Communication

Frequently Asked Questions

The four options available for Communication majors are Interpersonal Communication, Multimedia Journalism, Organizational Communication, and Public Relations. You can find more information about these options on the Communication Department website's Degree Programs page.

Complete a "Change Major or Option Form" online on the Registrar’s Office forms website. Once you're on the Registrar's Office forms page, click "Registration/Records" forms. The "Change of Major or Option Form" is the fourth form down. 

Keep in mind, Communication is an impacted major. What this means is the Communication Department has reached its enrollment capacity for instructional resources and physical support and cannot accommodate all of the undergraduate students who want to major in Communication. Therefore, students who want to change their major to Communication have to meet the following eligibility criteria in order to be admitted into the major:

  • Have a B or above in GE Area A1
  • And have an average GPA of 2.5 across GE Areas A1, A2, and A3. 

Note: You can only retake each of the classes once in order to meet the eligibility criteria. However, you can still apply to be a Communication minor without meeting this criteria.

There are three minors available in Communication, including Communication Studies, Multimedia Journalism, and Public Relations. You can find out more about the requirements by clicking each minor's individual link. To add a minor in Communication, contact the Communication Department's minor coordinator Dr. Nell Horowitz.

Yes, you can as long as you minor in a different option from your major.

You can find your program advisor on the bottom, right-hand side of your Student Center on BroncoDirect/PeopleSoft. Once you know who your advisor is, you can find his or her contact information on the Communication Department's faculty webpage.

If no program advisor is listed, you can contact any of the advisors in your option. Those advisors are Dr. Mark Generous for Interpersonal Communication, Dr. Ivana Cvetkovic, Dr. Lauren Furey, or Dr. Jason Turcotte for Multimedia Journalism, Dr. Pavitra Kavya, Dr. Sunny Lie Owens, or Dr. Dana Marshall for Organizational Communication, and Dr. Jane Ballinger, Dr. Kang Hoon Sung, or Dr. Nell Horowitz for Public Relations.

If you have advising questions not related to Communication (e.g. questions about At-Risk, Probation, or Probation with Contract holds, GE courses, or graduation checks), the CLASS Student Success Center advisors are a great resource.

To view your holds, log into log into BroncoDirect/PeopleSoft. Your holds will be visible on the top, right-hand side of your Student Center. If it is an At-Risk, Probation, or Probation with Contract hold, contact an advisor at the CLASS Student Success Center to help you remove it. For all other holds, click on the "Details" link under your holds in the Student Center to find out which department placed it. Then contact that department for more information on how to remove the hold.

Make sure to do this at least two weeks prior to your registration date, so your hold(s) can be removed before your scheduled time to register for classes.

Log into BroncoDirect/PeopleSoft, and check your Degree Progress Report. You can find your Degree Progress Report in the drop-down menu on your Student Center, but if you have any trouble finding it or for more information on understanding your Degree Progress Report, watch this video:

You can also refer to your curriculum sheet for the year you entered the major. Your curriculum sheet is available on the Communication Department website. Click on your option (Interpersonal Communication, Multimedia Journalism, Organizational Communication, or Public Relations), then select the curriculum sheet corresponding to your curriculum year.

You can find your curriculum year at the top of your Degree Progress Report, which can be accessed from the drop-down menu on your Student Center in BroncoDirect/PeopleSoft. Your curriculum year will always be the academic year you became a Communication major. For example, if you became a Communication major in Fall 2022, your curriculum year would be 2022-2023.

Students might have trouble getting into classes if they have late registration dates. Registration dates are determined by the number of units you have completed or based on your orientation date for incoming students. If this happens to you, set up an an appointment with your program advisor who can help you determine whether:

  • You have any GEs left to take.
  • You have completed the minimum number of unrestricted elective units required on your curriculum sheet.
  • There are any classes offered as pre-approved substitutions for the requirements on your Degree Progress Report. 

Sometimes students also might have trouble registering for certain classes if they haven't satisfied the required prerequisites. To see the required prerequisites for each Communication course, you can refer to the Communication's Department's list of communication courses. 

You will need to complete a Course Substitution Petition with your advisor. Contact your advisor to initiate this process.

If the course is not from Cal Poly Pomona, you will need to provide a catalog course description from your community college and/or the course syllabus before the Course Substitution Petition can be submitted.

Log into BroncoDirect/PeopleSoft, and check your Transfer Credit Report. You can find your Transfer Credit Report in the drop-down menu on your Student Center.

Many of the lower division GE courses and some of the lower division Communication courses may be offered at a community college. To determine whether a class will automatically transfer over, please check ASSIST.org. If a class does not show up in ASSIST, consult with your advisor before taking the course.

Check out Student Success Central's Advising and Academic Resources webpage or contact your advisor.