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Advertising

Types of Degrees Advertising Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Advertising can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	16
Associate’s Degree	46
Bachelor’s Degree	3,919
Master’s Degree	314
Doctor’s Degree	10

What Advertising Majors Need to Know

Studies in Advertising develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Advertising graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Advertising emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.2 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Advertising program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Advertising careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Advertising graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Advertising professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Data visualization software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Advertising graduates include:

• Communication Skills Instructor
• Media Arts Professor
• Communications Instructor
• Interpersonal Communications Professor
• Communication Lecturer
• Assistant Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Communication Arts Lecturer
• Journalism Teacher
• Professor
• Rhetoric Professor
• Adjunct Communications Instructor
• Speech Professor
• Mass Communications Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Advertising graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	53.7%
Bachelor’s degree	15.9%
Doctoral degree	12.8%
Post-doctoral training	7.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.1%
Some college courses	2.0%
Less than a high school diploma	1.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Advertising?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 67.9% of Advertising degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,923	67.9%
Men	1,385	32.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Advertising graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,523	58.6%
Asian	255	5.9%
Hispanic or Latino	729	16.9%
Black or African American	256	5.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	11	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.1%
Two or More Races	200	4.6%
Race Unknown	64	1.5%
International Students	265	6.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Advertising Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Advertising graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$43,317
4 years	$55,248
5 years	$64,495

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,495 — roughly 49% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Advertising Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Advertising. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	1
Bachelor’s	7	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Advertising Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Advertising graduates earn a median of $55,248 four years after completion — roughly 45% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	19,636
Communication, General	11,299
Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia	11,282
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	4,077
Public Relations/Image Management	4,061
Communication Management and Strategic Communications	1,956
Organizational Communication, General	1,789
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, Other	1,296
Sports Communication	1,202
Journalism, Other	1,098
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other	1,080
Broadcast Journalism	757

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.