Requirements for BA Degree in Communication

The major in communication consists of two tiers of courses:

  1. The pre-major: Communication 1, 87, 88, and 89
  2. 40 units of upper-division courses.
Pre-Major

Students intending to become a Communication major are strongly encouraged to declare Pre-Communication as their major. Upon completion of the pre-major course requirements with a 3.00 GPA and no grade lower than a C-, students may petition to full major status, generally prior to the accumulation of 100 units, but not after the completion of 144 units. Admission to the pre-major does not guarantee admission to the Communication major, regardless of the number and outcome of upper division Communication units taken.

During the regular academic year, upper-division Communication courses are restricted to full majors only. During summer session, any student may take upper-division Communication courses. However, this will not affect your eligibility for the Communication major. Courses completed during summer session will not be applied to fulfillment of major requirements until that time that the student completes the required pre-major courses with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in those courses and is officially accepted into the major.

Full Major

Students must complete 40 upper division units, at least 36 of which must be upper division Communication units. While there are no required full major courses, the following limitations apply:

1. Students may apply by petition one 4-unit elective course from the following list toward the full major:

Anthropology 110
Chicano Studies 138
Enviromental Studies 124
Linguistics 124, 130, 132, 170, 180, 185
Philosophy 100C
Political Science 154, 171
Psychology 102

2. A total of 16 units combined of Communication 181ABC, 194, 199, and 199RA may be applied toward the full major, with no more than 12 units of 194, 199, and 199RA combined.

Department of Communication Senior Honors Program

Qualified majors will be invited to participate in a Senior Honors Program (Communication 180 and 181) offering the opportunity to work closely with a faculty sponsor on an in-depth project culminating in a senior thesis. Requirements include Junior standing, completion of at least 12 upper-division major units, minimum grade-point average of 3.5, and sponsorship by a faculty member. Students successfully completing the program will be eligible for graduation with Distinction in the Major. For more information, go here.

The College of Letters and Science also offers the College Honors Program. Please visit http://www.honors.ltsc.ucsb.edu for information and requirements.

UCSB Communication Association

Check out the student-run UCSB Communication Association! The Communication Association is an excellent way to meet your fellow students as well as to learn more about what you can do with your Communication degree. Visit their website:
http://www.ucsbcommassoc.org.

Calendar of Events

UCSB academic year calendar
http://www.registrar.ucsb.edu/calinfo.htm

Graduation and Commencement information
http://www.instadv.ucsb.edu/pubevents/commencement