Message from Margaret Sullivan, Chairperson

In the age of information, the art of persuasion is key. The science of marketing turns technological innovations into billion-dollar industries. The culture of advertising shapes and colors the world we live in. The persuasive power of public relations dominates not only the marketplace of ideas, but the political arena as well.

The worldwide information industry is exploding with opportunities – and with fresh challenges that put new competitive demands on artists, technicians, businesspeople, and civic leaders to know how to construct and promote their messages effectively.

The best way to get into the game is to work and study with experienced practitioners who are defining and redefining the standards of professional excellence. Our faculty members are working professionals, the creative minds who have made Chicago a world class capital of marketing, advertising, and public relations. They are also teachers who take seriously their commitment to providing our students with cutting-edge skills in the context of a liberal arts education.

Students majoring in Marketing Communication take a core of courses resulting in cross training in all the marketing communication disciplines. They then select from among three concentrations to complete their major: marketing, advertising, or public relations.

Marketing: Learn the fundamentals of conceptualizing, pricing, promoting, and distributing ideas, goods, and services, and then gain practical experience in organizing and executing marketing strategies in a real-world environment. Understand the power of branding and the significant impact of brands.

Advertising: Develop a solid academic understanding of the principles of advertising psychology and technique, and acquire professional expertise and hands-on experience in applying those principles to your individual interests and career goals. Create a portfolio of your work that exceeds industry standards and identifies your creative voice.

Public Relations: Acquire professional skills of organization and communication leading to a mastery of media placement techniques to help organizations reach, teach, and influence public opinion, in the context of a unified strategic marketing plan.

Students in all concentrations who are interested in sports marketing can elect, in addition to their concentration, a focus in Sports Marketing Communication.

The Marketing Communication Department is significantly involved in Columbia College programs offering real-world experience in the entertainment industry of Los Angeles. Advanced-level students may participate in a program that studies marketing and publicity in films and television, where they will gain practical experience through internship and employment opportunities in entertainment marketing communication. In Chicago, as well, our facilities and resources extend beyond the classroom to the conference rooms, auditoriums, and executive suites of many communications firms in the Chicago area, which provide guest lecturers and invite our students for on-site educational experiences.

We manage one of the country’s most effective internship programs with placements in Chicago, Los Angeles, and overseas. Marketing Communication majors receive a solid education in the academic fundamentals and complement their studies with practical experience. Internships often facilitate students’ entry into the profession upon graduation. We provide extremely competitive internships to upper division (junior and senior level) students who earn credit toward their degrees as they train with leading marketing communication decision-makers.

Effective marketing communication is the crucial element in the successful development of businesses and organizations. It is a field focused on the strategic marketing of goods and services and the communication of information to support marketing goals. With marketing communication skills, creative artists are empowered to control their own careers.

“Communication dominates our society as perhaps the single most influential human activity. More than half of all Americans work in jobs that produce or distribute information. In our Department, we provide students with an intensive understanding of the disciplines of Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations. With a sense of continuity between traditional and emerging practice, our mission is to prepare students for the professions, now and in the future. As Rilke reminds in his Letters to a Young Poet, ’The future enters into us, in order to transform itself, long before it happens.’ ”

Margaret Sullivan
Chairperson, Marketing Communication

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