Advertising, Bachelor of Arts (727P, 727)
Department website: http://www.wku.edu/communication
Program Coordinator
Cliff P. Shaluta, cliff.shaluta@wku.edu, (270) 745-5833
The Advertising major provides a number of opportunities for students to build an impressive resume and online portfolio leading to an exciting career. Class projects, competitions, and hands-on internships provide an extraordinary educational experience. The business of advertising is being transformed as consumers are choosing digital technologies to access a variety of content where and when they choose. Conventional media revenue models are being challenged and advertising professionals with new skill sets are needed. The major in Advertising prepares students to work as entrepreneurs to launch their own businesses or for careers in media, agency or corporate advertising.
Specific objectives of the Advertising major:
- Acquaint students with important concepts, methods, and examples of successful advertising communication strategies;
- Provide students with training to make strategically sound analysis of advertising decisions;
- Provide students with opportunities to apply knowledge and creativity to real-world advertising situations;
- Develop students' ability to present well-reasoned conclusions and recommendations in written and oral presentations and to encourage continued self-education and personal development.
Program Requirements (36 hours)
A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.
Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.
Admission Requirements
Students wishing to enter the major in Advertising initially are admitted as majors seeking admission (reference 727P). Prospective majors may take no more than 15 hours in the major before admission. Students must meet the following requirements before they can be admitted:
- Completion of a minimum of 24 hours of coursework applicable to a baccalaureate degree;
- A minimum overall grade point average of 2.3;
- Completion of COMM 200 with a grade of “C” or better and 9 additional hours in general education;
All courses in the major must be completed with a grade of "C" or better. At least one-half of the hours in the major must be at the 300 or 400 level.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| COMM 200 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| AD 210 | Software Studio | 3 |
| AD 240 | Advertising in a Digital World | 3 |
| AD 300 | Research in Advertising and Public Relations | 3 |
| or COMM 300 | Introduction to Communication Research Methods | |
| or SOCL 302 | Social Research Methods | |
| or PS 302 | Research Design in Political Science | |
| MKT 220 | Basic Marketing Concepts | 3 |
| AD 310 | Visual Concepts in Advertising | 3 |
| AD 330 | Branding | 3 |
| UX 330 | User Interface Design | 3 |
| AD 349 | Advertising Media | 3 |
| AD 410 | Portfolio | 3 |
| Select six hours of restricted electives from the following courses: 1 | 6 | |
| AD Internship or Practicum | ||
| Organizational Communication | ||
| Fundamentals of Public Relations | ||
| Legal and Ethical Foundations of Strategic Communication | ||
| Introduction to User Experience Design | ||
| Introduction to Developing and Prototyping for Interactive Design | ||
| User Experience Advanced Studio I | ||
| Total Hours | 36 | |
| 1 | With departmental approval, students may opt to substitute one of the following courses in fulfillment of an elective requirement: AD 400, AD 415, AD 495. A minor, certificate, or second major is required. |
Finish in Four Plan - Advertising (727)
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| COMM 145 | 3 | ENG 100 | 3 |
| MATH 109 (or higher) | 3 | HIST 101 or HIST 102 | 3 |
| ART 105 or ART 106 | 3 | AD 210 | 3 |
| IDST 175 (OR World Language, if needed) | 3 | AD 240 | 3 |
| Colonnade: Natural & Physical Sciences | 3 | Colonnade: Natural & Physical Science w/lab | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MKT 220 | 3 | ENG 200 or RELS 200 | 3 |
| COMM 200 | 3 | UX 330 | 3 |
| AD 310 | 3 | AD 300 or COMM 300 (OR equivalent research course) | 3 |
| Colonnade: Social & Behavioral Science | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| AD 330* | 3 | AD 410* | 3 |
| AD 349* | 3 | AD Elective | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 |
| Colonnade: Connections (Systems) | 3 | Colonnade: Connections (Local to Global) | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| AD Elective (Imagewest internship encouraged) | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor Course | 3 |
| Colonnade: Connections (Social & Cultural) | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
| * | Denotes course is only offered one semester per year. |