Careers & Internships
Consistently ranked in the top four advertising programs in the country*, the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois puts students at the front of the line for the toughest, most rewarding jobs in the industry and in the top Ph.D. programs.
Our program offers the foundational courses in theory, history, and methods, yet allows for flexibility of individual interest areas. As a result, the program prepares students for a variety of careers.
Recent graduates are now working as account managers and strategists in high-tech firms such as Google (AdWords), Facebook, and Performics. Our alumni also work in: media (e.g., associate, Starcom), creative (copywriter, Ogilvy NY), sales (PointRoll, inc., Adams Outdoor Advertising), account management (Ogilvy NYC), research (MaritzResearch), and client-side marketing (NHN USA).
Students have also continued with their graduate studies in Ph.D. programs at Southern Illinois University (Communications), Penn State University (Marketing), University of Wisconsin-Madison (Journalism and Mass Communication), and University of Illinois (Business Administration, Institute of Communications Research). Many of the professors in leading advertising and marketing programs earned their graduate degrees (M.S. and/or Ph.D.) from the College of Media.
*Rankings from Journal of Advertising Education: 1996, 2010; Journal of Advertising (1990); Staff (1996). America’s Best Graduate Schools. U.S. News & World Report, 60.
Internships
Students are not required to complete internship training, but can earn internship credit as elective credits (ADV495 Internship Seminar) by securing an approved professional, industry related internship. Students sometimes find summer internships. Recently, students have worked as interns at Fleishman-Hillard, Proximity, and Pronto Networks.
The Advertising Industry
According to the United States Department of Labor, growth is predicted in a variety of areas in the advertising industry.
Links to other professional and academic advertising associations: