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Business Administration - Advertising and Marketing

Major: Business Administration – Advertising and Marketing
Degree awarded: Bachelor of Arts
Total credit hours: 54
Internship/Practicum opportunities: Visit the Career Development Center for internship information.

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Online Academic Catalog Details / Required Courses

About Business Administration – Advertising and Marketing

Thiel College’s Advertising and Marketing major is a cooperative program offered through the Arthur McGonigal Department of Business Administration and Accounting and the Department of Communications Media. This joint venture includes a variety of courses in public relations, advertising, integrated marketing communication, interpersonal communication, media, accounting, business management, computer information systems, computer science, and economics.

This degree has been designed in response to employers, who are demanding that their public relations and advertising professionals complete extensive coursework in business administration.

The degree has two slightly different tracks, depending on whether the student anticipates eventually working in a general management capacity (management-oriented track) or a media-related capacity (media-oriented track).

Advertising and Marketing Major Objectives

At Thiel College, the bachelor’s degree courses in Advertising and Marketing prepare students to:

1. Be able to effectively create persuasive messages.
2. Understand the ethical issues in media work created by First Amendment freedoms and be able to act in ethical ways.
3. Understand and apply adaptive leadership and collaboration skills.
4. Analyze, apply current theories and approaches to decision-making in Public Relations.
5. Demonstrate effective communication in oral and written forms in the field.
6. Cultivate interpersonal skills and learn to be a valuable member of a team.
7. Network with distinguished business alumni.

Advertising and Marketing Curriculum

The advertising and marketing major helps prepare students for a variety of jobs in public relations, advertising, and marketing; working in PR/advertising agencies, corporations or small businesses (including media companies); large and small nonprofit organizations; or government. It also helps prepare students for graduate study in public relations, advertising, marketing, business administration (such as an MBA degree), nonprofit management, or business journalism. Students are encouraged to complete at least one internship and will have multiple networking opportunities with business alumni prior to graduation. Review the Academic Catalog (2025-2026) for detailed course listings.

Scholarship Opportunities

Thiel College offers scholarships to our undergraduate business students for reasons of academic success, community service or involvement, exemplary leadership and more. Thiel College provides scholarships to undergraduate business students based on criteria such as academic excellence, community service, outstanding leadership, and other achievements.

The scholarships available to business administration majors are:

• The August and Susan Bamford Scholarship
• Dr. Morrison H. Beach Scholarship
• The Roger ’52 and Paula G. Blatter Scholarship
• The John T. Egbert Jr. and Phyllis Faries Egbert Scholarship
• Daniel A. Hamo Scholarship
• Huether Foundation Endowment for Business
• The David ’71 and Deborah ’75 Mogle Endowed Scholarship
• Helen Patterson Hill Memorial Scholarship
• Lend-A-Hand Scholarship
• The Rev. Dr. Kenneth R. May Scholarship Fund
• The Wise Family Endowed Scholarship Fund

Visit our Financial Aid page to learn more about the types of aid available to students.

Clubs and Organizations

It's easy to get involved on campus at Thiel; joining a student club or organization is an excellent way to meet fellow students and gain leadership experience.

An advertising and marketing major might be interested in the following student organizations:

• National Society of Leadership and Success
• The Thielensian student newspaper
• WXTC radio station (88.1FM)
  
• TCTV television station
• Society for Collegiate Journalists
• Lambda Pi Eta (Communications Honorary)
• Photography Club

Explore a full list of Thiel student clubs and organizations.

Alumni and Careers

Students in the Business Administration and Accounting Department are exceptionally successful in finding first-time jobs after graduation. Our faculty members work closely with students to assist them in developing the knowledge and skills they need, as well as mentoring them as they prepare for and pursue a range of professional opportunities. For example, the department hosts many networking events that allow students to speak with professionals from numerous companies in the area.

Aligned with our business administration program, you’ll be in excellent company upon graduation. Countless Thiel graduates have joined Fortune 500 companies and become successful business owners and community leaders in the local western Pennsylvania region and beyond.

Potential career paths for graduates of the public relations, advertising, and integrated marketing communication major include:

• Advertising Manager
• Brand Marketing Specialist
• Social Media Strategist
• Promotions Manager
• Market Research Analyst

Thiel College has a strong and active alumni community that supports recent Thiel graduates as they begin their business careers.

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