The Advertising major in the Muma College of Business is unique in that it is a collaborative effort between the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Marketing Department in the Muma College of Business. The major complements an existing Advertising track in the Mass Communications major and provides students the opportunity to combine the creative, media, and account planning aspects of advertising with knowledge, skills, and abilities in accounting, economics, finance, information systems, management, marketing and strategy.
Limited Access
THIS MAJOR HAS ADDITIONAL ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS AS LISTED IN THIS SECTION.
Admission to the Muma College of Business is based upon availability of faculty and space within each discipline. The Muma College of Business has many upper-level, limited access programs, which means that it has admission requirements in addition to those of the University in general. Students interested in pursuing a degree in the areas offered by the Muma College of Business must complete the required prerequisites for entering the College in addition to other related criteria listed below.
Students must satisfy the following criteria:
- Minimum of 60 semester hours of college credit earned.
- Minimum of a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on all college-level work and a minimum of 2.0 on all credit attempted at USF, including any prior to renewal. NOTE: Beginning Fall 2013 the Muma College of Business will establish each fall a new minimum overall GPA required to satisfy the limited access GPA admission requirement. The minimum overall GPA will range between a 2.5 with a maximum required GPA of a 2.75. Students will be notified each fall as to the minimum entrance GPA required for the following fall semester. Notification will occur through Canvas and updated at the following link: http://www.usf.edu/business/undergraduate/requirements-general.aspx.
- In computing entry grade point average, all business and economics courses taken for S or U grades will be converted to C or F, respectively.
- A minimum score of 550 on paper and pencil or 213 on computerized TOEFL is required, when applicable.
State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites
Transfer credits will be accepted from accredited institutions; however, all hours earned may not be applied toward USF business degree requirements. Individual courses will be evaluated by an academic advisor and appropriately credited toward requirements in the student’s program at USF.
Florida public state or community college students enrolled in an Associate of Arts (AA) program should normally complete the general education requirements and the State Mandated Common Prerequisites at a Florida College System institution. As a rule, AA students should avoid taking any business courses at the state or community college that are listed as 3000- and 4000-level courses at USF. Normally, courses in finance, marketing, management, and accounting, as well as other business administration courses, taken at the lower division level that are offered as upper division courses at USF will not be accepted for upper division credit in business administration. In general, business courses taken at the lower level, at technical schools, or as part of professional or military training, are not applicable to the degree programs of the Muma College of Business. Exceptions to this policy will be made only upon proper validation of such courses. Validation consists of successfully completing specified advanced courses in the discipline.
Florida College System students pursuing an Associate of Science (AS) program in Business Administration are fully admissible to USF. Please see a business advisor to determine the articulation courses, discuss admission to the Muma College of Business and prepare a program plan for degree completion. Students transferring to the Muma College of Business with an A.S. in Business Administration may earn a major in Management only.
Florida College System students pursuing an Associate of Science (A.S.) program in any other discipline should contact the Office of Undergraduate Studies, SVC 2002, (813) 974-4051, for information regarding course transferability and degree articulation.
Completion of the following State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites (or equivalents) with a grade of C- or higher in each course and an overall 2.0 GPA:
- *ACG X021 or ACG X022 Financial Accounting or (ACG X001 & ACG X011)
- *ACG X071 Managerial Accounting or ACG X301
- CGS X100** Computers in Business or CGS X100C or CGS X570 or CGS X060 or CGS X531 or CGS X000 or ISM X000
- ECO X013 Principles of Macroeconomics
- ECO X023 Principles of Microeconomics
- STA X023 Introductory Statistics or STA X122 or QMB X100
- MAC X233 Elementary Calculus
*Accounting majors must earn a C not C- in ACG 2021 & ACG 2071
** or demonstrated competency.
NOTE: The common prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C- or higher in each course and with an overall 2.0 grade point average.
Students are strongly encouraged to select required lower division electives that will enhance their general education coursework and that will support their intended baccalaureate degree program. Students should consult with an academic advisor in their major degree area.
Required Supporting Courses for the Major (3 Credit Hours)
The following courses are prerequisite and supporting courses for this major. They are required for the major, but are not counted in the total hours for this major. The degree will not be awarded if these courses have not been taken by the end of the student’s final semester.
The following course is a prerequisite and supporting course for this major. It is required for the major, but not counted in the total hours for this major. The degree will not be awarded if this course has not been taken by the end of the student’s final semester.
Major Requirements (36 Credit Hours)
Major requirements for the B.A. or B.S. Degree:
Major Core (23 Credit Hours)
Within the 120-semester hour program listed in the Business General Requirement section (including the state mandated common prerequisites), complete all courses listed below with a minimum grade of C, not C-, participate in a study abroad experience, and live in the Zimmerman Advertising Program (ZAP) Living Learning Community during their freshmen year.
Required Courses for Advertising major:
Major Electives (13 Credit Hours)
Required Business Electives
Choose two courses (6 hours) from below:
MAR XXXX Upper-Level Marketing Elective
Required Non-Business Electives
GPA Requirements
At least a minimum of a C (not C-) grade must be earned in each course. An overall GPA of 2.0 is required in the major for graduation.
Residency Requirement
In the major, 15 of the 21 Advertising hours and 12 of the 17 Marketing hours must be taken in residency at USF Tampa.
Research Opportunities
All undergraduate students in any degree program can participate in undergraduate research. There are a number of options to receive academic credit for a mentored research experience and to have the experience show on the official transcript. Students who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 2912 , IDS 4914 or IDS 4910 courses. These courses will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of Undergraduate Research will assist students in understanding the various course options.
Internship Opportunities
Advertising students will be required to complete internships as part of their degree program.
Accelerated B.S./M.A. Program
Accelerated B.S. in Advertising and M.A. in Mass Communications with a concentration in Strategic Communication Management
This program allows B.S. majors in Advertising (Muma College of Business) to take graduate courses in the M.A. degree in Mass Communications with a concentration in Strategic Communication Management (College of Arts and Sciences), during their senior year. These shared credits will be applicable to the M.A. degree, thus accelerating the time to completion, with successful students able to earn the M.A. degree in two additional semesters beyond the completion of the B.S. degree.
For more information, see Graduate Catalog for Accelerated Majors.
Advising Information
Advising Services:
- Orientation for freshmen and transfer students.
- Academic advising and program information for pre-business students who have applied to the Muma College of Business and declared business as their intended major.
- Students who meet all Muma College of Business admission requirements.
- Evaluation of undergraduate transcripts for all declared and admitted business transfer students.
- Maintenance of academic advising records.
- Certification of graduation.
Location: C.H. Ferguson Hall (Business Administration Building) (BSN) 2102, (813) 974-4290 or schedule an advising appointment on-line: http://www.usf.edu/business/undergraduate/advising/.
Office Hours: 8am-6pm Monday-Thursday and 8am-4pm on Friday. Please refer to website for most current office hours information.
Advertising Faculty
Chairperson: D.F. Davis; Professors: D.F. Davis, T.B. Heath, D.J. Ortinau, R. Plank, P.J. Solomon, J.R. Stock; Associate Professors: A. Artis, D. Biswas, A. Kumar, B. Lafferty, S. Varki; Assistant Professors: R. Hooker, J. Mena; Instructors: M.G. Bowen; R. Kelso, C. Osborne, V.B. Panzer, J.M. Solomon, K. Walsh.