The Master of Science in Advertising curriculum gives you a 360-degree view of the brand ecosystem. The program requires a minimum of 12 courses (48 credits), structured to build core functional mastery while giving you the flexibility to design a custom track around your career goals.
Full-time graduate students typically complete these requirements across three semesters over 16 months (Fall, Spring, Fall).
Students must also pass a formal faculty review of their Presentation of Final Work or complete a professional project.
Students can find their degree requirements at the Boston University Academics Website.
Curriculum
Core Foundation Requirements (4 courses / 16 credits):
Every advertising graduate student starts by mastering the fundamental pillars of research, strategy, creative development, and account management.
Overview of the nature, function, practice, and social, economic, and behavioral aspects of advertising. Student teams develop advertising plans, create campaigns, and explore problems of account management, creativity, production, and ethics. 1st sem.
Explores how to arrive at consumer insights that lead to better advertising and promotion. The course focuses on the set of skills necessary to create breakthrough advertising, including qualitative research, observation, interviewing skills, mapping, and presentation tools. Students learn to write effective, creative briefs.
Focus is on the strategic creative process in advertising including concept development, copywriting, visualization, and design. Assignments require conceiving solutions to client marketing challenges across a range of media. Teaches foundations for development of effective advertising: problem definition, strategic development, and conceptual idea generation through tangible executions. 1st sem.
Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708) - Administration of complete advertising program. Case study method used to explore the marketing mix, budgeting, media strategy, planning, coordinating advertising with promotion, working with client or agency, and the social responsibility of advertisers.
Concentration Courses (take at least 4 courses / 16 credits):
Shape your degree by selecting courses tailored to your professional trajectory.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM217, CM417, CM501) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM501, CM717, CM708) - The assignments you'll work on in Art Direction this semester are structured to provide you with the firsthand experience of managing and developing brands for a range of clients. You'll assume responsibility for the strategic insight and discovery necessary to shape the brand's image development and then go on to determine and implement the advertising's consistent, overall design aesthetic. Successful work from these assignments, showcased in your portfolio, will demonstrate your ability to manage the brand development process for 21st century clients.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM217 & COMCM417) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708 & COMCM717) - Students develop concepts, create scripts and storyboards, and study execution-based challenges of video production. Students will create extendable advertising concepts for video, designed to succeed in a changing media landscape on multiple platforms.4 cr. Either sem. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation, Teamwork/Collaboration.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM215 OR COMCM217) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM701 OR COMCM708) - Students study how interactive marketing strategy integrates communication objectives with consumer insight and digital execution. How social, digital and experiential media are used to achieve branding, engagement and behavioral goals for organizations in a wide range of business categories. The impact of interactive marketing strategy on the advertising and public relations sectors.4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM217 & COMCM417) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708 & COMCM717) - Today's rapidly changing digital and media landscape calls for strategic and creative solutions that take into consideration emerging consumer behaviors and the new technologies that enable them. In this course, students create content and campaigns that consider the many different ways in which brands engage with their communities - paid and earned media, mobile apps, and branded utility. 4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM217 & COMCM417) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM717 & COMCM708) - This course builds on the concept development and copywriting foundations learned in prerequisite courses. Assignments will require the creation of copy for a range of audience segments and media channels. Students will learn to shape copy for video, digital, print, and social media. 4 cr. 1st semester
Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708) - Examines media planning, buying and sales as performed by advertising agencies, clients and the media. Research sources providing data on media audiences and product usage are evaluated. Examines contemporary trends in communication media and their effects on advertisers.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: COM CM712 - Graduate Prerequisites: COM CM712 - This course offers advanced exploration in the art and science of advertising strategy highlighting the talent and knowledge required for success in this rapidly changing segment of the industry. We will extend the material learned in CM 712 through a deep dive into best practices and evolving techniques used by top advertising agencies, consultancies and the big three platforms, Alphabet, Amazon and Apple to gather and apply information about consumers and brands for use by creative teams and a variety of departments in the advertising and marketing industry.
Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708) - Explores the impact of current advertising/marketing issues through the lens of strategic branding and brand building best practices from business, economic, political, social, legal, and ethical perspectives. Modified case method looking at real world solutions, with lectures from experts on selected issues.
This course introduces students to industry-standard methods used to test and evaluate user experiences. Specific methods include user interviews, card sorting, usability testing, survey design for UX feedback, A/B experiment design, feature evaluation, and behavioral analytics. The course covers research ethics, participant recruitment, how to incorporate AI tools into testing, and how to synthesize multi-modal findings into actionable design recommendations. Students will gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools and methods while developing skills to advocate for user-centered design decisions through evidence-based research.
Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708 & COMCM717) - Course is for graduate students who intend to work in the creative area of the advertising industry. Focus is on the principles needed to understand, conceptualize, and create an entry-level portfolio of work (print, video, digital, mobile, experiential). A workshop-like environment, mirroring an advertising agency, is augmented with lectures and case studies.
Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708 & COMCM717 & COMCM753) - A continuation of Portfolio Development I, this course continues the iterative process required to construct a competitive advertising portfolio. Students work to refine concepts, revise and strengthen the impact of the art direction and copywriting, and determine how the work should ultimately be displayed.
Graduate Prerequisites: one semesters of graduate study. Students enrolled in CM 809 can earn credits for completing internships they secure at advertising, public relations and integrated marketing communication agencies; communication or public affairs departments of companies, nonprofit organizations, and government entities; corporate sales or nonprofit fundraising departments; and communication-related functions at media companies. Two-credit students must work a minimum of 100 hours during the semester in which they are enrolled in CM 809. Four-credit students must work a minimum of 200 hours during the semester in which they are enrolled in CM 809 and their internship role must be with a non-Boston University entity. Graduate students are limited to four total CM 809 credits via the departmental internship coordinator or the London Study Abroad program. No more than four credits of CM 809 can count toward any graduation requirements. Faculty members and the assigned supervisor at the internship oversee student work. Students complete a detailed end-of-semester internship report, and the internship supervisor provides a thorough evaluation. Register for 2 or 4 units.
Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - Course credits slated for students writing a thesis.
ELECTIVES (4 courses/ 16 credits):
Complete your remaining coursework by choosing four additional 500-level or higher courses. You can select additional courses listed below, from the Concentration Course list above, or other courses at BU.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. - Provides knowledge and practice for effective graphic design for all media. Develops a foundation in design principles and creative software skills including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Students create projects demonstrating how design strategies are used to engage audiences, and enhance comprehension of all forms of mass communication from traditional print to digital media. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. - Critical evaluation of political campaign strategies and tactics within the sociopolitical environment. The roles of campaign managers, media consultants, pollsters, press secretaries, and field operatives are studied. Analysis of the impact of press coverage, political advertising, and candidate debates on the electorate. 4 cr. Either sem.
This course provides students with both theoretical and applied foundations for understanding and developing health communication campaigns. Students will explore ways to communicate effectively with individuals and populations to improve health and reduce the burden of disease, with applications to issues such as smoking, alcohol use, illicit drug use, physical activity and diet, condom use, public safety, and environmental health. Students will study theory-based principles for developing and delivering health messages to diverse populations, including underserved groups, and will gain practical experience in creating and assessing health communication interventions. Drawing on established theoretical frameworks, the course emphasizes not only the design and implementation of health campaigns but also their evaluation. The course also highlights two areas essential to contemporary practice. Students will learn to design digital health campaigns using platform-native strategies like TikTok storytelling, interactive tools such as chatbots, and integrated transmedia approaches that coordinate messages across multiple platforms. Students will also strengthen their ability to evaluate campaign effectiveness through pre-testing, digital analytics, and behavioral outcome assessment. By analyzing existing campaigns and developing applied projects, students will gain a strong understanding of how theory informs the creation and evaluation of campaigns that shape health behavior.
Serves to provide an in-depth understanding and proficiency in communication writing and transmedia storytelling skills across a wide variety of off and online formats, including news releases, social media, features (off and online), Q & A interviews, websites, broadcast PSA's, slide shows, videos. Stresses plagiarism prevention, collaborative workshops, reading aloud, media strategies, editing, and interview techniques. Extensive writing and rewriting. Develops comprehensive writing skills for media professionals. Both semesters. Prerequisite CM 703, unless waived via writing placement test or consent of the instructor.
CM722 Communication Research Methods is an introduction to the social scientific method of inquiry and the fundamental concepts and processes of social scientific methods that are used in media science, advertising, and public relations. Assorted research methods are covered, including both quantitative and qualitative. Also included are literature review, research design, research execution, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and reporting of findings.
The Capstone: Presentation of Final Work
Alongside your 48 course credits, MS in Advertising students must successfully pass a formal faculty review of their individual Presentation of Final Work to graduate.
What it is: This capstone serves as the ultimate professional proof point for your master’s degree. You’ll individually identify a complex, real-world advertising challenge and deliver a 10-minute presentation pitching your strategic, analytical, or creative solution to a panel of faculty judges, followed by a live Q&A.
Developed independently with minimal faculty advising, this presentation demonstrates that you can synthesize your entire graduate education and pitch your unique point of view at a professional executive level.
What You’ll Master: Program Learning Outcomes
The MS in Advertising curriculum is engineered to transform academic theory into executive-level execution. By the conclusion of this program, you will possess a comprehensive, cross-functional toolkit and master the following core institutional competencies:
1. Client-Based Strategic Execution
- The Capability: Build and deploy multi-platform campaigns from the ground up to hit concrete business goals.
- The Skills: You will learn to fluidly integrate campaign strategy, copy, visual design, and emerging digital metrics into real-world client deliverables.
2. End-to-End Campaign Planning
- The Capability: Construct a comprehensive, professional-grade advertising plan that addresses complex marketplace opportunities.
- The Skills: Master the full brand pipeline—including long-term positioning, account management operations, target audience insights, media buying, and brand equity building.
3. Advanced Creative Generation
- The Capability: Conceptualize and produce award-ready, industry-standard creative assets.
- The Skills: Develop specialized expertise in platform-native art direction, persuasive copywriting, and short-form video concepting and production.
4. Consumer Insights & Actionable Research
- The Capability: Design, conduct, and analyze qualitative and quantitative consumer research studies.
- The Skills: Turn raw data and human behavioral patterns into ironclad creative briefs and analytical post-campaign debriefs.
5. High-Functioning Agency Collaboration
- The Capability: Operate seamlessly within professional, fast-paced agency structures.
- The Skills: Excel in cross-functional account teams through hands-on leadership roles inside our resident agency, AdLab, mimicking modern corporate environments.
6. Ethical & Social Brand Leadership
- The Capability: Navigate the complex legal, ethical, and societal implications of commercial communication.
- The Skills: Evaluate campaigns through a lens of social responsibility, inclusivity, consumer privacy, and brand integrity.
Degree Planning + Policy FAQs
Do I need to choose an advertising track before starting the program?
No. Every student takes the same core foundations in their first semester. This gives you the flexibility to explore both creative execution and data strategy before officially selecting your advanced electives.
Can I complete my advertising internship or AdLab for course credit?
Yes. Both COM CM 585/586 (AdLab) and COM CM 809 (Graduate Internship) count directly toward your 16 required Specialized Concentration Elective credits.
How many credits are required to graduate, and how long does it take?
The program requires 48 credits (12 courses). Full-time graduate students typically complete the degree in three semesters over 16 months. Part-time students can pace their courses individually under our per-credit tuition model.
Academic Policies & Regulations
In addition to the University Bulletin, master’s students should refer to the College of Communication Graduate Handbook for a comprehensive guide to policies, academic regulations, and student resources.