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How to Apply: Please read carefully before beginning your application

Admission to the graduate program in Advertising is very selective. Applicants will be expected to have an excellent undergraduate record in advertising or a related field. Previous work experience is desirable. Applicants from other disciplines will be considered provided they can show a keen interest in pursuing a career in advertising. Prerequisite courses may be required on a case-by-case basis. Application to the Temerlin Advertising Institute through the Meadows School of the Arts is required for consideration.

International applicants will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency through scores on the TOEFL or IETLS exams. More details are included below and on the Meadows Graduate International Applicants page.

Outstanding students pursuing full-time study may also be considered for scholarships and an research/teaching assistantships within the Temerlin Advertising Institute.

Checklist Summary of Required Application Materials* (additional information below):

CHECKLIST SUMMARY OF REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS*

Submit theMeadows School of the Arts Graduate Application.

You will be prompted in the Online Application to upload a Professional Statement and your résumé. After careful consideration of our Mission for the graduate program in Advertising in the Temerlin Advertising Institute at Southern Methodist University (shown below), please describe your reasons for application to our program. Indicate your hopes and professional plans for the future. Explain how graduate work in our specific program would affect those goals. Be sure to describe key strengths that make you a competitive applicant and specifically the qualities that make you a good fit. Your statement should be about one-page in length when single spaced or two-pages when double spaced.

TAI Master of Advertising Mission: "Advertising as a cultural force can have a powerful impact on societies as well as brands. The M.A. in advertising at SMU will enhance traditional advertising theory and practices of critical and creative thinking, brand management, consumer behavior, research, and media strategies, as well as provide training in global, social, cultural, and digital sensitivities."

(with Professional Evaluations and/or English Translations for Official Transcripts from Institutions outside the U.S.)

Request in writing one official transcript from the Registrar of each college or university previously attended, including summer terms. See below for submission details. If the transcripts are sent to you, do not open the sealed envelopes and mail them to the Graduate Application Processing office listed below. A supplementary transcript covering work in progress at the time of the application must be furnished upon completion of that work as well as conferral of degree(s).

International transcripts must be accompanied by professional evaluation to include degree equivalency and GPA conversion. Additionally, those that are not in English must be accompanied by official translations. Course descriptions or syllabi may be requested by the faculty. It is the student’s responsibility to procure this evaluation and to assume financial responsibility for it. An exception to this requirement is an exchange agreement between SMU and a foreign institution which is modeled after the U.S. education system. Click here to review a list of accepted agencies and additional requirements for International Applicants.

Three letters of recommendation are required which should be requested from professors who know the personal and academic qualifications of the applicant. When completing an online application, applicants will have the opportunity to arrange for letters to be delivered electronically to the recommenders listed. Applicants will need a valid email address for each recommender and upon submission, notification will be emailed to them directly with instructions on submitting a web-recommendation form on behalf of the applicant.

Applicants to the Temerlin Advertising Institute are not required take or submit either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) general test scores, nor will they be penalized for any test score they've submitted or have yet to submit. While not required, however, applicants are encouraged to take the GRE or GMAT, or to submit existing test scores. The information will be reviewed as supplemental information and adds information which will enhance the quality of your application.

Applicants that have taken, or plan to take the GRE or GMAT, should request their scores be sent to us:

  • GRE: from the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey directly to “Southern Methodist University”: School Code 6660, Department Code 4501 Advertising.
  • GMAT: from the Graduate Management Admissions Council to SMU in the Temerlin Advertising Institute.

Official TOEFL or IELTS Scores for International Applicants

*Current SMU Undergraduate Students applying to the Accelerated M.A. in Advertising have abbreviated application materials outlined here.

Submission Deadlines

Applications may be submitted for consideration into the Master of Arts or the Master's Certificate programs for entry beginning in the Fall or Spring terms. Full-time or part-time enrollment is available. Consideration for awards will be available to candidates that complete submission with all materials prior to the priority or standard listed deadlines. To assure full admissions consideration, applications should be completed online and ALL supporting materials pertaining to the application for admission should be delivered to the Meadows Graduate Office BEFORE the following deadlines**:

Fall Entry Application Dates:
Applications will be available for submission beginning in September. Priority consideration will be given to applicants who have submitted fully by December 1. Standard submission deadline is March 15.  Scholarship and Research/Teaching Assistantship consideration will be given to admitted candidates that completed their submission by the Priority or Standard deadlines. The GRE or GMAT is ‘optional’ to apply for TAI scholarships, but if provided, the scores will be considered as “supplemental” information. 

