Undergraduate Program

Application & Declaration

MAKE AN ADVISING APPOINTMENT *

Undergraduate Admission Application Deadlines:

FALL - October 1st (no later than 5:00 p.m.)

WINTER - February 1st (no later than 5:00 p.m.)

(Note: If the application deadline falls on a weekend, applications will be due the following Monday, no later than 5:00 p.m.)

Admission Application and Declaration Policies and Procedures

To apply to declare Communication Studies as a concentration, the student must have completed the four prerequisite courses. COMM 111 is taken for credit, and COMM 101, 102, and 211 are graded. COMM 101, 102, and 211 must be completed with a grade of C- or higher in each course. Official grades of all prerequisite courses must be recorded on the student's transcript before the student can apply to the concentration.

Prerequisities to the Concentration

Comm 101	The Mass Media	4 credits	Requires freshman or sophmore status
Comm 102	Media Processes & Effects	4 credits	Requires freshman or sophmore status
Comm 111	Workshop on Managing the Information Environment	1 credit	Requires freshman or sophmore status (graded credit/no credit)
Comm 211	Evaluating Information	4 credits	Prerequisite: COMM 101 or COMM 102

(NOTE: Transfer credit is not allowed for any of the Communication Studies prerequisite courses.)

Students must apply and be accepted into the Communication Studies concentration program. Enrollment in the concentration is limited to assure a high quality educational experience for enrolled students. Application is open to all students with sophomore or junior standing.

Application Information

The Department of Communication Studies invites interested student to apply to the concentration. Space in this rigorous concentration program is limited to ensure adequate faculty and program resources to serve students and provide a high-quality educational experience.

Students with sophomore or junior class standing may apply. Applications are only accepted twice each year in February and October and admission takes shortly thereafter. Students are strongly encouraged to apply no later than the first semester of their junior year. Applicants may re-apply once if they are not accepted into the program, as long as they still have sophomore or junior class standing.

Requirements for application:

Applicants must be sophomore or junior LSA students.
At the time of application, applicants must have completed all four prerequisite courses (Comm 101, 102, 111, 211) with a transcript that shows final grades.

Materials for application:

Completed application form.
Personal statement (see instructions on the application form)
Official UM transcript from the Registrar's Office (available on-line through Wolverine Access).

Admission process & criteria:

The admission process is very competitive, and space is limited.
The Admissions Committee will make admission decisions based on overall academic performance, academic performance in prerequisite classes, and the quality of the personal statement.
Students with a grade point average of 3.0 and above overall AND in Communication Studies courses will be admitted. Although a personal statement is not required an application form and official transcript must be submitted.
Students with a grade point average from 2.5 to 2.9 overall AND in Communication Studies courses are required to submit a personal statement with their application materials.
Students with a grade point average below 2.5 overall OR in Communication Studies courses will not be admitted.
The review of applications will be completed by the Admissions Committee, and decisions will be communicated to students within three or four weeks after the application deadline.

Admission declination

Students who are not granted admission to the Department of Communication Studies are eligible to re-apply once, as long as they still have sophomore or junior class standing. Students who are denied admission are strongly advised to meet with an LSA academic advisor as soon as possible to discuss other concentration options. Students should keep in mind that many Communication Studies courses also fulfill other general LSA requirements as long as they are not being used to fulfill concentration requirements, such as:

COMM 101 The Mass Media may be used as social science (SS) distribution credit.
COMM 102 Media Processes & Effects may be used as social science (SS) distribution credit.
COMM 111 Managing the Information Environment is a hands-on research and computer information workshop teaching skills useful for all subsequent academic course work.
COMM 211 Evaluating Information may be used as social science (SS) distribution credit and quantitative reasoning (QR/1) credit.
COMM 351, 361, 371 and 381 all fulfill the upper level writing requirement (ULWR)

Declaration Appointment

Upon admission to the concentration, an in-person concentration advising appointment is required for students to declare a Communication Studies concentration. Students cannot declare by e-mail, phone or fax. The advisor and student appointment is critical for the student to learn about concentration requirements, cognate options and Department registration procedures. Advising appointments are scheduled online through the Department's website at www.lsa.umich.edu/comm. After obtaining a concentration advisor's signature for approval on the Concentration Declaration Form, the student will retain the white copy for their own record, and the Department will keep the yellow copy. Students may need to present their copy of the declaration form to confirm their newly declared status to faculty of waitlisted Communication Studies courses.

Concentration Program Requirements

Communication Studies Required Courses	At least 23 credits in Communication Studies at the 300 and 400 level plus 6 credits in approved cognates.
Prerequisites for Declaring the Concentration	111 is taken for credit and 101, 102 and 211 with a C- or better in each course. COMM 101 or 102 is a prerequisite to enroll in 211. Students must submit an application for admission upon completion of prerequisite courses.
Areas of Communication	One of 351 or 371, and one of 361 or 381. COMM 101 or 102 are prerequisites to enroll in any of these 300 level courses.
Advanced Communication Study	A minimum of 15 additional credits of upper level Communication Studies coursework, including at least 8 credits at the 400-level and above.
Cognates	At least 6 credits of upper level (300 or above) credit in one department other than Communication Studies, approved by a concentration advisor.