The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Advertising Art Direction program trains students to visually communicate to consumers about the products, services, or ideas of their clients. Through the classroom experience, students learn multiple roles: creative director, market researcher, photographer, illustrator, copywriter, and television director. They are trained in visual problem solving, creative strategic planning, branding, copywriting, marketing analysis, advertising theory and advertising photography. Just as in the industry, students often work in teams to complete projects, verbally and visually expressing their ideas to colleagues and instructors. Projects include advertising campaigns comprised of television commercials, collateral marketing, point-of-purchase advertising, out of home advertising, guerrilla marketing, and related ancillary new media. Professional art directors and creative directors from Chicago’s agencies teach many of our classes.

Upon successful completion of this program, students should be able to:

• describe, analyze, and interpret advertising art concepts within social, historical and theoretical contexts;
• interpret and express advertising art concepts and solutions in multiple media that respond to client’s advertising objectives and reflect marketing trends, consumer attitudes, and social changes;
• apply the appropriate knowledge, skills, materials, technical processes, research methods, and conceptual thinking to visual problem solving, creative strategic planning, copywriting, marketing analysis, and advertising photography; and
• present a succinct, cohesive, critically edited and substantive body of work.

Our well-integrated arts core curriculum combined with liberal arts courses further develops our students’ education. Students also have the benefit of access to Chicagoland advertising community events and our professional internship program. The Professional Portfolio Development course assists graduating seniors with practical preparation for the transition from student to professional practitioner. In Chicago there are more than 500 advertising agencies employing over 15,000 people. A large number of international agencies are headquartered here, including Leo Burnett, J. Walter Thompson, and DDB, along with numerous medium sized agencies and specialty boutique firms, so Columbia graduates are surrounded by professional opportunities.

A grade of “C” or better is required in all major coursework, and a CGPA of 3.0 or higher is required in the major for BFA candidates.

For students who have already completed a Bachelors degree in another field, the Art & Design Department offers a Second Bachelor of Arts in Advertising Art Direction.

Program Requirements  

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