Undergraduate Degree Requirements
Advertising – Bachelor of Science in Communication
To receive the BS degree from Boston University, students must complete a total of 32 courses. Of these, 17 must be in the liberal arts.
To satisfy the requirements of any of the three 16-course concentrations offered by the Department of Mass Communication, Advertising & Public Relations, students take a combination of three courses required of all students: one selected from a list of options, three selected from liberal arts and five from one of the three major areas of concentration (each of which has its own pattern of requirements). The remaining three or four courses (depending on the concentration) are electives. Courses denoted by bold lettering are required courses.
All students must select three related courses from the College of Arts & Sciences. These must be at the 300 level or higher. The remaining courses are free electives that can be taken in any school or college at Boston University in any pattern. They may also be used to complete freshman or sophomore requirements if needed.
Any 4 credit academic course at BU can count as an elective. This includes any course in the MC/AD/PR Department, regardless of whether or not it is listed in the curriculum guide. A complete list of MC/AD/PR courses can be found here.
Required Courses
| COMCM321 – Mass Communication Research |
| COMCM331 – Writing for Communication |
| COMCM380 – Theory and Process of Communication |
Choose One from the Following
| COMCM303 – Organizational Structure and Behavior |
| COMCM311 – Professional Presentation |
| COMCM323 – Design and New Media |
| COMCM409 – Persuasion and Public Opinion |
| COMCM481 – Law of Communication |
Concentration in Advertising
Students concentrating in advertising must complete five courses (20 credits) in their chosen field. With minor exceptions, these will be taken during the junior and senior years.
Required Courses
| COMCM317 – Introduction to Advertising |
| COMCM417 – Fundamentals of Creative Development |
Other Courses
| COMCM323 – Design and New Media |
| COMCM405 – New & Traditional Media Strategies |
| COMCM411 – Art Direction |
| COMCM412 – Consumer Insight & Account Planning |
| COMCM416 – Strategic Brand Solutions |
| COMCM419 – Advertising Management |
| COMCM420 – Ad Lab |
| COMCM423 – Portfolio Development for Advertising |
| COMCM471 – Communication Internship |
| COMCM508 – Video Production for Marketing Communication |
| COMCM518 – Creating Video Campaigns |
| COMCM519 – Interactive Marketing Communications |
| COMCM521 – International Marketing Communications and Public Relations |
| COMCM527 – Strategic Creative Development |
| COMCM555 – Writing for Multimedia |
Some courses have prerequisites which are not listed above. All Mass Communication, Advertising & Public Relations requirements, prerequisites and course descriptions are listed on the Boston University Academics website.
