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Online master’s degree programs in Advertising help you understand your target market, their preferences, and what will make your advertisement stand out from the sea of others on the market.
Additionally, an online Master’s in Advertising equips you with the skills necessary to open various career opportunities in marketing advertising. You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of consumer behavior, consumer insights, and marketing analytics.
You’ll also advance your data analysis, marketing and advertising communication, and project management skills.
Overview
Master of Science (MS) or Master of Arts (MA) degrees are two typical titles for master’s degree programs in advertising. Students may enroll in online courses that teach them managerial skills in addition to advertising at a higher level of study.
Some online advertising master’s programs may mandate or strongly recommend an internship to gain real-world experience. Additionally, students work on a research project and/or a portfolio.
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Methodology
Several colleges and universities are now offering online Master of Advertising degrees. Choosing which of them follows high academic standards will require many hours of conducting in-depth research about the curriculum and the institution.
To help you narrow your choices and save you from excruciatingly long hours of research, we have rounded up the Best Online Master in Advertising Graduate Schools. We saw to it that each school met the following criteria:
- Delivered as a fully or partially online master’s degree program, enabling working professionals and adult students to pursue graduate study while keeping their jobs,
- Allows students to explore the various facets of Advertising, with Business, Marketing, Psychology, and Design as common core courses,
- Facilitated through a top-rated virtual platform or Learning Management System featuring discussion boards, examinations, video courses, clubs, libraries, and other resources that are easily accessible online,
- Features a faculty of experienced educators who hold terminal degrees in Advertising and are well-known for their work in the field,
- Offers Advertising graduate students various financial aid opportunities,
- Properly accredited by Department of Education-recognized agencies that dictate the academic standards of online master’s programs and Advertising as a specific discipline,
- Affiliated with industry organizations promoting Advertising as an important career pathway.
Visit our Methodology page and explore our ranking process.
5 Best Grad Schools with Online Master’s in Advertising Degree Programs
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia
Online Master’s In Digital Marketing And Advertising
Liberty University is a pioneering institution in online learning, offering a curriculum that prioritizes the needs of working professionals seeking degrees. There are over 300 master’s degrees available online at Liberty, all of which are flexible, inexpensive, and created to help students succeed.
- Students interested in knowing the ins and outs of digital marketing and advertising and gaining a strong biblical foundation can enroll at Liberty’s Online Master’s in Digital Marketing and Advertising.
- Liberty’s Master’s In Digital Marketing and Advertising online program requires 36 credit hours.
- Thanks to its accelerated learning format, students can complete all the necessary online coursework in 1.5 years.
- Students can transfer up to 50% of their previous coursework, allowing them to graduate faster.
- You’ll comprehensively explore topics that give you practical knowledge of the procedures involved in creating, carrying out, and managing a strategic marketing program for a product market entry.
- Because this degree also focuses on digital marketing, instructors will teach you the methods and techniques to operate a successful advertising campaign in social media outlets, search engine optimization, and websites.
- Courses include Consumer Behavior, Brand Management, Media Technologies & Communication Strategies, and Strategic Communication Campaigns for the Digital Age.
Standout Features:
Liberty’s advertising graduate program offers one of the most affordable per-credit hours. Full-time students pay $565 per credit hour, while part-timers pay $615. Liberty offers vast financial aid opportunities. Applicants affiliated with the military receive a military tuition discount, allowing them to pay $275 per credit hour. Please see their tuition and fees page.
Did You Know?
Liberty University is the largest Christian university worldwide. It’s popular for its unwavering adherence to the principles upon which it was founded. Liberty has built leadership that supports every student in their religious practice, academic pursuits, and involvement in the community.
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Online Master of Arts – Advertising & Public Relations
The US News & World Report ranks the University of Alabama as one of the best schools for graduate studies. UA offers over 150+ master’s and doctoral programs, with over 70 offered online. By membership, the Greek system at UA is the biggest in the nation.
- UA’s advertising and public relations master’s degree online is a 30-credit hour program emphasizing data-driven strategic planning and an awareness of the environment that underpins the fusion of marketing, public relations, and advertising courses.
- Courses will help students excel in their field and become well-known, effective brand advertisers.
- The program aims to develop your capabilities of becoming an astute thinking leader.
- Students will explore courses that teach them how to create connections with their target market and other members of the communities.
- Students must complete a capstone project to earn the degree. This final project will require you to develop marketing plans for a real company and product.
