弗吉尼亚联邦大学

Program goals

The VCU Brandcenter offers graduate study in advertising, branding and experience design. The program offers a Master of Science in Business with a concentration in branding, and it is divided into five focus areas (sub-concentrations): art direction, copywriting, creative brand management, experience design and strategy.

The Brandcenter program is focused on preparing students for successful careers. The working environment is similar to that of agencies and their clients. Teams of students work together to develop ideas and campaigns that solve business problems strategically and creatively. They also learn how to present those ideas in engaging and persuasive ways.

After their first year, qualified students are offered internships where they gain experience and foster industry relationships. In their second year, students have the opportunity to network with professional mentors, guest speakers, alumni and recruiters from agencies and organizations around the country. Once students graduate, they become part of a tight-knit alumni network.

Student learning outcomes

• Presentation skills: Students will demonstrate the ability to effectively present/sell their ideas in a clear, concise and compelling manner.
• Collaboration: Students will demonstrate their ability to work together in cross-functional teams/groups (i.e., as art directors, copywriters, creative brand managers, experience designers and strategists) to develop viable business/marketing solutions.
• Creative and critical problem-solving: Students will demonstrate the ability to research consumer culture (via secondary research, syndicated research and qualitative/quantitative research methods) and evaluate consumer media/technology usage habits to develop media-neutral business solutions.
• Culture: Students will demonstrate an appreciation, interest in and openness for different cultures (both national and international) yielding more relevant, culturally savvy business solutions.
• Craft: Students will demonstrate the ability to execute specific skills related to their individual sub-concentration.