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New and Prospective Students

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We are excited to welcome the newest cohort of Communication majors!

Communication at UCSD is a field of study that emphasizes the role of technologies of communication in shaping human experience and relationships. It draws from a range of disciplines, including anthropology, psychology, sociology, political science, and visual arts.


More About the Communication Major at UCSD

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Communication occupies an especially exciting position in contemporary scholarship and education. We have seen over the past generation the emergence of new media forms as fundamental to the fabric of our social, economic, scientific, and cultural life as was the invention of the printing press in the 15 century. The ever-expanding centrality of information technology and communication industries; the mass migration of social interactions to the digital world; the substitution of mass media for other institutions of socialization and intermediation; the life-altering impact of globalization, which makes mediated relationships across distance and community boundaries increasingly important; and the growing attention to how built and digital environments assume and shape as well as foster particular forms and practices of life - all have motivated increased attention across the social sciences and humanities to mass media, information technology, and processes of mediation. The "linguistic turn" in many disciplines, subsequently broadened to include visual and other discourses, have similarly increased the centrality of our discipline and the range of its connections to other fields.

As you traverse our website, the department’s unusual approach to the field of Communication will undoubtedly become apparent. Our faculty come from fields across the Social Sciences and Humanities and bring multiple disciplinary traditions and methodologies to bear in the study of communication as an institutional, technological, cultural, architectural, and cognitive phenomenon, inextricably anchored in and shaped by questions of democracy, diversity, social justice, and social change.

What this means for our undergraduates majoring in Communication is a more theoretically-oriented investigation of how discourses, communication infrastructure, media institutions, and the spatial dimensions of human activity together shape economic, political, and cultural life.

Although we do not provide pre-professional training in journalism, advertising, public relations, or business communication, our curriculum is nevertheless rich in hands-on learning opportunities for students interested in designing and producing media, conducting fieldwork, or bridging the university- community divide through participation at a number of our faculty directed, regionally-based labs and community-based sites. Students in Communication can expect to graduate with analytical tools applicable to a variety of careers, not only in the industry sectors traditionally categorized as “Communication,” such as journalism, broadcasting, advertising, and marketing, but in other fields where communication systems and processes are increasingly central, for example, government and public policy, law, business and non-profit organizations.

The COMM Major and Minor at a Glance

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Information for Newly Admitted First-Year Students

Congratulations on your admission to UCSD and welcome to the Communication major!

As a first-year student, most of your early planning as a newly admitted student will involve working closely with your College.

A few things to keep in mind:

    • Please focus on General Education courses in your first year. Work with your College Advisor to choose courses for your first Fall Quarter.

    • Plan to take COMM 10 (Introduction to Communication) in Fall Quarter of your second (Sophomore) year. COMM 10 is required for the major, and is a prerequisite course for upper division Communication courses.




Here are a few resources to help you visualize the Communication major:

COMM Major Requirements 

Quarter by Quarter Plan: New First Year Students (4 Year Plan)

Quarter by Quarter Plan: New First Year Students (3 Year Plan)

Information for Newly Admitted Transfer Students

Congratulations on your admission to UCSD and welcome to the Communication major!

We highly suggest you review in advance of your College's orientation in August:

  • COMM Major Requirements
  • Quarter by Quarter Plan for COMM Transfer Students 
  • Please note:  The Communication major requires COMM 10 (Introduction to Communication). Our department does not allow introductory Communication courses completed at other institutions to count as equivalent. COMM 10 is a prerequisite for all other courses in the major. You therefore will need to enroll in the course in your first quarter at UCSD. 

 

What to Enroll in for Fall Quarter

Check TritonLink for your enrollment pass details (day and time).

You should plan to enroll in 2 Communication courses:

Course #1: COMM 10 (Introduction to Communication)

  • On the first day of your first enrollment pass, enroll in COMM 10.
  • Note:  COMM 10 may look full if you look at the online Schedule of Classes before transfer orientation in August, but we are saving seats for transfer COMM majors to enroll.
  • If you are not able to enroll during first pass, enroll in the course on the first day of your second pass.

 

Course #2 choose either:

  • COMM 100A (Communication, the Person, and Everyday Life) 
    • Once you are enrolled (not waitlisted) in COMM 10, submit an Enrollment Authorization System (EASy) request to enroll in COMM 100A. (This will allow you to enroll in the course concurrently with COMM 10).
    • Once your EASy request has been approved, return to WebReg and enroll in COMM 100A.
    • Note:  COMM 100A may look full if you look at the online Schedule of Classes before transfer orientation in August, but we are saving seats for transfer COMM majors to enroll.
OR
  • One Intermediate Course (COMM 101 - 119)
    • Once you are enrolled (not waitlisted) in COMM 10, submit an Enrollment Authorization System (EASy) request to enroll in a specific Intermediate Elective (COMM 101 - 119).
    • Once your EASy request has been approved, return to WebReg and enroll in the Intermediate Elective course you requested.



The department recommends that transfer students enroll in no more than 3 Communication courses in their first quarter. These COMM courses can be paired with a college requirement course (if any) or a course of interest from a different department. 


 

Prospective Students

First-Year Students

A first-year applicant is currently in high school or has graduated from high school but has not enrolled in a regular (non-summer) session at a college or university. If you've completed college courses during high school (through summer after graduation), you're still considered a first-year applicant. Please visit UCSD's Office of Undergraduate Admissions First-Year Students webpage for more information. 


Transfer Students

A transfer applicant has been enrolled in a regular session at a college or university after high school, excluding summer sessions. UC San Diego enrolls transfer students at the junior level. 32% of our undergraduate class are transfer students: free thinkers and creative nonconformists from all over the globe who converge on our campus to shatter the limitations of "ordinary." Please visit UCSD's Office of Undergraduate Admissions Transfer Students webpage for more information. 

Minors and Double Majors Commonly Paired with the Communication Major

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