High School

The educational background of advertising managers varies as widely as the nature of their diverse responsibilities. If you are interested in a managerial career, take college preparatory classes. Strong communication skills are important, so be sure to take as many English classes as possible. Speech classes are another way to improve your communication skills. Courses in mathematics, business, economics, and computer science are also excellent choices to help you prepare for this career.

Postsecondary Training

Most advertising managers have a bachelor's degree in advertising, marketing, or business administration. However, degrees in English, journalism, speech communications, economics, or the fine arts are also applicable. Useful college classes include those in psychology, sociology, business, economics, and any art medium. Graduate and professional degrees are common at the managerial level.

Digital media positions are increasingly requiring a college degree in communications, e-commerce, or a technology-related area. Media directors and research directors with a master’s degree have a distinct advantage over those with only an undergraduate degree. Some research department heads even have doctorates. Because managers coordinate the efforts of whole departments, most have worked in other lower level advertising jobs. Candidates for managerial positions who have extensive experience and developed portfolios will have a competitive edge.

Other Education or Training

The American Association of Advertising Agencies offers the Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies, multiweek courses that teach advertising professionals about topics such as positioning and branding, team building, the media landscape, creative brief writing and creative development, and presentation skills. The association also offers executive workshops, professional development seminars, and webinars that cover topics such as account management, presentation skills, strategic planning, new technologies, and other critical skills. The Interactive Advertising Bureau offers seminars, on-demand training, interactive webinars, and the digital media sales certification.

Certification or Licensing

Certification is not required for advertising managers.

Any experience working with advertising campaigns, as well as the completion of at least one college internship, will be useful for those aspiring to careers in the field.

There are a number of personal characteristics that advertising managers need to succeed in their work. You will need good communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to delegate work to other members of your staff. Because advertising campaigns are often run under strict deadlines, the ability to think on your feet and work well under pressure is critical.

Other traits considered important for advertising managers are intelligence, decisiveness, intuition, creativity, honesty, loyalty, a sense of responsibility, and planning abilities.