Texas Advertising ranked a top U.S. digital media and marketing school

The Texas Advertising Department ranked #4 in Advertising Age's list of top U.S. digital media and marketing schools. The list was compiled in response to the industry's increased reliance on digital skills.

The Texas Advertising program offered the first advertising on the internet class in the world in 1995. Digital know-how from job applicants was once seen as an added bonus, but all signs are saying that these skills are becoming necessary to survive in the ad world.

"I've always been fascinated with media, how it has evolved, how we are engaged by it and how we rely upon it in our daily lives," said Professor Terry Daugherty who has worked in the media advertising industry. "The mass media are not only delivering new communication vehicles today-the cell phone is now considered an advertising channel-they're changing how we consume media, including 'old media.'"

Not only has the list of digital and interactive-focused classes has been steadily growing in the UT Advertising Department, but digital and interactive lessons are being integrated into more traditional classes. The Texas Interactive Program current offers four classes for student interested in studying digital marketing -- Digital Media, Digital Metrics, Interactive Internship, and Interactive Campaigns.

The department's undergraduate and graduate programs pride themselves on well-rounded, cutting-edge programs. "It's a field that is changing so fast that any school not trying to stay in front of the curve is falling behind", says advertising professor Jef Richards. UT has a digital history dating back to 1995, when it launched its first website.

At the graduate level, research and understanding about the interactive area has been pioneered by Dr. John Leckenby. Professor Leckenby established the Center for Interactive Advertising as well as the Journal of Interactive Advertising. Both resources have been vital in the development of the department's reputation in the area of digital and interactive media.

The Texas Advertising program recently launched AdGrad.org as a digital resource for ex-students to use to maintain contacts with fellow classmates and to use in their job searches. This new social networking website, launched in March 2007, effectively links current students to alumni, faculty and staff. While the website has a striking resemblance to Facebook, it offers much more- the primary function of the site is to provide University students with an open channel to Texas alumni, and a rich list of job openings in Advertising and PR. Students have the ability to post resumes, and even portfolios for legitimate, interested employers to peruse. Spearing heading this project was Gene Kincaid, who has pioneered the Texas Interactive program in the department.

During the first six months of operation, the website has over a thousand users, including roughly 350 alumni, and 650 students, creating a common thread linking the past, present and future of the Texas Advertising Department. From the sites inception through November 2007, over 180 jobs had been posted on AdGrad, by over 50 different alumni.

Rankings were given to programs that garnered the most frequent mentions from industry leaders. View the full article.

4/10/2008