Offered in: Chicago

The broad field of Marketing Communications includes social and digital marketing, advertising, public relations, promotional marketing, and other forms of persuasive communications. The program is professional in focus and prepares students for entry-level work in any area of the field.

Through the accelerated BA/MS program, undergraduate students majoring or minoring in the Digital Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations program may complete both degrees – in less time and at less cost – with just one additional year for the graduate degree the  after completion of the B.A.  Students start on the master’s degree by taking graduate-level courses while finishing the undergraduate degree.

Roosevelt’s faculty in Marketing Communications are professionals, first and foremost. All have had successful careers in the marketing communications business with responsibility for building and managing major-brand communications activities. All also have distinguished academic credentials. The Marketing Communications faculty designed this curriculum and bring their work experiences to bear in every class, keeping the courses up to date and in step with new developments in this constantly evolving field.

Admission to the accelerated program

Digital Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations majors and minors with an overall grade point average of 3.0 should apply for the program by the end of the first semester of their junior year.

During the senior year, admitted students take three graduate-level Marketing Communications elective courses. When they begin the graduate program, the three senior-year graduate electives will also count toward the master’s degree.

The double-counting of three electives allows students to complete the master’s degree in a single year (fall and spring) after completing the BA. If a student admitted to the program falls below a 2.7 GPA before graduation with the BA, the student will not be allowed to continue into the graduate program. The graduate-level electives can still count as undergraduate credit as long as the final grades are at C (not C-) level or  higher. 

The major for the BA in Digital Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations requires  a total of 12 courses (37 credit hours), including nine core courses and three electives. 

To receive a degree in this field, students admitted to the accelerated program must:

• Complete all courses in the major with a minimum grade of C (not C-) or better.
• Maintain at least an overall grade point average of B (3.0 or higher GPA) in the major.
• Successfully complete a professional internship work experience in the field, IMC 399 INTERNSHIP IN IMC.
• Successfully complete the capstone requirement, IMC 347 IMC CAMPAIGNS. This is a team project course in which students work to solve a marketing communications problem for a client and then present their team recommendations to the client.
• Complete 9 hours of graduate-level IMC electives in the senior year of the BA program.

In addition, note that: 

• Transfer students must complete eight IMC courses (24 credit hours) at Roosevelt.
• No 100-level courses may count toward the hours required for this major.
• IMC 399 INTERNSHIP IN IMC is graded pass/fail. No other pass/fail grades are accepted for this major.

Core:

Requirements for entering the accelerated program through a Digital Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations minor

Students with an overall GPA of 3.0 who are minoring in the Digital Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations program and are interested in the accelerated program should follow these requirements:

• Apply for admission to the program in the junior year. 
• Complete three required courses in the minor ( IMC 202 IMC PRINCIPLES/BEST PRACTICES, plus two courses chosen from IMC 262 FUNDAMENTALS OF PR , IMC 263 FUNDAMENTALS OF ADVERTISING, and  IMC 264 FUNDAMENTALS OF DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING.
• Complete three graduate-level electives in Marketing Communications.

All courses for the minor must be completed with a minimum grade of C (not C-) or better.

Course List:

Requirements for the MS degree in the accelerated program

Students pursuing the accelerated degree complete 30 credit hours, including four core courses and a capstone course,  plus five elective courses. An overall grade point average of B (3.0) or higher is required for the degree.

Required courses and elective options are listed below. See the degree map tabs above to determine course availability.

Six-year rule. All course work and other requirements for the degree must be completed within six years of the student’s admission to the program. Exceptions are granted only in unusual circumstances.

Core Required Courses:

¹

A student who receives a grade of C+ or lower in IMC 405 BRAND MKTG AND COMM METHODS  will be dismissed from the program.

²

A student who receives a grade of C+ or lower in IMC 446 BRAND PLANNING AND MESSAGE STRATEGY will be required to repeat the course in the next term or the next time it is offered before being allowed to continue in the program.

Any student who is taking but has not completed an internship, practicum, or other final project must maintain continued registration during fall and spring semesters until completion of the project by registering for the appropriate zero-credit course (course number followed by “Y“). Students who have not maintained continuous registration for internship, practicum, or other final project will be required to register for all intervening fall and spring semesters prior to graduation. 

¹

General electives are courses outside the major. A course counting toward a minor may be taken here in place of a general elective.

²

COMM 150 recommended

³

An Ideas of Social Justice course is required for all new students with fewer than 30 hours and should be taken in students' second semester at Roosevelt. Ideas of Social Justice courses at the 200 level in Digital Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations or in  Journalism and Media Studies can fulfill this requirement and simultaneously be used as an elective in the major for students in the B.A. in Digital Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations and the B.A. in Journalism and Media Studies.

⁴

The First-Year Success course is required of freshmen with fewer than 12 hours and is taken in the first semester at RU.

⁵

One Natural Science course must have a lab.

⁶

A student who receives a grade of C+ or lower in IMC 446 BRAND PLANNING AND MESSAGE STRATEGY will be required to repeat the course in the next term or the next time it is offered before being allowed to continue in the program. 

⁷

IMC 347 IMC Campaigns and IMC 399 Internship in IMC fullfill the university's requirement for two Experiential Learning courses. Additional Experiential Learning courses are optional.

⁸

Students admitted to the accelerated program complete three graduate-level Marketing Communications electives in the senior year. Among the options are IMC 443, IMC 447, IMC 474, either IMC 481 or IMC 491, and IMC 486.

⁹

A student who receives a grade of C+ or lower in IMC 405 BRAND MKTG AND COMM METHODS will be dismissed from the program.