This study presents a literature review of the professional background of a graphic advertising communicator, the aim of which is to develop a profile of competencies for a professional university training programme. To carry out the review, the scientific databases Web of Science and Scopus were reviewed to find empirical evidence regarding the competencies needed, how they are measured, and how they are described. The categorisation of competencies identified in the literature follows the classification of the Colombian National Ministry of Education, which recommends dividing higher education competence into three categories: generic, transversal, and specific. The results show evidence of a changing labour market, in addition to indicating that universities are showing increased interest in researching their competency profiles to keep up with this dynamic situation. © 2025, CEU Ediciones. All rights reserved.