You might be surprised to learn just how varied the classes in an advertising degree program can be.

If you’re planning on going to advertising school, what kinds of courses can you expect to take? More than that, what is an advertising degree program like?

But before we dive into courses, let’s briefly go over the advertising industry.

Breadth and Depth in the Advertising Field

Advertising is much more than creating images or commercials for products and services. When you think about how an ad is done, it involves many steps. Graphic designers, advertising directors, copywriters, and other professionals work together to take an ad from start to finish.

In other words, you have a lot of career options to consider within the advertising field. And as a result, advertising degree programs offer a wide range of classes and cover a wide range of specialties.

Ultimately, the path you end up taking in the field depends on your personal interests, along with other factors, such as job outlook and salary. Fortunately, the advertising industry is thriving, as are advertising careers.

Types of Advertising Courses

From coming up with ad concepts to bringing them to life, you’ll have a chance to learn all about different aspects in an advertising degree program.

While your interests might lean more toward one than another, you can benefit from taking courses in a variety of advertising aspects. This gives you a broader understanding of the advertising field as a whole.

Conceptual Courses

These types of courses focus on how to come up with ideas for ads through brainstorming, sketching, and other techniques. You’ll learn visualization and ideation methods that can help you create concepts quickly and on-the-spot for different types of media.

Art Direction in Advertising

Ads need to create an impression on consumers while making it easy for them to understand what the product or service is. Art direction courses teach you about how to use layouts, designs, and fonts to make an impact on consumers with your ads. They also teach you about the duties of an art director, including how to pitch ideas and guide a team.

Copywriting Courses

The words used in ads can have a powerful effect on consumers. You’re probably familiar with quite a few advertising slogans as well, like “I’m Lovin’ It” for McDonald’s. Copywriting courses teach you how to develop clear catchphrases for ads that also communicate important information about what’s being advertised.

Marketing Strategies

Effective ads appeal to consumers and encourage them to buy products or services. Courses that focus on marketing teach you how to develop strategies, how to approach different types of brands and audiences, and more. All in all, these courses help with creating ad campaigns and understanding the customers you’re reaching out to.

Interactive Design

Thanks to the rise of the internet, how products and services are advertised is changing. Interactive design courses show you how to develop ads for a variety of online platforms using motion graphics and other digital methods.

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Interested in learning more about our School of Advertising? Request information from Academy of Art University today, or apply now!

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Header image by Academy student Malin Seijboldt