Advertising

The undergraduate curriculum at the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising is designed to graduate students with both a broad understanding of advertising in all its forms and a specialization in a self-selected area of interest. 

Year one: exposure to the structure, language, opportunities and challenges of the advertising industry. Year two: learning the tools of the industry. Year three: applying the tools of the industry to solve real world advertising problems.Year four: identifying and deeply exploring an area of specialization.

Our students draw knowledge and inspiration from a faculty with extensive, diverse academic and industry experience. Therefore, students can explore many aspects of advertising and public relations, including, but in no way limited to, digital and social media, computational advertising, advertising creativity, and brand strategy.

The department’s commitment to teaching is widely recognized across campus and the country. In 2014, nine different faculty members and instructors for the department were included on the University of Illinois List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent. In 2015, Steven Hall was awarded the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Distinguished Teaching Award. In 2014, Peter S. Sheldonwas awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) advertising division. Shachar Meron is the current winner of the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising. 

1. Completed application.

2. ACT or SAT I scores

3. TOEFL/IELTS test.

4. Application fee ($75 for international stdents).

Want to improve your English level for admission?
Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• Flexible study schedule
• Experienced teachers
• Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

ISSS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

ISSS has limited funding available to assist international students who currently attend the University of Illinois and experiencing unexpected short-term or emergency financial hardship. Assistance may take the form of a loan or grant, depending on the nature and severity of your need. The method of payment and processing time will vary depending on the type of funding. Both grants and loans have very specific eligibility requirements, and therefore ISSS advisors must assess each case individually. If you have a situation that you think might qualify for financial assistance, please fill out the e-form (available in iStart, under "Insurance and Finances" ). After submitting your application, an ISSS will contact you regarding your case within a week.

Maria Pia Gratton International Award

This award is intended to enable a female graduate student from outside the United States to have an academic and cultural experience at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois). Preference will be given to a student who has had a limited opportunity to travel outside of her home country. The Gratton Award provides a tuition waiver and a monthly stipend totaling $10,000 for the academic year.

Avery Brundage Scholarship

The UIUC Avery Brundage Scholarship is designed for students who demonstrate excellence both in academic pursuits and in amateur athletic endeavors. Financial need is not a factor. Full-time graduate students in good standing with a "special athletic ability" in an amateur sport are eligible. Previous winners have represented a wide variety of sports from archery and tennis to swimming and wheelchair basketball. 

Matthews Scholars

Requirements: Incoming freshmen
Amount: $2,000 per year
Renewable: Yes, for 4 years, provided you maintain a 3.3 GPA
Number: Variable

University Achievement Scholarship

Requirements: Out-of-state incoming freshmen
Amount: $8,000 to $12,000
Renewable: Yes, for 4 years, provided you maintain a 3.0 GPA
Number: Variable

The Helen Lansdowne Resor Scholarship

The international Helen Lansdowne Resor (HLR) Scholarship supports and promotes talented female creative advertising students from around the world in honor of the industry’s first female copywriter, Helen Lansdowne Resor. The program will run through 2020. Dating back to the early 1900s, Helen was an industry pioneer, credited with sparking celebrity testimonial campaigns with her use of endorsements from socialites, European royalty, and actresses in her work for Pond’s Cold Cream. Helen Lansdowne Resor’s creative capacity helped to push the barriers and shatter traditional formulas of advertising. Helen was a working mother and ardent feminist who championed the advancement of women’s rights both inside and outside of the agency. During her tenure, J. Walter Thompson was known as the “Women’s Agency,” where bright young talented females were given opportunities that had been traditionally offered exclusively to men. Each year, the HLR Scholarship seeks to award five female creative students scholarships up to $10,000. In addition, each recipient will receive a paid summer internship at a J. Walter Thompson office in her respective region, an offer of a J. Walter Thompson mentor and “first look” placement consideration upon graduation.