Students in the award-winning Advertising and Marketing Communications major gain hands-on experience as they prepare to enter one of today's fastest growing and rapidly evolving industries. Building on a strong academic base in the liberal arts, students are challenged to think strategically and creatively to solve client problems using a full spectrum of promotional tools. From traditional print and television advertising, to social media, mobile applications and emerging technologies, students learn to develop fully-integrated campaigns that will achieve a company or organization’s promotional objectives. To give each student experience in multiple career roles, the curriculum encourages active participation in all phases of the marketing communications process, including research, planning, strategy development, copywriting, visual communication, budgeting, media buying, and campaign analysis. To strengthen a specific area of interest and stand out in a competitive job market, students are advised to choose one of three major career paths: planning and strategy, writing, or visual communications. Through one-on-one discussions with advisors, students choose highly focused courses, and fine-tune their portfolios to prepare for an internship most appropriate to their goals. Students are encouraged to boost their skillset and marketability with a variety of minors and certificate programs. They are also encouraged to become active in the on-campus Marketing Communications Club and its activities with local professional organizations for networking opportunities. Note for transfer students: Entry into this major as a junior or senior is limited. To improve admission prospects and ensure proper course sequence, junior and senior transfer students should apply for admission to the spring or summer semesters. All transfer students should plan on five semesters at Webster University to complete their degree in this major.

Successful graduates of this program will be able to: * identify and classify essential industry terminology, theories, and principles, and apply their knowledge to accomplish an organization's advertising and marketing communications objectives; * describe and demonstrate the criteria for effective and creative advertising/marketing communications messages, with consideration to the strategic purpose of the message, media format, aesthetic principles, and technical issues involved in production; * analyze an organization's situation from a marketing/communications perspective and create a multi-platform marketing communication program, including recommendations for objectives, target audience, promotional activities, media and message strategies, budget and the method of evaluating effectiveness of the program; * demonstrate skills appropriate for an entry-level job in their specialty area, and be able to present and defend their work before a panel of professionals.