Advertising / Public Relations / Marketing

If you are interested in a fast paced, dynamic, hard-working, demanding, interesting, occasionally glamorous, and challenging career, and if helping shape the way people think about issues, products, outcomes, and experiences is interesting to you, then this community might be a good place to start exploring.

Professionals in these fields come from a diverse background of skills and education, which makes this an excellent option for SBS majors to pursue.  Whether you are working for a firm, a brand, a candidate, or an organization, there are lots of opportunities to help shape public opinion waiting for you.

Welcome to the Advertising / Public Relations / Marketing Community

Advertising/Marketing/PR are attractive fields for creative and analytical thinkers who thrive in a fast paced, dynamic environment. People in this field have a way with words, images, people and strategy. Understanding why people do what they do, and how they are influenced, is important here, and a perfect fit for students in SBS.  The possibilities for a career in marketing are also vast. You could be doing anything from planning advertising campaigns, overseeing creative layouts, working with clients to help build a marketing strategy, or providing in-depth market research and analysis to a team of creatives. Students interested in Public Relations may want to explore the PR Concentration in our Journalism department.  Learn more here. Depending on your main area of interest, your academic pathway will shift. To explore this field, you can take courses that will provide you with knowledge and skills in:

  • Written and oral communication          Cultural awareness
  • Data collection and data analysis          Visual Storytelling
  • Design & design concepts                      Campaign Management
  • Creative and technical writing               Research Methodologies
In the Relevant SBS Courses section below are a few examples of relevant SBS courses, but we urge you to talk to your major/departmental advisor and explore available courses in SPIRE.  You need not constrain yourself to classes within your major.  Check SPIRE for full course descriptions and availability. These are abbreviated descriptions, and details may change at the discretion of the instructor.  Courses may not be offered every semester. Also in this section are some relevant non-academic Linkedin Learning courses that you can take for free, compliments of UMass.

Media & PR Career Fair (Virtual), Thursday, March 28

Students interested in working in media, communications and PR are invited to attend our virtual Media & PR Career Fair on Thursday, March 28th, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm via Handshake. Check out the event in Handshake to see …

By Carol Sharick
Carol Sharick Director of Career and Professional Development for Undergraduates, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
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It’s Career Fair Season – are you ready?

Career fairs are one of your best opportunities to speak directly to a recruiter.  Whether you are looking for internships or full-time jobs, this is a chance you don’t want to miss.

Starting in mid-September, the fall UMass career fair …

By Carol Sharick
Carol Sharick Director of Career and Professional Development for Undergraduates, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Read more

Fall Employer Recruiting Starts This Month

Whether you are a senior preparing for the job search, or a student thinking ahead to summer internships, please review the recruiting timeline below for the timelines of the different industries.

The corporate sector tends to do bulk of their …

By Carol Sharick
Carol Sharick Director of Career and Professional Development for Undergraduates, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Read more

Sidebar

Relevant SBS Courses

Your major does not necessarily have to be in direct line with your career! Sociology majors can work in the business sector. Economics majors can work in government. Poli Sci majors can work on Wall Street. Many SBS departments offer courses relevant to various career paths. Here is a very small sampling of courses relevant to this industry from across the majors. Please speak with your academic advisor to explore all available courses, and remember that you need not constrain yourself to courses within your major. Study what is interesting to you!

COMM 287 – Advertising as Social Communication

COMM 287 – Advertising as Social Communication: This course looks at advertising from the viewpoint of social theory (that is, of how we…

ANTHRO 106 – Culture Through Film

ANTHRO 106 – Culture Through Film: Exploration of different societies and cultures, and of the field of cultural anthropology through the…

JOURNAL 235 – Introduction to Public Relations

This course addresses the principles and practices of public relations and strategic communication in the public, private, for-profit and no-profit…

SOCIOL 220 – Sociology of American Culture

SOCIOL 220 – Sociology of American Culture: The elements and dynamics of culture everywhere; special reference to Americana. Topics include culture…

COMM 387 – Media, PR, and Propaganda

COMM 387 – Media, PR, and Propaganda: The historical roots of the PR industry in government propaganda efforts; the contemporary influence of…

COMM 310: Social Influence and Persuasion

COMM 310: Social Influence and Persuasion: This course examines theories and key research findings in the field of persuasion and…

JOURNAL 336 – Writing for Public Relations

JOURNAL 336 – Writing for Public Relations: Learn how to translate an institutional mission statement in to various narratives, how to…

JOURNAL 335 – Principals of Public Relations

JOURNAL 335 – Principals of Public Relations: This course addresses the principles and practices of public relations and strategic communication in…

COMM 250 – Interpersonal Communication

COMM 250 – Interpersonal Communication: This course introduces non-majors to a variety of competing theories of interpersonal behavior and everyday social…

COMM 260 – Public Speaking

COMM 260 – Public Speaking: Practical communication in one-to-group contexts. Theoretical bases for structuring and presenting public speeches.

