Minerva is a two-year portfolio program that offers students the opportunity to build a competitive creative portfolio while getting their undergraduate (BA) or graduate (MA) degree in Advertising at The University of Alabama. The first cohort of students applied to the newly launched program in 2015. We started gaining traction right out of the gate, and we’ve been picking up speed ever since. Our alumni have gone on to make award-winning, culture-shifting work for some of the world’s most respected advertising agencies.
”The idea comes first, and really good ideas are really hard to find. Without a solid concept behind it, an ad can look gorgeous and the writing can be sublime, but it will never be a really great ad. What makes Minerva special is that our students know how to think and aren’t afraid of hard work.”
— Mark Barry, Director of Minerva
For the first semester of the program, we don’t touch a computer.
In the early stages, a lack of software knowledge and physical resources can limit big ideas. Instead, we generate hundreds and hundreds of thumbnails. (Sharpies fear us.) We learn how to concept. We learn how to critique. It’s not until the final weeks that anything gets executed. And even then, we hand-render our campaigns to further our appreciation for hard work and craft.
“After just a few years, Minerva is already producing young creatives with ideas that were once only found in portfolio schools.”
Blake Morris, Senior Copywriter, Droga5
To maximize their creative potential, Minerva students explore both the art direction and copywriting paths while building a rich portfolio in preparation for a career in the advertising industry. They can read (and write) a good creative brief. And they graduate from the program knowing how to be as strategic as they are clever.