Standout Features:
In addition to its rigorous academics, the University of Alabama offers various networking opportunities to online students in advertising. Moreover, the UA Career Center collaborates with students as they explore options, hone skills, and find opportunities. Students can consider going on an industry immersion tour to spend three days and four nights in a city of interest and network with people in the business.
Did You Know?
One of its well-regarded online graduate degree programs is its online Online Master of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations, one of the Most Outstanding Educational Programs in the nation by PRWeek.
University of Saint Mary
Leavenworth, Kansas
Online Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Advertising Management
The University of Saint Mary is known for offering online courses that cater to the needs of working and adult students. Several of its online graduate degrees have received notable awards for being one of the best in its field.
- USM’s online Master of Business Administration degree has received national recognition from the US News and World Report for giving online students the same caliber as on-campus MBAs.
- Students complete 36 credit hours, 12 of which are dedicated to concentration courses.
- It offers a Marketing and Advertising Management concentration designed for students seeking to explore the core elements of advertising, services, and marketing strategy.
- The courses in this concentration help students gain the abilities necessary to achieve contemporary strategic marketing goals.
- You can apply for financial aid opportunities to reduce the program’s total cost.
- Courses of the marketing degree program explore Buyer Behavior, Marketing Research, The Advertising Industry in the 21st Century, and Advanced Marketing Strategy and Planning.
Standout Features:
The program is fully customizable and affordable. If you want to customize your degree further, you can pursue a certificate in marketing management as you advance through the MBA program. You can apply for financial aid opportunities to reduce the program’s total cost.
Did You Know?
USM has one of the smallest student-to-teacher ratios. This gives students a lot of one-on-one sessions for learning, counseling, and academic advising.
Savannah College of Art and Design
Atlanta, Georgia
Online Master of Arts in Advertising
The Savannah College of Art and Design, hailed as a top institution for advertising and related subjects, offers the Master of Arts in Advertising. This popular program has helped students have prosperous careers in advertising and other creative fields.
- The MA in advertising degree at SCAD is a 45-credit hour program that adapts to the ever-changing advertisement field and allows students to study in a collaborative setting.
- The program aims to develop students’ skills in copywriting, art direction, digital production, and integrated brand marketing.
- Students explore novel viewpoints, use various creative techniques, and create a distinctive, well-rounded style.
- Courses of the program include Advertising Studio I: Creative Strategies, Advertising Studio II: Branding Solutions, Creative Copywriting for Advertising, and Art Direction.
Standout Features:
Many students pursue a double major or a related minor to increase their chances of a successful advertising career. In addition to online coursework, students must complete a Graduate Internship. This component will help you learn practical skills in advertising.
Did You Know?
Because of its focus on advertising and reputation, SCAD is one of the most expensive online institutions for pursuing a master’s degree.
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
Online Master of Science in Communication in Advertising
Syracuse University is an R1 research university founded in 1870. The university offers over 100 minors, 200 majors, and 200 advanced degree programs. However, the per-credit-hour cost of degree programs at Syracuse is competitive.
- The master’s in communication degree is a 33-credit program that allows students to dedicate 12 hours to learning about the theories, methods, and techniques required to develop effective, memorable advertising campaigns.
- The specialization offers courses that equip students with the necessary abilities to create purposeful messaging that connects with their target audience.
- Students will be required to complete a portfolio that can be used for job applications with the help of experienced advertising professionals.
- Courses of the specialization include Digital Branding and Strategy, Advertising and Public Relations Research Design, Communications Planning, and Strategic Principles and Practices.
Standout Features:
There are two weekend-long immersions on campus. While each immersion has a different focus, both aim to encourage conversation on developments influencing the direction of the communications industry. These opportunities will allow you to converse about the developing sector with thought leaders, instructors, and peers outside the classroom.
Did You Know?
Syracuse is one of the first institutions to defend the rights of its female students and provide opportunities for them. Famous alums include Sarah Logeun, the first African-American woman to get a medical degree in the United States, and Belva Ann Lockwood, the first woman who presented oral arguments before the Supreme Court.
Common Courses in a Master’s Degree Program in Advertising
Advanced Marketing Strategy and Planning
This course guides students through producing an advanced marketing strategy plan for a particular marketing project, from creating and presenting a proposal to finalizing the project. Students will learn to identify the marketing challenges, suggest relevant research methodologies, evaluate the study’s findings, and give conclusions and suggestions.
Integrated Marketing Communications
This course teaches students about the promotional mix, which includes advertising, publicity, personal selling, and sales promotion. For the strategic strategy of a business to be successfully carried out, students design and oversee these promotional materials.
