In the United States, approximately 111 institutions of higher education offer an organized program of study in advertising. The advertising program at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) is one of the largest in the nation. In fact, it is one of only a few such programs around the country that are housed in their own department. Most programs are a part of a journalism, marketing, or other department.
As shown in the Table above, the graduate program at UT ranks fourth largest in the country, with UT and Michigan State boasting the most Ph.D. students. In fact, UT is the only program that grants a Ph.D. specifically in advertising; other programs offer an emphasis in advertising, with the Ph.D. in "mass communication" or some other more general field of study.
Certainly, large size and high quality are two different things. But size, if combined with quality instruction, means many well-trained graduates and an influential force in the advertising profession.