus) or age 21+ at time of admission. | |
| Diversity Domestic/Global (DIVD/DIVG) | 2 courses |
Students must successfully complete one domestic and one global course, of which one must be from the Kent Core. | |
| Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) | varies |
Students must successfully complete one course or approved experience. | |
| Kent Core (see table below) | 36-37 credit hours |
| Writing-Intensive Course (WIC) | 1 course |
Students must earn a minimum C grade in the course. | |
| Upper-Division Requirement | 39 credit hours |
Students must successfully complete 39 upper-division (numbered 30000 to 49999) credit hours to graduate. | |
| Total Credit Hour Requirement | 120 credit hours |
Kent Core Requirements
| Requirement | Credits/Courses |
|---|---|
| Kent Core Composition (KCMP) | 6 |
| Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (KMCR) | 3 |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (KHUM/KFA) (min one course each) | 9 |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (KSS) (must be from two disciplines) | 6 |
| Kent Core Basic Sciences (KBS/KLAB) (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 |
| Kent Core Additional (KADL) | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 36-37 |
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Demonstrate preparation for working in a global and diverse society.
- Develop SMART objectives to clarify and define communication goals.
- Apply strategic thinking and planning to build and execute elements of advertising campaigns.
- Analyze audiences using primary and secondary research.
- Craft well written material in a variety of lengths and formats to effectively communicate messages to a range of audiences.
- Create visually compelling materials to effectively communicate messages to a range of audiences.
- Apply best practices when utilizing a range of platforms for message delivery.
- Demonstrate professionalism in written, verbal and nonverbal communications, including maintaining strong ethical principles.
Full Description
The Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising gives students the chance to connect with people through different media forms, by selecting the right audience, uncovering consumer insights and developing strategic and creative messaging, all with a digital-first mindset. Curriculum focuses on the advertising industry and the social responsibilities associated with this exciting form of persuasive media.
Coursework is supplemented with an internship. Other opportunities for experience include news, production, management, sales, performance and advertising positions with Kent State’s award-winning student media. Positions may also be available with IdeaBase, a student-run, full-service integrated marketing communications firm just down the hall from classrooms. Students teams also have the chance to participate in national competitions and make professional connections in the Franklin Advertising student group.
Students graduate ready for a career planning, buying and creating materials for digital and traditional outlets.
Students may apply early to the following master's degree programs and double count 9 credit hours of graduate courses toward both degree programs. See the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree Program Policy in the University Catalog for more information.
- Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies
- Master of Arts degree in Media and Journalism
- Master of Arts degree in Visual Communication Design
- Master of Library Information Science degree in Library and Information Science
- Master of Science degree in Emerging Media and Technology
- Master of Science degree in Health Informatics
- Master of Science degree in Knowledge Management
- Master of Science degree in User Experience