Northwestern University offers its acclaimed Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program to master's students through the University's Medill School of Journalism. Northwestern's graduate advertising students are specially trained under the direct guidance of the nationally recognized faculty, including 14 full-time faculty members and almost 30 adjunct lecturers.
IMC's objective is to instill student competence in both traditional and new media by incorporating real-world practical experience with traditional academic curricula, such as team projects in which students work collaboratively with globally recognized brands to address pressing advertising issues. IMC also boasts a reputable student-edited annual publication, the Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications. Finally, unlike many other master's programs, IMC features small classes tha create a sense of community amidst an otherwise competitive graduate environment.
MSU celebrated the 50th anniversity of its esteemed Department of Advertising in 2008. Candidates for master's degrees in advertising at MSU have intimate access to over 30 esteemed faculty members and receive the highest quality advertising education over the course of MSU's interdisciplinary program. In particular, the program identifies three principal areas of strategic focus: communication technology, health communication and international communication.
MSU's state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for their master's students include a communications technology lab, a digital media arts and technology lab for multimedia production and a media, interface, and network design lab for research in human-computer interaction. In addition, students have the extraordinary opportunity to study abroad through MSU's established programs in France, Italy, China, Japan and Australia.
The University of Illinois Department of Advertising was founded in 1949 by Charles Sandage, a top pioneer in the advertising industry, as the first such academic department in the country. Today, it continues to pioneer the way consumer communications are taught, reflecting the structure and functions of modern advertising agencies. The master's advertising program is continually ranked as one of the top programs in the U.S. The faculty combines extensive professional experience with diverse scholarly interest in the study of advertising consumer communication.
Students have abundant learning opportunities both in the classroom and through real-world team projects and internships. The program's diverse curricula includes courses in research techniques, advertising history, marketing trends, and international advertising. It also encourages student participation in established study abroad and peer-alumni networking opportunities, as well as student industry organizations such as the American Advertising Federation.