Major Requirements

If you are interested in pursuing a degree in Communication at UCSB, follow the steps and review the requirements below.

Step 1

Apply for admission to UCSB

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Prospective freshman and transfer students should first apply for admission to UCSB and declare the Pre-Comm major. If you are already admitted to UCSB but declared as another major, see step two for more information about switching to Pre-Comm.

Step 2

COMM
Pre-Major

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Required pre-COMM courses:
COMM 1, 87, 88, and 89

Upon completion of the pre-major course requirements with a 3.00 GPA or higher and no grade lower than a C-, students can be admitted to full major

 

Step 3

COMM
Major

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Students must complete 40 upper division COMM units to graduate with a Communication degree.
 

Pre-Communication Majors

 (Comm 1, 87, 88, and 89)

Pre-Communication Major Requirements

In order to be admitted to the Communication major, students must first complete our pre-major requirements by following these steps:

  1. Declare the Pre-Comm Major. If you did not declare the Pre-Comm major upon admission to UCSB, you can submit a change of major (COM) form to Comm Advising. Click here to access the Pre-Comm COM form and review more information about the COM process.
     
  2. Take all four pre-major courses or equivalents: COMM 1, 87, 88, and 89. In order to be admitted to the full-major, students must receive a 3.00 GPA or higher and no grade lower than a C- in any courses (or equivalents) taken at a UC. All equivalents taken at another university or community college must be pre-approved and will not factor into the pre-major GPA. Visit our Policies & Procedures page for more information on the GPA requirement, the appeals process, pre-approved equivalents, and petitions for degree requirements.
     
  3. Declare the full Communication Major during the quarter you are finishing your final pre-major course. Click here to access the Communication COM and review more information about the COM process.
     
  4. Complete GE or additional unit requirements during your transition quarter. Comm Advising is not able to process your COM until all four pre-major courses are completed and your GPA is verified. It takes up to four weeks for the Registrar to process major changes after Comm Advising has approved a COM. Because of this, every student experiences a transition quarter when they have completed pre-major requirements but are not yet in full major standing and cannot take upper-division Communication courses. Comm Advising recommends that you use your transition quarter for the following:
    1. Complete any remaining GE, graduation, or double major/minor requirements.
    2. Get UD Comm credit by taking up to 8 units from the interdisciplinary courses listed on our major sheet, UC Online courses, or getting 199RA credit as a Research Assistant. 

Communication Majors
 

Communication Major Requirements

Petitions for Degree Requirements

If you’ve fulfilled all pre-major requirements and completed all steps in the previous column - congrats! Welcome to the Communication major! In order to graduate with a degree in Communication from UCSB, you need to complete 40 upper-division Communication units. You can do this in a variety of ways:

  1. Take Communication classes in the department
  2. Apply up to 8 units from interdisciplinary courses listed on the major sheet
  3. Work on research projects and apply up to 12 units from 194, 199, and 199RA combined
  4. Get Communication credit abroad
  5. Take UC Online courses

Special considerations:

  • All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
  • You can choose to take any upper-division communication classes you’d like! There are no particular tracks or emphases. 
  • Lots of communication classes are offered in the summer.
  • Review the Communication major sheet thoroughly to make sure you are aware of all possible unit restrictions.
  • Visit the College of Letters & Sciences website for more information on general graduation requirements, GPA calculations, special petitions & exceptions, and more. 


Not sure if you are on track? Run a Major Progress Check on GOLD to see your remaining requirements or contact your Comm Advisors for assistance!