The new generation of advertising professionals believes it’s okay to succeed, but not at any cost. Brands can grow and flourish as long as they respect the consumers they serve. Advertising is and always will be a cultural force – but it must also be accountable for the culture it helps to create. The leaders coming out of TAI recognize their responsibility to their brands, their consumers, their industry and their society. They want to show the world a different view of what advertising is – and what it can be.

The endowment affords TAI opportunities to enhance advertising education and research beyond what other programs can offer. Our faculty members, who come from both industry and academic backgrounds, are leaders in their fields. We encourage our students to enhance their academic experience through participation in local and national student competitions. We offer professional workshops and sponsor events to foster relationships between industry professionals and our students. Through our endowment, we’re able to make every facet of the advertising industry accessible to our students.

Thanks to our location in the nation's fifth largest media market, we are the only Master’s Degree in Advertising that can offer this kind of exposure and invaluable experience. We have had both undergraduate and graduate students secure internships and permanent positions with a multitude of agencies across Dallas, from TM Advertising and The Richards Group, to The Marketing Arm, Firehouse, Slingshot and Publicis, just to name a few.

The TAI program helps you to expand your world view, and learn to see things from multiple perspectives as you spend several weeks abroad to study how advertising works in another culture. You and your cohort will study in an important emerging market where you will be exposed to the culture as well as the advertising industry. The past few years have found us in India and the future holds opportunities for travel to Hong Kong or other important markets of the 21st Century.

For our most highly qualified students, research assistantships and scholarships have been provided. To date, nearly half of our students received funding from the Temerlin Advertising Institute that helped cover between 20-80 percent of tuition and fees. We participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which supports military personnel who want to pursue university study after they return from service. And we're working hard to find more ways to help support students who want to study with us — so don't be shy to apply.

How much will your Master of Arts in Advertising cost you? Perhaps not as much as you might think. During the first two years of our program, nearly half of our students received financial aid from the Temerlin Advertising Institute that helped to cover between 20 - 80% of tuition and fees. This section outlines costs while the following section explains ways to finance your graduate education.

Tuition is charged by the credit hour and student fees are added to that. Tuition is the same for in state, out of state, and international students. For the most current information on SMU tuition and fees, or to do your own calculations, click here.

• All dormitory housing, hotels, in-country travel and most meals during the international immersion portion of the program. The International immersion takes place during approximately four weeks in the summer between your first and second year of the program. (Students pay for airfare and incidentals.)


• TAI placement in an industry practicum during your final semester in the program. Practica are Executive Internship Assignments of 20 hours per week with an agency, client or media company in DFW. Students may still work 20 hours at a part-time job or graduate assistantship during their final semester. The course load during that last semester consists of The Practicum and Advertising Campaigns so there is time for a 40-hour work week. Twenty of those working hours must be as a part of The Practicum approved by TAI for course credit. Every attempt is made to provide paid assignments, but the main purpose of the Executive Internship is to put theory and skills into practice while gaining industry experience and contacts.