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Admissions

All first-time freshmen who designate communication as a major prior to the last day of classes of their first semester will be admitted directly into the program. They must sign a Memorandum of Understanding that states that they understand that by the semester in which they attain 45 University of Maryland credits (excluding AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment credits), they must meet the following gateway requirements:

  • Complete one of the following courses with a grade of C- or better: BMGT230, CCJS200, EDMS451, PSYC200, SOCY201 or STAT100.
  • Complete COMM107, COMM200 or COMM230 with a grade of C- or better.
  • Complete COMM250 with a grade of C- or better.
  • A GPA of 2.0 or better*

Only one gateway or performance review course may be repeated to earn the required grade and that course may only be repeated once. When more than one course can satisfy a gateway requirement, taking a second course from the list will count as a repeat. (Please note that a grade of "W" is considered an attempt and must be repeated.)
 
Students may only apply once to an LEP major, so students who switch out of the communication major are unable to reapply.

*Note: this GPA applies to freshmen admits to the major.  See below for GPA requirements for transfer students (both current UMD students adding the COMM major and external transfer students).

Update Regarding Spring 2020 & 2021 Grades

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on grading methods, we will consider the grade of Pass ("P") as meeting the minimum grade necessary for gateway and major requirements for courses taken in the Spring 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters. Earning a grade of Pass ("P") will not impact a student's cumulative GPA.

Transfer Students

Internal transfer (current UMD students whose major is not communication) and external transfer students who meet the gateway requirements specified above must also have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.7 in all college level coursework to apply to the program. 

Note: Students may apply only once to an LEP. Therefore, please be sure that you meet the admissions requirements prior to applying.
 

Applying

To apply to the communication major, please complete the online application found here. The application deadline for fall admission is the 5th business day in June (June 7, 2024); the application deadline for spring admission is the 5th business day in January (January 8, 2024). Notification of admission status will be sent out in mid-January for spring applicants and in mid-June for fall applicants. Students who are concerned about meeting the C- requirement in gateway courses or the 2.7 GPA minimum requirement are advised to wait to submit the application until after their final grades are posted for the current semester. Students may only apply to an LEP major once.

Declaration Process

After submitting the application, a student’s major will be officially changed to communication (or added if a double major) only after all of the following steps have been completed:

  1. Receive acceptance notification from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (usually 1 to 2 weeks after the deadline, even if the application is submitted early);
  2. Take the World Language Placement;
  3. Meet with a communication advisor* to begin a 4-year plan; and
  4. Meet with an Arts and Humanities advisor* to complete a 4-year plan.

*Steps 2, 3 & 4 may be completed by a student after officially submitting the application, while waiting to receive acceptance notification. However, the student’s major will not be changed or added until after all steps have been completed. Students will not be permitted to enroll in courses restricted to COMM majors until this process has been completed.

Note: All of the above steps must be completed by the end of the schedule adjustment period in the semester for which the student applies. Failure to do so will result in the student not being able to change to/add the communication major and the student will not be able to reapply.

Appeals

All students may appeal admission decisions. Students directly admitted as freshmen, who are dismissed because of failure to meet gateways or be in good academic standing at 45 credits, may appeal directly to the undergraduate director in the Department of Communication. All other students who are denied admission may submit their appeal to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

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