COMMLD 503A: Practicum: Advanced Marketing

Course Description

Level up your leadership. Build a real-world marketing strategy that actually gets used.

In this hands-on practicum, you’ll partner with a real client to create and deliver a strategic marketing plan—plus sample content they can start using now. You’ll assess their current outreach (social, web, posters, community engagement) and design a smarter, more integrated approach. The client will provide real-time feedback and decide what to adopt—so the stakes (and impact) are real.

This course is built for students ready to stretch: to lead through ambiguity, influence without authority, and work through the messy middle of real-world challenges. There’s no step-by-step playbook—just strong coaching, clear expectations, and support to help you grow fast.

You’ll also learn to work the way modern marketers actually work—with AI as a strategic tool, not a shortcut.

Throughout the practicum, you’ll use AI to accelerate and sharpen your work at three levels:

Deep research: Use AI to map competitive landscapes, surface audience insights, and synthesize market data faster than traditional methods—so you spend less time compiling and more time thinking.

Creative support: Leverage AI to rapidly prototype messaging, generate content variations, and pressure-test ideas before bringing them to the client—giving you more creative range without sacrificing craft.

Process improvement: Apply AI tools to audit existing marketing efforts, identify gaps, and streamline workflows—so your recommendations are grounded in evidence, not just instinct.

You won’t just learn about AI in marketing. You’ll develop the judgment to know when to use it, when to push back on it, and how to integrate it into a professional workflow with integrity.

By the end, you’ll walk away with a marketing plan, content samples, client-facing experience, and a standout project for your resume or portfolio—plus a fluency in AI-assisted strategy that most practitioners are still figuring out.

Credit/No Credit only

**Since this class takes foundational concepts to the next level, students who register must have already taken any of the following courses:

• COMMLD 520: Advanced Marketing (Marr)

• COMMLD 520: Principles of Marketing

• COMMLD 520: Strategic Communications

• COMMLD 521: Digital Marketing

• COMMLD 522: Future of Marketing

Or have equivalent Marketing experience. 

Please fill out the form below to the best of your ability. If your form is approved, you will receive an add code to register for the course. (Note: applications will be time stamped, and qualified applicants will be added to remaining class spots on an equitable basis determined by time of application and remaining time in the program.)

Apply to COMMLD 503 Marketing Practicum. Form will open on Monday, May 11, 6:15am PDT.