Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate Catalog 2009-10 
    
Undergraduate Catalog 2009-10 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Pre-Communication Major


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Students planning to major in any area of communication will be admitted as a pre-communication student. This status, however, does not guarantee admission to a communication major, since more students may apply for admission than can be accepted.

A student’s application for admission as a major will be considered when the student has:

  1. Completed 30 hours of college work, at least 15 hours of which at Western Michigan University.
  2. Achieved an overall grade point average of 2.5 or above.
  3. Completed pre-communications course requirements with a grade of “C” or better in each course (taking a pre-communication class not more than two times).
  4. Completed the pre-communication course requirements for the major.

The pre-communication course requirements for each major are as follows:


GPA


If the student’s overall GPA is below 2.5 or if the student has not achieved a “C” or better after completing a pre-communication class twice, the student may NOT apply to become a communication major in any of our majors.

If the student’s overall GPA is 2.5 or above, and if the student has achieved a “C” or better in appropriate pre-communication courses, the student may apply to become a major in a specific area of interest.

Admission to any of our majors will be based on space available, overall grade point average, and grades in pre-communication courses. Hence, successful completion of pre-communication requirements does not guarantee admission. Currently, three majors have formal application processes: Film, Video, and Media Studies; Telecommunications and Information Management; and Public Relations. The deadlines for submitting the applications are September 15, January 15, and May 15. Applications and additional information may be obtained from the School office.

Students may not apply to any of our majors, in any combination, more than twice. If after a second application a student has not been admitted to a major, then he/she may proceed to complete the requirements for a communication minor and the student must find another major in another department.

General Program Requirements


1. All major/minor programs must be approved by the School advisor. Admission to a major in communication will be considered by the School advisor following completion of the appropriate pre-communication requirements. Declaration of a minor in communication must be made with the School advisor before the completion of nine semester hours of communication credit or journalism credit.

2. Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all course work applied toward a major/minor program.

3. Prerequisites listed for all communication courses must be met. A course and its prerequisite cannot be taken at the same time. Students who have not completed the prerequisites with a grade of “C” or better, will be dropped from the class. All 5000-level courses require junior or senior standing, in addition to any specific prerequisites listed.

4. Petition for exceptions to any School policies should be directed to the School director.

Baccalaureate Writing Requirement


Students who have chosen to major in any of the Communication areas, with the exception of Journalism, will satisfy the Baccalaureate Writing Requirement by successfully completing one of the following courses:

Journalism Majors


Students who have chosen to major in Journalism will satisfy the Baccalaureate Writing Requirement by successfully completing:

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