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Communication Major Advising

Contact Us!

Students can contact a Communication Department advisor:

  • Submit a question through Virtual Advising Center (VAC)
  • Via scheduled virtual drop-in advising (see section below)
  • Via a scheduled advising appointment (see section below)

We look forward to helping you!

Drop-In Advising

We will offer COMM Zoom Drop-In Advising in August 2025, to assist incoming students as they enroll in Fall Quarter courses. 

Schedule:

Weeks of August 4, August 11, and August 18
Monday - Friday: 10-11 am and 1-2 pm

Zoom Links will be posted shortly.

Scheduled Advising Appointments

Appointments are 30 minutes and are available to address more detailed and complex questions, such as: 
  • Long-term quarter-by-quarter plan
  • Readmission Forms
  • SAP Appeal Forms
  • Academic Probation/Disqualification Concerns
  • Questions and referrals to other campus resources

Please contact commugrad@ucsd.edu to schedule an appointment. Zoom and in-person options are available.

Prospective (non-UCSD) Students 

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions advises all prospective UCSD undergraduate students. 

What kind of advisor should I see?

Navigating Academic Advising and Records at UC San Diego

College Academic Advisor

  • General Academic Support
  • College General Education Requirements (IGETC, TAG, writing courses)
  • Quarter by quarter planning for college general education & university requirements
  • Petition course for general education requirements
  • University Policies
  • Graduation and Unit Requirements
  • Assist with study abroad, financial aid, VA forms, International Center forms, student-athlete forms, and verifying
    completion of college and university requirements for graduation

Major / Minor Advisor

  • Advice on Major or Minor Requirements
  • Petitioning a course for credit towards a major/minor requirement
  • Double Major Petition
  • Application for Special Studies Course (Independent Research 198/199)

Career Center Advisor

  • Career exploration
  • Online and in-person career assessments
  • Employment search skills: resume and cover letter development, job applications, interviewing
  • Graduate school information, including how to apply and general requirements

Follow Us on Social Media!

Website: communication.ucsd.edu
Instagram: @ucsdcommunication
YouTube: @ucsdcommunication

UG Advising Instagram: @ucsd_comm_ug -- We advertise courses, events, and opportunities of interest to COMM students. Plus upcoming deadline reminders!

Forms & Petitions

Submitting Petitions and Forms to COMM UG Office

If you have a form/petition that requires review from the COMM Department, this Google Form is for you:


This includes:
  • Undergraduate Student Petition (for course substitution and exception requests)
  • Double Major Petition
  • Academic Plan review
  • Student Athlete Plan review
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) / Financial Aid Appeal
  • Max Unit/Quarter Limit Appeal*
  • Readmission Petition*
  • Other Petitions/forms not listed above

Items noted with a * should first be discussed with your College Advisor to determine if the action is appropriate and then the best method for submitting the associated form(s).
 
Before submitting your form / petition:
  • Ensure that you have completely filled out the form prior to uploading
  • Combine all necessary components into one file (PDF preferred) prior to uploading. (See: How to Merge Documents into a Single PDF)
  • If you are unsure of any part of the form, please contact the Department of Communication via the VAC. 
 
Please DO NOT submit:
  • Petitions for GEs, College, and/or University requirements. These should be submitted to your College Advising Office.
  • Petitions for non-COMM department requirements, such as for a non-COMM major or minor. These should be submitted to the department or program that administers the major or minor. (For example, if you wish to have a course reviewed for your Marketing minor, submit your petition to the Rady School of Business which administers the Business minor.)

Undergraduate Student Petition

The Undergraduate Student Petition may be used for course substitution and exception requests. 

Submit your completed petition via the COMM UG Petition Form. The department's Faculty Advisor will review it and you will be notified of the result via the VAC.

 

Double Major Petition Forms

Be sure to completely review the University's Double Major Petition Instructions and Required Forms. 

Submit your completed Double Major Petition via the COMM UG Petition Form for the COMM UG Advisor's review. Once approved and signed, you will be notified via the VAC.

 
A few things to remember:
  • All courses taken for majors offered by the Communication Department (the Communication major and the Media Industries & Communication major) must be taken for a letter grade (and receive a C- or better final grade).
  • A student with a double major must fulfill the separate requirements of each major, and the equivalent of at least ten upper-division courses (40 units) must be unique to each major.
  • A maximum of 2 upper-division courses (8 units) may overlap between double majors. Both departments must approve the overlaps in the double major petition.
  • A maximum of 2 upper-division courses (8 units) from outside the Communication Department may be petitioned to count towards the COMM / MIC major's Intermediate Elective requirement. Each course petitioned must be related to our department's curriculum. Students must separately submit an Undergraduate Student Petition for each course to be considered. 
Your DMP and Academic Planning Worksheet must be signed/approved by the advising offices of both majors. You will then submit your signed DMP, Academic Planning Worksheet, and Statement of Purpose to your College Advising Office for final review. 

 

Academic Planning Worksheet

Develop your very own Academic Planning Worksheet! (Link to copy a Google sheet). Here you can outline the courses you plan to take to complete the major and other requirements.

If you would like one of the COMM UG Advisors to review your plan, you can submit it via the COMM UG Petition Form. 

Newly Admitted Students

Information and Guidance

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ADMISSION TO UCSD AND WELCOME TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION!

We invite you to read through our information and guidance on our Newly Admitted Students webpage.