OLLU to offer groundbreaking Hispanic marketing degree

OLLU joins with American Marketing Association

With an eye on the burgeoning Hispanic population, OLLU will become one of the nation's first universities to offer a degree in Hispanic marketing – a field that is increasingly vital to advertisers as the Hispanic purchasing power soars.

A press conference was held Jan. 26 at OLLU to celebrate the degree program and highlight the unique partnership that made the degree a reality.

Joining with the American Marketing Association (AMA), OLLU will begin offering a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Hispanic marketing in fall 2007. The San Antonio AMA chapter's SAVisión group, made up of experienced Hispanic marketing professionals, helped develop the program's curriculum and will access leading experts to provide students with a real-world perspective of the industry.

As the largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority group, it is estimated that Hispanics will control more disposable personal income than any other U.S. minority group in 2007. Advertisers are eager to reach this audience but they need marketing professionals who understand the diverse and complex Hispanic market.

OLLU and SAVisión recognized the void in education in this area and collaborated to create this unprecedented program. Courses will include “La Cultura: An Overview of Hispanic Marketing,” “El Mercado: Ethnography of Culture & Latinos in the Marketplace” and “En Vivo: Hispanic Marketing Internship.” The courses explore the intricacies of the Hispanic market.

“OLLU has the highest percentage of Hispanic enrollment at both the graduate and undergraduate levels than any other Catholic university in the United States, so it is fitting that we are offering one of the nation's first Hispanic marketing degrees,” said OLLU President Tessa Martinez Pollack, PhD.

Currently, only a few universities in the nation offer Hispanic marketing courses or programs. OLLU is the first university to join with the AMA to offer this BBA that will prepare the future leaders in Hispanic marketing.

Photo: President Tessa Martinez Pollack, PhD, and AMA President Sheila Dunn break a piñata at the launch of OLLU's new Hispanic marketing degree.