An ADPR World Perspective
Our focus on the real-world isn’t limited to one state or country, as advertising and public relations often have a global reach. Our global programs and domestic networking trips allow students to meet professionals in a variety of fields and to learn what a career can look like in agency settings, businesses, and organizations both at home and abroad.
I rarely say there are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, but there are a few out there and this is definitely one of them. You’re in a place where you can go before you enter a job and you can spend a month, a semester, a year in a new place and at the same time, and do it with your peers.”
Curry Wilson
College of Communication and Information doctoral student with a public relations concentration who went on the Siena, Italy trip in 2022
Programs Abroad
Our annual trips to Siena, Italy and Rome allow students to immerse themselves in another culture and gain new perspectives on how advertising and public relations operate in different settings. In addition, the CCI-wide trip to Valencia, Spain, offers a broader opportunity to learn about communications globally.
UTK Advertising in Rome
The program encourages students to develop an informed perspective on the role of advertising in our society and, in turn, the influence of society on the practice of advertising. Emphasis will be placed on encouraging student discourse both verbally and in writing. Taking advantage of the program’s location in Rome, there will be a particular focus on the ancient roots of propaganda and a comparison of European and American advertising issues. Students will have a minimum of three site visits and/or guest speakers that focus on course-related issues. The course will emphasize the articulation of logical and informed opinions rather than rote memorization of material.
UTK Public Relations in Siena
We won’t tell you that Siena is in a remote corner of the globe with no access to the modern world. But we will tell you that unlike larger cities in Italy, Siena is a few steps off the foreign tourist highway. It is beautiful, historic, and accessible (hop the train to Florence!) but because travelers leave the city at night, Siena also feels pure. Authentic. Like a small town. And that’s what makes it perfect for study abroad.
Get to know the owner of a trattoria. See your neighbors at the open-air market. Go for a run in the countryside outside the city walls. It’s not just that Siena is beautiful, picturesque, and charming. It’s that it feels like home…from the moment you arrive.
CCI Global Communication Scholars Semester Spain
All College of Communication and Information students can participate in this semester-long study abroad program in Valencia, Spain. The program includes one course taught by a UT faculty member and one course taught by a faculty member at the Catholic University of Valencia, followed by a credit-bearing internship tailored to each student in the program. Students will receive a total of 12 credits for the experience.
Contact CCI Programs Abroad
Networking Trips
Every year, the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations takes trips around the country to enhance students’ understanding of their field and give them an opportunity to connect with alumni and other professionals. Whether it is at an agency setting in New York City or Los Angeles, or businesses in Nashville and Atlanta, students will have immersive industry experiences that well inform their future careers.
On these trips, students experience the real-world applications of what they are learning in their coursework and receive invaluable networking opportunities and get the chance to tour agencies and departments. Supplementing learning in the classroom with real-world exposure and immersion is one of the most important opportunities ADPR can provide students! Students also enjoy the chance to get to know their classmates and faculty better. Financial assistance is available.
Our school trip to Memphis, Tennessee, gave us a glimpse of what our futures can hold. Looking back years from now, these trips will be looked at as the catalyst to our careers.”
Aaron Riede Stone (’23)
alumnus of the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations
