HispanicBusiness

LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 09/06/12 -- In the midst of rapid change in the marketing world, Loyola Marymount University is partnering with thinkLA to launch the mSchool: Institute for Marketing at LMU. The 14-week program recently began with a pilot course, "The Future Will Not Be Televised: The New World of Branding and Advertising." The program marks a new partnership between LMU's College of Business Administration and thinkLA, a nonprofit membership organization that supports collaboration, innovation and creativity among the media, marketing and advertising industries.

The mSchool will provide a world-class marketing education that is relevant and applicable to the digitally-connected marketing environment of today and into the future. The program, which is designed to expand into a two-year program, will develop the next generation of marketing professionals who can make an immediate impact in the workplace upon graduation.

Dennis W. Draper, dean of the College of Business Administration, noted: "In launching the mSchool, the College of Business Administration at LMU and thinkLA have created a new venture that represents an extraordinary fusion of academic excellence and professional experience. This partnership promises to revolutionize the education and development, not only of current students but also of those who are continuing to enhance their professional careers, for many decades to come."

The mSchool at LMU will expand its offerings to include undergraduate and graduate degrees in marketing, as well as an executive education program. All programs are designed to focus on core skills that are most relevant to today's advertising roles -- with an eye toward future competencies -- including account planning and research, social media, marketing plan creation, developing a core creative idea, creative content development, leveraging digital platforms to connect ideas and measuring effectiveness.

"My philosophy as a teacher and professor has always been to stay current and to help expose our students to the ever-changing world of branding and advertising, including bringing industry experts into the classroom," said Andrew Rohm, associate professor of marketing at LMU. "The mSchool is exciting because it does this and more -- it will help us truly reinvent the way we involve our students in the learning process."

The mSchool at LMU will feature advertising heavyweights from the Los Angeles area as guest instructors, including Winston Binch, Partner/Chief Digital Officer at Deutsch LA; Patrick O'Neill, Executive Creative Director, TBWA\Chiat\Day; and Eric Johnson, President, Ignited. Additionally, the mSchool will foster experimentation and innovation by offering selected courses off-campus at local agencies, brands and media companies, leveraging L.A.'s close proximity to power players in technology, advertising and entertainment.

An advisory board for the mSchool will guide the program to ensure its content maintains relevance. The program will also be supported by the 4A's, the largest advertising association in the country.