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The School of Journalism & Media Studies offers two bachelor's degree programs—Communication or Journalism. With a communication major, you may emphasize either Public Relations or Advertising or specialize in Media Studies. If you would like to know more about these majors and careers, click on the link for each one.

All of the majors in the School of Journalism & Media Studies are impacted programs. This means that you first must declare a "pre-major" and satisfy some requirements before you will be admitted to the actual major.

Entering a pre-major

All JMS students must satisfy the requirements of their respective pre-major before they are admitted to the communication (with emphasis in advertising or public relations, or a specialization in media studies) or journalism major.

To become a pre-major, you must go in person to the School of Journalism & Media Studies Undergraduate Advising Center and meet with an advisor. The advisor will:

Go over the requirements you need to satisfy;
Give you an advising checklist;
Explain your major catalog year;
Fill out the required form;
You will then turn in the form to the Office of the Registrar.

Meeting pre-major requirements

The requirements that you must meet as a pre-major in order to enter the major of your choice depend upon your major catalog year. A major catalog year is the academic year in which you declared your pre-major. If you declared your pre-major on your application to SDSU, then your major catalog year will be the same as your general catalog year-the year you entered the university. If you declared or changed your pre-major once you were already an SDSU student, then your major catalog year is the year in which you turned in your “Change of Major” form to the registrar. You can find your major catalog year on your SDSU unofficial transcript right above the line that states your major. Access your unofficial transcript by logging onto the SDSU Web Portal.

The catalog year in which you declare your pre-major outlines all the requirements you need to fulfill in order to get into the major, and then the requirements to complete your major. Sometimes the School changes requirements, but you won’t need to satisfy those new requirements because you are following a previous catalog year. It protects you so that you don’t have to keep trying to “keep up” with new requirements the School might develop. The reverse is also true; the School will hold you responsible for the requirements in effect for your major catalog year.

The only time you can change your major catalog year is when you apply to graduate. You can follow the new requirements for the major that are in effect at the time you apply to graduate. So, if your major catalog year is 2006, but you prefer the major as it is designed in 2007, you can follow the new requirements and when you apply to graduate, you need to check the box on the graduation application that states “following current catalog year.”

To view pre-major requirements for your catalog year, please follow the links below.

►Journalism
►Advertising
►Media Studies
►Public Relations

Entering the major

Once you have completed all pre-major requirements you can have your status changed from "pre-major" to "major" and enroll in classes that are limited to majors only.

The university is now doing this through an automated system for School of Journalism & Media Studies majors. If you meet all the pre-major requirements for your major (cumulative GPA requirement, pre-major classes and grade requirements, and GSP, if applicable) at the end of a semester, then you will be automatically put in the major and you should receive a message on the SDSU Web Portal informing you that your status has been changed.

If you believe that you should be in the major but are still listed as being in the pre-major, please check your degree evaluation on the SDSU Web Portal to see what information may be missing. For example, maybe you have not yet sent over transcripts from a community college, or perhaps your GPA in the pre-major classes is not high enough. If you still believe you have met the criteria and should be in the major, contact the School of Journalism & Media Studies Undergraduate Advising Center

Meeting major requirements

The core major classes are taken in a sequence; they can not be taken all at one time. Additionally, some of the classes are only offered in the fall and some are only offered spring semesters. Consult your major or specialization Undergraduate Curriculum for specific course requirements. You may additionally download ad advising checklist for your major and major catalog year by following the links below.

►Journalism
►Advertising
►Media Studies
►Public Relations

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill your major requirements. The MAPs Web site was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education courses will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement.

Applying for graduation

Graduation pertains to the semester in which you will complete all SDSU requirements. Commencement is the ceremony honoring your graduation. SDSU has only one commencement ceremony a year—May. The May 2oo7 commencement ceremony is officially available to students who graduate in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, and Summer 2007. It is NOT officially available to those who will finish Fall 2007.

You must apply to graduate with the Office of the Registrar for the semester in which you will finish everything for your degree. Graduation application forms are available for download on the Office of the Registrar Web site or can be picked up in the Office of the Registrar, Office of Advising and Evaluations, or Cashier's Office.

After you have submitted your application to the Cashier's Office with a $55 filing fee, a degree evaluation will be prepared and mailed to you in approximately eight weeks. This evaluation will list all requirements you must complete prior to graduation, as well as the name and contact information for your graduate adviser. This adviser will be your point-of-contact throughout the graduation process.

Remember that your student account must be settled and cleared with the University before your application for graduation will be processed. This includes any outstanding bills such as parking, tuition, library fines, etc. Check with the Cashier's Office or Library Circulation if you have questions regarding the status of your student account.

Students who have applied for graduation in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, and Summer 2007 will receive information about commencement in late March. Information regarding commencement is also available online at the SDSU Commencement Web site.

Hot Issues

You may find yourself with a few extra question as you navigate your major. Chances are, you aren't alone!

When you see the "hot issue" button in the Undergraduate H elp Center, click it to be directed to topic-specific solutions to your toughest questions.

►Browse hot issues

► Areas of Study
Explore the School of Journalism & Media Studies undergraduate and graduate programs.

► Activities
From clubs and publications to internships and study abroad programs, JMS students have plenty of opportunities to enrich their educations.

► Faculty & Staff
Meet the JMS faculty and staff, find contact information, and more.

► Advising
Find hours of operation, location, FAQs, and download forms from the JMS Undergraduate Advising Center