Advertising Undergraduate Program

a group of students in a classroom
Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising

Today’s brands need to do more than just sell great products. To connect with socially conscious audiences, they must demonstrate a sense of purpose, responsibility, and a commitment to changing the world for the better. And they need creative strategists to guide them.

a group of students in a classroom

Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising

Today’s brands need to do more than just sell great products. To connect with socially conscious audiences, they must demonstrate a sense of purpose, responsibility, and a commitment to changing the world for the better. And they need creative strategists to guide them.

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Apply » |  Degree Requirements » |  Sample Schedules » |  Courses » |  Faculty and Staff » |  Internships » |  Visit Us »

Help Brands Do Better with a Degree in Advertising

Do creative work that moves people to action and nudges brands toward social responsibility. Through our innovative Creative Strategist model, you’ll unleash your authentic voice while developing the confidence and courageous thinking required to stand out and make waves at a global agency or big-name brand. Develop collaborative skills and an entrepreneurial mindset within a tight-knit creative community that challenges you to do your best work while encouraging you to take risks and create boldly. Join the creatives and strategists who are guiding influential brands toward authenticity, resilience, and a commitment to social good.

two students work at a table with laptops, a camera, and photos
student wearing colorful shirt and earrings, posing in front of colorful mural
SOJC Instructor Steven Asbury and two students working on computer together

 

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Students in Advertising Major
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Students attend annual Networking Trips
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Students in Allen Hall Advertising Agency

 

What You Can Do with an Advertising Degree

Put your highly transferable creative and strategic skills to work at a landmark ad agency like Wieden + Kennedy, or on an in-house team within an industry that sparks your passion. A degree in advertising has helped our graduates forge career paths across the creative and media economy as art directors, conceptual writers, producers, brand strategists, and media analysts. They’ve gone on to write scripts for video game companies like Blizzard Entertainment, lead projects for sports teams and Hollywood filmmakers, and develop ads for globally influential brands. Check out what three of our graduates are up to now:

SOJC Advertising students pose with the New York City skyline in the background
Network and Learn in the Field

Our program is based on brand responsibility, rock-star creativity, and brave thinking for a changing world. Our students:

More Hands-On Learning Opportunities

Zaria Parvez takes a selfie with Duo, the (in)famous green Duolingo owl
What Our Alumni Say

Zaria Parvez ’20 has already made a name for herself as the creative genius behind language-learning app Duolingo’s Tiktok-famous owl mascot. When the company hired her to be its social media coordinator right out of college, Parvez realized she had a big advantage because of her experience in the SOJC’s advertising program. She was familiar with terminology and strategic communication strategies that were foreign to even some of her superiors.

“I think that was only possible because of the classes the SOJC provided, the student groups and the professors constantly pushing us to be the best versions of ourselves,” she said. “There is no way I would have been here without it.”

See Zaria's Story

Create Campaigns for Real-World Clients

image from the 2018 Allen Hall Advertising "Wonder Ducks" campaign for UO Women's Basketball

Problem:

In 2017-18, the UO women’s basketball team was having a heck of a year. The team was slaying it on the court and made it all the way to the top of the PAC-12, but its games weren’t drawing the crowds you’d expect.

members of the 2020-21 UO women's basketball team pose with promotional posters designed by Allen Hall Advertising

Solution:

With support from SOJC alum and Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, the team hired Allen Hall Advertising, SOJC's student-run ad agency, to create a campaign that would encourage fans to attend games.

large posters featuring members of the 2021-22 UO Women's Basketball team, designed by Allen Hall Advertising Agency

Results:

In less than two months, AHA's student-created "Wonder Ducks" campaign increased year-over-year attendance at games by more than 71 percent. AHA has continued to produce innovative and dynamic campaigns for UO WBB each year since, boosting excitement about the team on campus and in the Eugene community.

Tevin Tevares
Using Advertising to Inspire

Advertising, Tevin Tavares '17 believes, isn’t just about selling things. It can also inspire. Make waves. Bring people to tears.

The filmmaker and the SOJC student/alumni group he founded, Combined Culture, have been making waves of their own with powerful short films that have gone viral, propelling them into positions with major brands like Nike and Adidas and winning a College Emmy. From their eye-opening take on sneaker culture, to a short film inspired by Pulitzer Prize–winning hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, to the story of a school shooting told through the eyes of a survivor, Tevin and Combined Culture use their creativity to elevate and inspire.

Read about Tevin in Forbes

Join A Student Group

Tevin Tevares
Using Advertising to Inspire

Advertising, Tevin Tavares '17 believes, isn’t just about selling things. It can also inspire. Make waves. Bring people to tears.

The filmmaker and the SOJC student/alumni group he founded, Combined Culture, have been making waves of their own with powerful short films that have gone viral, propelling them into positions with major brands like Nike and Adidas and winning a College Emmy. From their eye-opening take on sneaker culture, to a short film inspired by Pulitzer Prize–winning hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, to the story of a school shooting told through the eyes of a survivor, Tevin and Combined Culture use their creativity to elevate and inspire.

Read about Tevin in Forbes

Join A Student Group

portrait of Troy Elias
Meet Troy Elias
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND UO ASSOCIATE VICE PROVOST FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Troy Elias wants to help journalists, brands, and organizations talk to communities of color about climate change. He’s collaborating with other SOJC faculty to examine how different ethnic groups react to—and act on—climate change messaging. The study is supported by the SOJC’s Center for Science Communication Research (SCR), whose mission is to help communicators improve public understanding of scientific discoveries.

Read about Troy's Research

Meet Our Advertising Faculty

Use Your Skills to Change the World

Inspired by their backgrounds in Girl Scouts and Campfire Girls, advertising students Rachel Benner '18 and Hannah Lewman '18 developed the Change Rangers, a new type of Scouting that teaches young people valuable skills for our changing climate, like water management and sustainable gardening. The campaign was one of 13 projects—out of 384 entries from 70 countries—to win the international What Design Can Do Climate Action Challenge. As winners, they earned two trips to Amsterdam to further develop their idea with expert guidance.

Learn about The Change Rangers