SBS College to Careers – SOCBEHAV 250

SOCBEHAV 250: College to Careers This class is all about YOU. • One credit, highly-participatory course • Learn about yourself…

Skill-Building With Linkedin Learning Classes

See below for skill-building classes – visit LinkedIn Learning for more.

The Core Competencies All Employers Seek

Some skills are universally sought by employers and are essential to a well functioning team.  Stand out from the crowd…

Build a Successful Career in Project Management

Taught by Oliver Yarbrough
Do you want to get into project management? Maybe you’re already in project management, but you want to grow. Either…

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training (2021)

Taught by Corey Koberg
Google Analytics 4 provides the means to track, analyze, and report on the visitors to your site and app—who they…

Media Relations Foundations

Taught by Jessica Chen
View Jessica’s LinkedIn Newsletter If you want your business to succeed, you need as much brand recognition as you can…

Learning Infographic Design

Taught by Amy Balliett
To create a truly successful infographic, you must understand the power of visual communication. Properly executed visuals can connect with…

Emerging Leader Foundations

Taught by Dan Schawbel
View Dan’s LinkedIn Newsletter Taking on a leadership role in the diverse, ever-changing modern workplace can feel both exhilarating and…

Social Media Marketing Strategy: TikTok and Instagram Reels

Taught by Ashley Kennedy
If you’re in marketing, the only thing worse than not having a social media marketing strategy is having a bad…

Learning Data Analytics: 1 Foundations

Taught by Robin Hunt
Are you interested in pursuing a career in data analytics? In this course, instructor Robin Hunt brings you into the…

Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365) (2018)

Taught by Dennis Taylor
Get up to speed with Microsoft Excel, the world’s most popular spreadsheet program. Follow along with Excel expert Dennis Taylor…

Nonprofit Management Foundations

Taught by Leslie Crutchfield
Thinking about leading a nonprofit organization? Internationally renowned author Leslie Crutchfield provides a primer on nonprofit management and leadership. She…

Outlook Quick Tips (2017)

Taught by Nick Brazzi
Get quick answers to your most urgent Outlook questions. These short tutorials help users work faster and smarter with Outlook,…

Public Speaking Foundations

Taught by Laura Bergells
Develop the skills you need to prepare and deliver an outstanding speech or presentation. In this course, Laura Bergells offers…

Cryptocurrency Foundations (2018)

Taught by Jonathan Reichental
View Jonathan’s LinkedIn Newsletter The digital revolution has impacted almost every aspect of our lives, including the way money is…

Financial Modeling Foundations

Taught by Michael McDonald
By distilling key information regarding cash flow levels and risks, financial modeling helps decision-makers make informed choices based on data…

Learning Canva

Taught by Marley Jaxx
Canva is an easy way—without any graphic design experience—to create professional graphics for social media, presentations, newsletters, business cards, brochures,…

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Essential Training

Taught by Adam Wilbert
Master the fundamentals of SQL Server 2019, the industry-leading database management platform from Microsoft. In this course, instructor Adam Wilbert…

LinkedIn Quick Tips (2019)

Taught by Oliver Schinkten
This collection of LinkedIn quick tip videos is designed to demonstrate helpful tricks, explain useful features, and provide quick answers…

Understanding Capital Markets

Taught by Michael McDonald
Capital markets are a crucial area of finance—and investors aren’t the only ones impacted. Retirement, buying a house, and long-term…

Marketing on LinkedIn: The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide

Taught by Alex Rynne
It’s a great time to be on LinkedIn. Businesses are seeing better engagement and ROI on LinkedIn than ever. So…

Social Media Marketing Foundations (2020)

Taught by Brian Honigman
Social media dramatically altered marketing by allowing businesses to directly engage with customers and vice versa. Brands that stand the…

FirstHand Vault Industry & Career Guides

Explore Outcomes

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2022 was 70%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2022 was 70%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

  • First Destination
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  • Top Universities
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First Destination

SBS graduates pursue a range of plans after graduation, including employment, continuing education, and volunteering/service, among others.  This graph depicts what recent SBS graduates tell us they are doing within six months after graduation.

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts

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