The University of Oregon's bachelor's degree in advertising prepares students to become creative strategists who build campaigns and guide brands toward purpose, success, and social responsibility. Through the SOJC's Creative Strategist model, students develop a portfolio of real work while they study, pitching campaigns for actual clients and competing nationally. Graduates step into agencies and in-house brand teams ready to contribute, and some have gone on to shape work for brands like Duolingo and Nike and to launch companies of their own.
Advertising majors build skills across creative, strategy, and media that carry well beyond any single job. Our graduates work as art directors, copywriters, brand strategists, producers, account executives, and media analysts at agencies and companies in Portland, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and beyond, and many use the degree as a launchpad for entrepreneurial and social-impact work.
Our graduates create campaigns for global brands, art-direct for major studios, and build agencies and companies of their own. See where an advertising degree has taken them.
While an ad major at the SOJC, Max Birch ’23 developed a rudimentary outfit generator that would become the first-ever prototype for the Fitted app. Now he’s chief marketing officer of the company.
Before Nick Larkin ’09 led multimillion-dollar ad campaigns, he was an advertising major at the SOJC and interned at an agency in Ghana, an experience that impacted his work.
SOJC alum Jack Jensen ’09, a former UO high jumper, says his love of sports and journalism inspired him to start his own sports agency. The Rec League works with brands, artists, and athletes.
Advertising and Brand Responsibility Master’s grad Bailey Smith studied the representation of women in sports media. Her findings revealed three ways supporters can elevate women in sports media.
Zaria Parvez, the witty social media maven behind Duolingo’s viral TikToks, started working at the company right after she graduated from the SOJC in 2020. It was the only job she applied for.
When Jacob Espinoza graduated from the SOJC with an advertising degree, he didn’t take the typical post-graduation route, but said it helped him find something unexpected he loves to do.
As part of an interview series with 100 creative directors, Mehringer talks about his creative process along with some specific challenges of making great work for others.
The double Duck found learning the brand responsibility approach to advertising and building the confidence to articulate big issues has given him a distinctive advantage in his career.
