Declaring the Major

Application Process

Fall 2009 Application Deadline
Monday, October 12th, 2009 Students must apply by December 15th.
Spring 2010 Application Deadline
Friday, March 12th, 2010

You must apply during the semester in which you will complete your third Communication Arts class at the 200 level and above (excluding Independent or Directed Study) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If you don’t, you will automatically be required to go through the appeals process.

How to Apply

Bring a current campus copy of your transcript to the Undergraduate Office, 6117 Vilas Hall, or to the undergraduate advisor, 6068 Vilas Hall, to complete the application forms. Campus copies of your transcript are available, free of charge, at 333 East Campus Mall #10101. We require the Registrar's version of the unofficial transcript.

You will be asked to complete both a declaration and a cancellation of major form. The cancellation form will be processed at the end of that semester if your Comm Arts grade point average is below 3.0.

Transfer Students

You must be in the process of completing your third Comm Arts course on the UW-Madison campus to apply for the major, regardless of the course work you have completed elsewhere.

Are you in the College of Letters & Science?

You need to either be classified as an L&S student or request permission from a dean at your school (such as Education or Business) to pursue a major within Communication Arts. If you are planning to switch to L&S, register for an on-campus transfer workshop at the beginning of the semester.

Deadline

Fall/Spring

We encourage you to apply for the major one month before registration begins for the upcoming semester, so you will have temporary major status when you register for the upcoming semester. Several Comm Arts courses are initially reserved for majors during senior and junior registration.  Applications will be accepted until the last day of class for the semester.

Summer

Students completing their third course in the summer would apply during the summer.

Being Admitted to the Major

At the end of the semester, only those students whose grade point average in Communication Arts courses is a 3.0 or higher will be admitted to the major. The Comm Arts major will be cancelled for those students whose GPA falls below 3.0. Students may not subsequently reapply for admission to the Communication Arts major, even if they continue to take classes in the Department of Communication Arts.

An appeals process is available, but only for exceptional circumstances. A letter explaining the appeals process will be sent to the student’s mailing address.

 

Declaration Strategies

You apply for the major during the semester in which you are enrolled in you third Comm Arts course at the 200 level and above. We calculate the critical Comm Arts grade point average only once--at the end of the semester in which you have completed your third course. All the Comm Arts courses you have completed at that point (3 or more), excluding directed studies courses and Comm Arts 100, will be included when calculating the GPA. We do not drop any grades.

Assess your own academic strengths and weigh them against the advantage of declaring the major quickly. If you take all three Comm Arts classes in one semester and fail to achieve the requisite 3.0 GPA, you will need to look for a different major, so plan carefully. We do not recommend taking all three Comm Arts classes in one semester.

A few scenarios*

1. Student X takes three Comm Arts classes during a semester and earns one B and two BCs. She has a 2.66 GPA in Comm Arts. Student X will not be admitted to the major. An appeals process is available, but only for exceptional circumstances. A letter explaining the appeals process will be sent to the student’s mailing address.
2. Student Y takes two Comm Arts classes one semester and earn two BCs; he takes two more classes the following semester and earns two ABs. His Comm Arts GPA will be 3.0. He will be admitted to the major.
3. Student Z takes two classes and receives a B and a C; she takes one class the following semester and earns an A. Her Comm Arts GPA will 3.0 and she will be admitted to the major.

Select courses carefully. Start with elementary level courses. No specific courses are required for entry into the major, though some are required for major completion. If you are taking your first UW Comm Arts courses late in your career (Junior year or after), or if you are a transfer student with Comm Arts courses from another institution, careful planning is even more critical. Do not be tempted to enroll for more than two courses your first semester because you feel you are behind. This is often disastrous for transfer students and students changing majors. No major was designed to be completed in one year.

For help with course selection, see the Comm Arts Advisor.

* Based on courses for 3 credits. Revised May '05