Advertising plays an active role in our everyday lives. Advertising influences the products we buy, the media we consume, the causes we support, and the celebrities we follow on social media. Whether you are creative, analytical, interested in television, print, or digital media—the advertising major has something for everyone! If you’re a prospective advertising student, check out our dedicated website for you.
The undergraduate curriculum at the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising teaches students about the role that advertising plays in society, as well as its impact in business and sales. Here is a broad vision for the bachelor’s degree:
- Year one: Courses address what advertising is and how it works
- Year two: Courses prepare students to use the tools necessary to create and analyze advertising campaigns
- Year three: Students learn how solve real-world advertising problems
- Year four: Students choose courses to develop specialized skills based on their interests
View curriculum if you started in Fall 2021.
View curriculum if you started in Fall 2022 though Summer 2024.
View curriculum if you started in Fall 2025 and beyond.
Admissions Information
For more information about admission as a freshman or off-campus transfer student, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
If you are interested in transferring to the Advertising program from another University of Illinois major, please visit the Inter-College Transfer (ICT) information page for the transfer requirements.
Learn about admissions statistics for this major.
What Recent Graduates Say
What I loved most about my major was all the fun classes in the Department of Advertising. The faculty in the College of Media are really great individuals, and they are there to see their students succeed!
Thomas Sanders (BS ’25)
I loved my major of advertising at the College of Media because it allowed me to get a full scope of what advertising really means and looks like in the real world. I could take a variety of classes from “Account Management” to “Data Analytics” to “Content Creation.”
Mallory Pomerantz (BS ’22)