Declaring the Pre-Major

Students interested in majoring in communication or journalism typically begin in the pre-major program in the School of Communication. As a pre-major student, you will be fulfilling critical introductory coursework, preparing you to apply to your School of Communication major of choice. 

Students are required to apply for admission to their major and specialization after completion of pre-major coursework. Each program is competitive for admission; GPA cutoffs fluctuate with every applicant pool. The competitive admissions process is based on cumulative grade point average, pre-major course completion, and enrollment capacity. Major admission is not guaranteed. Applications are accepted each semester. 

See below for the different pathways in becoming a communication or journalism major:

Pre-Major Students

New first-year students typically begin their first year at OSU as a pre-communication or pre-journalism major. During the first year, students typically complete the pre-major course requirements and apply for admission to their major and specialization at the end of spring semester.

Current OSU Students Changing to Pre-Communication or Pre-Journalism 

Current OSU students interested in majoring in communication or journalism are required to complete our virtual Major Information Session Carmen module in order to change to the pre-major and be assigned a School of Communication academic advisor. Students should declare pre-communication or pre-journalism while completing the pre-major course requirements. Pre-major students are encouraged to complete the pre-major course requirements and apply for admission to their major and specialization within 1-2 semesters after declaring the pre-major.

Transfer Students

Transfer students typically begin their first semester at OSU as a pre-communication or pre-journalism major. During the first semester, students complete the pre-major course requirements and apply for admission to their major and specialization at the end of the semester. Direct equivalents to the pre-major requirements are permitted but credit for these courses must be posted to the student’s Ohio State record by the Major & Specialization Application deadline. Ohio State cumulative GPA is used for the application decision; however, if you apply prior to your first semester of enrollment at OSU, a merged transfer GPA will be used. Once an OSU student, the School of Communication does not consider transfer GPAs in the major admissions decision.


2023-2024 Pre-Major Course Requirements

Students must complete two pre-major courses. A grade of C- or better is required in both courses for a Major & Specialization Application to be considered.

  • COMM 1100 – Communication in Society (with a grade of C- or better)
  • COMM 1101 – History of Communication (with a grade of C- or better)

Application Information

Major & Specialization Application review does not begin until final grades have been posted for the semester. Students can submit their application while completing the final pre-major coursework. Grades of C- or better in both courses must be posted to OSU record by the time of application review. Students who are not competitive for their first choice program will be considered for their second choice. The online application is available on the School of Communication website.


2023-2024 Application Dates

Applications are accepted each semester. Students can apply for admission to the major and specialization during summer, autumn or spring semester. 

Summer Semester Application

  • Application Opens: June 12, 2023
  • Application Deadline: August 4, 2023

Autumn Semester Application

  • Application Opens: October 16, 2023
  • Application Deadline: December 15, 2023

Spring Semester Application

  • Application Opens: March 18, 2024
  • Application Deadline: May 3, 2024

For more information about applying to the major, please request access to our virtual Major Information Session module by emailing commadvising@osu.edu


Major Information Sessions

All students are required to complete the virtual School of Communication Major Info Session module on CarmenCanvas. Students are required to complete the virtual info session in order to meet with an advisor in the School. To request access to the course, please email commadvising@osu.edu. The modules will appear on your Carmen within 2 business days after your email request has been received.

Once you have completed the virtual information session, your major will be changed to pre-communication or pre-journalism. You will be assigned an academic advisor in the School of Communication and can meet with them for scheduling or degree planning questions. For more information, please contact the School of Communication Advising office at 614-292-8444.


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