Advertising and Promotion

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If you’re a creative, strategic thinker with a passion for communicating, Western Michigan University’s advertising and promotion major at the Haworth College of Business is the right choice for you. Focusing on hands-on learning with courses emphasizing experiential learning and portfolio-development opportunities, the program boasts small class sizes and faculty that bring real-world experience into the classroom. It is also among only 10 percent of advertising education housed within a business college, offering a unique mix of marketing, communication and business fundamentals to help land that dream position.

Ninety-seven percent of advertising and promotion graduates are actively engaged within three months of graduation.

Career outcomes

Beyond the classroom

Advertising and promotion majors excel in national student advertising competitions. Student teams from the advertising and promotion major have earned honors and recognition from:

  • American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition
  • Direct Marketing Educational Foundation's Collegiate Echo Competition
  • EdVenture Partners National Case Study Competition
  • Promotional Products Association International
  • Yellow Pages Publishers Association

As an advertising and promotion major you'll be eligible to compete for several scholarships within the Department of Marketing, including the following:

  • Advertising and Promotion Industry Advisory Board Scholarship
  • Chee Tor International Student Scholarship
  • Cynthia Wrazien-Hirt Endowed Memorial Advertising Scholarship
  • The Dr. L Fund
  • Philip A. Long—VML Scholarship
  • Ronald J. Davis—VML Scholarship

You can also greatly enhance your professional development by getting involved with the WMU AdClub, where you can network with a variety of industry leaders and gain exposure to agency tours, career-related job symposiums and other project experiences. Join us at wmuadclub.com.

After you graduate

Recent WMU graduates with degrees in advertising and promotion are working as:

  • Account coordinators and executives
  • Advertising, brand and project managers
  • Copywriters and art directors
  • Digital analytics managers
  • Digital creative directors
  • Event planners
  • Internet marketing managers
  • Marketing coordinators and associates
  • Media planners, buyers and sales representatives
  • Production specialists
  • Social media managers
  • Strategic planners and market research analysts

Advertising and promotion majors are recruited and hired by small, medium and large agencies, as well as media and client organizations. Some graduates even start their own successful agencies. Our graduates are employed with the following firms, among many others: 

  • AOL
  • Biggs-Gilmore
  • Campbell-Ewald
  • Digitas
  • Doner
  • ePrize
  • Ford
  • Fox Cable Networks
  • GM
  • Google
  • Groupon
  • Hulu
  • JWT
  • Kellogg's
  • Leo Burnett
  • Marketing Works
  • McCann Erickson
  • Team Detroit
  • Viacom

Where is this program offered?

  • Kalamazoo

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