Spring Entry Application Dates:
Applications will be available for submission beginning in September. Evaluations will begin following the October 15 deadline.

**Applications submitted after the listed deadlines will only be considered on a case-by-case basis for the term they are submitted but will likely be moved to the next term of entry.

Materials received from applicants who do not enroll will be retained by the Meadows Graduate Office for one year. All documents become the property of Southern Methodist University and cannot be returned.

Professional Statement & Résumé

You will be prompted in the Online Application to upload a Professional Statement and your Résumé. After careful consideration of our Mission for the graduate program in Advertising in the Temerlin Advertising Institute at Southern Methodist University (show below), please describe your reasons for application to our program. Indicate your hopes and professional plans for the future. Explain how graduate work in our specific program would affect those goals. Be sure to describe key strengths that make you a competitive applicant and specifically the qualities that make you a good fit. Your statement should be about one-page in length when single spaced or two-pages when double spaced.

TAI Masters of Advertising Mission: "Advertising as a cultural force can have a powerful impact on societies as well as brands. The M.A. in advertising at SMU will enhance traditional advertising theory and practices of critical and creative thinking, brand management, consumer behavior, research, and media strategies, as well as provide training in global, social, cultural, and digital sensitivities."

Transcripts

Request in writing one official transcript from the Registrar of each college or university previously attended, including summer terms. See below for submission details. If the transcripts are sent to you, do not open the sealed envelopes and mail them to the Graduate Application Processing office listed below. A supplementary transcript covering work in progress at the time of the application must be furnished upon completion of that work as well as conferral of degree(s).

International transcripts must be accompanied by professional evaluation to include degree equivalency and GPA conversion. Additionally, those that are not in English must be accompanied by official translations. Course descriptions or syllabi may be requested by the faculty. It is the student’s responsibility to procure this evaluation and to assume financial responsibility for it. An exception to this requirement is an exchange agreement between SMU and a foreign institution which is modeled after the U.S. education system. Click here to review a list of accepted agencies and additional requirements for International Applicants.

Recommendations

Three letters of recommendation are required which should be requested from professors who know the personal and academic qualifications of the applicant. When completing an online application applicants will have the opportunity to arrange for letters to be delivered electronically to the recommenders listed. Applicants will need a valid email address for each recommender and upon submission, notification will be emailed to them directly with instructions on submitting a web-recommendation form on behalf of the applicant.

GRE/GMAT (Optional)

Applicants to the Temerlin Advertising Institute are not required take or submit either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) general test scores, nor will they be penalized for any test score they've submitted or have yet to submit. While not required, however, applicants are encouraged to take the GRE or GMAT, or to submit existing test scores. The information will be reviewed as supplemental information and adds information which will enhance the quality of your application.

Applicants that have taken, or plan to take the GRE or GMAT, should request their scores be sent to us:

  • GRE: from the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey directly to “Southern Methodist University”: School Code 6660, Department Code 4501 Advertising.
  • GMAT: from the Graduate Management Admissions Council to SMU in the Temerlin Advertising Institute.

Additional Documents Required for International Applicants

We welcome international applicants at SMU and into the Meadows School of the Arts! Our campus has a significant international graduate student body and we believe that international students provide diverse perspectives and backgrounds that are invaluable in graduate educations. Click here to review a list of additional requirements, extended information, and list of resources for International Applicants.

Financial Aid

Scholarships and Research/Teaching Assistantships for qualified, admitted full-time students are available from the Temerlin Advertising Institute at the Meadows School of the Arts. Scholarship awards will be determined by reviewing the overall quality of your application. Submitting strong GRE or GMAT scores is optional, but adds information which will enhance the quality of your application. Please contact Dr. Sid Muralidharan, Graduate Program Advisor, at sidmurali@smu.edu with questions about consideration or for further details.

Candidates for graduate awards are encouraged to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form is not required from international students on the F-1 visa. For additional information, contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, Meadows School of the Arts, PO Box 750356, Dallas, Texas 75275-0356 (telephone 214/768-3314).

Submission and Contact Information

All official materials regarding the application process should be emailed to gradappmaterials@smu.edu or directed to the following:

Graduate Application Processing
PO BOX 518
Dallas TX 75275-0518

All questions or correspondence relating to admission or your application to the Meadows School of the Arts may be directed to:

Meadows Admission Office
meadowsgrad@smu.edu
214-768-3217