FAQ

Advising

Undergraduate Program

First Year and Transfer Students

Advising

• What is an advisor and how do I find one?

  • Most students have three advisors: a major advisor, a minor advisor (if you're completing a minor), and a General Education advisor.  The list of major advisors is available outside HGH 108 and on the undergraduate advising page.  You can select any advisor within the advisor directory. If possible, meet with the same advisor each time.

• What should I bring with me to the meeting with my major advisor?

  • Bring your laptop, smartphone, or other device that allows you to access your transcripts and degree progress report on MySJSU. In addition, bring your list of questions.

• Can I count my community college communication courses toward the electives for the major?

  • Yes, if it is a college-level course in communication studies, speech communication, or communication.  Consult with your advisor to determine if you can count a community college course toward your COMM major at SJSU.  You may count up to 8 units of lower division courses as additional courses toward your program of study.  You may not double count lower-division communication courses used to satisfy your Core GE requirements toward the major. 

• Can I count a course taken at another university or college as a core course for the major?

  • Bring a course description (copied from the catalog of the school you previously attended) and/or syllabus and documentation showing the course was transferred.  Your advisor will determine whether it is the equivalent of one of our courses.  Note that core courses in the major are upper-division; upper-division courses must transfer in from a four-year school and be considered upper-division or junior/senior level at that school.)

• Is there a required minimum grade for a course to count toward the major?

  •  "D-" is the lowest passing grade.  Sometimes, as with GE Core and SJSU Studies courses, you must earn a "C-" or better to meet the GE requirement, even though you pass the class with a lower grade.  You must have an overall, SJSU, and major 2.0 GPA to be eligible to graduate.

• How many CR/NC classes can I count toward the major?

  • A maximum of 6 units can be counted towards the major.

• What is double counting and can I do it?

  • Double counting is when you use one course to count for both SJSU Studies and the major. You may double count SJSU Studies courses (currently COMM 100W, 157/157SL, 168A/B, 174, 179) and Core GE (COMM 10, 20, 40, 41, 74) courses toward the major.

• I have a Hold on my account. How do I get it removed?

  • There are many types of holds that may be placed on your academic record. Please review the Registration Hold page to learn more about the hold and how to remove it.

• Do I have to complete a minor?

  • No, you do not need to complete a minor for your BA in COMM. However, we highly recommend that all of our majors conisder obtaining a minor.

    To obtain a minor, you work with an advisor within the minor's department. Please review the SJSU Catalog for a list of potential minors. A COMM advisor can also help you locate a minor that meets your career goals and your minor advisor.

• How do I find out what I need to do for my GE requirements?

  • There are two kinds of General Education requirements: GE Core (lower division, often taken when you are a lower-division student at SJSU or at a community college) and SJSU Studies. Please meet with a GE advisor in the CoSS Student Success Center to review your GE requirements.

• How do I apply for graduation?

  • Confirm with MyProgress Report to see if you are eligible to graduate within the next two semesters. Discuss anything on MyProgress that has a red square with your GE advisor and COMM major advisor.

    Visit the Undergraduate Graduation to learn more about viewing your eligibility, how to apply for graduation online, and priority registration deadlines.

Undergraduate Program

• What courses do I need to take for the communication studies major?

  • Core Courses

    - COMM 101C - Junior Seminar

    - COMM 198 - Applied Activity OR COMM 157SL - Community Action / Community Service

    - COMM 199C - Senior Seminar: Synthesis and Application

    Foundations, Inquiry, Practice Courses

    - Two courses from each area (F, I, and P)

    Additional Courses

    - 8 units of electives in Communication Studies (may be upper- or lower-division)

• What is COMM 198, Applied Activity?

  • The COMM Applied Activity, taken when you are a second-semester junior or during your senior year, requires that you apply in a practical setting what you've learned in your major courses. The options are offered in 1-unit modules; you are required to take 2 units. Alternately, you may substitute the course for COMM 157SL, Community Action/Community Service, which also fulfills the SJSU Studies Area S requirement. Please view our Applied Activity page for an exhaustive list of all the options for Applied Activity.

• What additional courses should I take in the major?

  • The department offers a wide variety of courses.  Identify your own interests, needs, and learning objectives as a basis for choosing your 8 units of additional courses. Meet with your advisor to help you select courses that best fit your educational and professional goals. These courses may be lower- or upper-division. 

• What is a lower-division course? What is an upper-division course?
  • Any course you've taken at a community college is a lower-division course. At SJSU, any course numbered below 100 is lower-division and any course numbered 100 and above is upper-division. Community colleges never offer upper-division courses.
• What is the Upper-Division Writing Directed Self Placement (UDW-DSP)? What is COMM 100W?

  • All students have to complete an upper-division writing course (100W) in their discipline in order to graduate. The Upper-Division Writing Directed Self Placement (UDW-DSP) is an online exercise designed to help students place in the appropriate upper-division writing course.

    To meet the SJSU Studies Area Z requirement, Communication Studies majors take COMM 100W. We recommend that you take 100W your first semester as an upper-division student.

First Year & Transfer Students

Congrats on your admission to SJSU and/or your decision to join the Comm Studies program! We're honored you chose communication studies as your major and look forward to working with you as you progress through your program of study.

• I'm a First Year Student. What's next?

  • As a first-year student you'll want to:

    • participate in SJSU's Summer Orientation
    • participate in SJSU's Week of Welcome events
    • meet with a GE advisor during your first semester

    Your first two years of coursework at SJSU you'll primarily focus on the requirements for your GE Core.

• I'm Undeclared and/or want to change to the Comm Studies major.

  • If you're a student who wants to change your major to Communication Studies, we invite you to do the following:

    - achieve/maintain an overall and SJSU 2.0 GPA

    - lower-division students (<60 UE) should complete 6 units of lower-division COMM courses with a 2.0 GPA

    - upper-division students (≥60 UE) should complete 6 units of upper-division COMM courses with a 2.0 GPA

    Once you've fulfilled those requirements please meet with an advisor in Communication Studies. The advisor will review your transcripts, verify you've met the requirements, and complete your change of major.

• I'm a Transfer Student. What's next?

  • Future Transfer? Learn more about applying to SJSU from our Transfer Admissions or meet with a Pre-Admissions Counselor.

    Already Accepted? Please visit Student Experience for Transfers (SET) for more information about your transfer orientation.

More questions? We're here to help! Email or meet with an advisor.