Advanced Digital Marketing
Through analytical, hands-on, and theoretical knowledge and abilities, this course instructs students on designing and tracking digital marketing campaigns. Students are encouraged to enhance their creative problem-solving skills in this workshop-based course.
Strategic Social Media
Students will explore social media’s history, theory, and advertising application. Students who complete this course will have a greater understanding of this medium, be able to assess customer behavior and learn about social media advertising.
Digital Branding and Strategy
This course teaches students the function of digital media in the advertising sector. Students will gain knowledge of consumer behavior, how to communicate with people on social networks and blogs, and how to understand how consumers process information on these platforms.
Integrated Advertising Campaign
This course helps students apply what they learned to develop an advertising campaign and work on a professional project for a genuine client. Through practical application, students will reinforce the knowledge they have acquired.
Master’s in Advertising vs Master’s in Marketing
It’s important to know that these two areas have overlapping responsibilities; advertising is a part of marketing. In other words, advertising is a stage in the marketing process that employs the information and analysis gathered by marketing strategists to create effective promotions.
Master’s in marketing programs focuses on preparing a product for the market, while a master’s in advertising focuses on making the goods and services known to those in that market.
Broadly speaking, marketing is a managed yet extensive process, with advertisers concentrating on communication creation. Marketers also research consumer behavior to persuade consumers to take action, and advertisers work on creative projects like design and multimedia development.
Cost of Online Master’s Degree in Advertising
A master’s degree is often expensive, especially if you decide to pursue one in an institution specializing in a certain field. Tuition varies depending on the degree program and the school you attend.
If these rates exceed your means, you can consider applying for financial aid. Most institutions provide financial help to students, so look into your choices or contact your school to learn more.
Some of the most common financial aid opportunities available to online students include:
- Federal grants. The government awards federal grants as financial assistance based on financial need and income level.
- Scholarships. Scholarships are examples of unpayable sources of aid. They are given out based on essays or academic achievements.
- Student loans. One type of aid to help with upfront expenditures is student loans. The fixed-rate loans are not due for repayment until after you graduate. It’s recommended to consider a student loan if you have exhausted financial assistance that does not require repayment.
Continuing Education
You can seek a PhD or a second master’s degree after earning an advertising master’s. Master’s degrees are specialized programs allowing pursue another specialization to add to your advertising major. This allows you to double major.
If you want to pursue something other than a second two- to four-year degree, you can enroll in a graduate certificate program to gain knowledge in a particular industry or enroll in an advertising boot camp.
Common Career Paths for Master’s in Advertising Graduates
Employment opportunities for Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers are expected to grow 6 percent from 2022 to 2032. The growth rate is substantially faster than the national average.
A master’s in advertising or its related field allows you to work in various career paths, including in social media, online videos, print, radio, websites, TV programs, billboards, and video games. Moreover, the abilities you’ll learn in a master’s in advertising program can frequently be used in other fields. Many of these degrees double as MBA or art programs, increasing your adaptability after graduation.
Advertising Account Executive
The primary conduit between clients and the business is the advertising account executive. They continuously attend to the needs and wants of the clients to ensure their satisfaction.
Average Annual Salary: $69,437
Advertising Art Director
Advertising art directors oversee all aspects of the final design and work on creative projects from inception to completion. Agencies rely on their art directors to construct their visual portfolio and promote and market creative work. These professionals actively develop design strategies that encourage excellence and serve as the main point of contact for work being processed via the creative studio.
Average Annual Salary: $83,416
Market Research Analyst
To assist businesses in identifying their target markets and the average price that consumers are ready to pay for a particular product, market research analysts examine data and market dynamics.
Average Annual Salary: $68,230
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to earn an Advertising Master’s degree?
A master’s degree in advertising typically takes two years to complete. Online programs with accelerated courses can be completed in one to 1.5 years.
Are Master’s in Advertising degrees easy?
Because master’s degree programs are far more difficult to complete than undergraduate ones, getting one in advertising might be challenging since you’ll be required to conduct independent research and writing. If you want to pursue an easier path toward a master’s in advertising degree, you choose a non-thesis track.
Key Takeaways
- Online master of advertising degree programs allow students to study flexibly and at a lower cost.
- Marketing theory and practical advertising techniques are combined in the courses for online master’s degree programs in advertising.
- A master’s in advertising online can be earned in one to two years, 1.5 if the courses are accelerated, and allow graduates to apply for executive roles.
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