Declaring your intent to major in Communications Studies is done via MyMadison. Detailed instructions are available here. Declaring the major does not guarantee your acceptance. 

You will declare your SCOM major as either a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree and choose a concentration. You will learn more about the concentrations in our entry course for majors and can make changes at any time. 

Once declared, you will be assigned to our declared student advisor Mr. Lee Mayfield (mayfiecl@jmu.edu). 

To start the major, you must first have completed the Human Communication general education requirement (SCOM 121, 122, or 123) from Madison Foundations/Cluster One.

Then you will enroll in SCOM 240/240L. Seats in these co-requisite courses (meaning you must enroll in them both at the same time) are in high demand. There are no overrides into these courses and there are not waitlists on the courses. A majority of students who intend to pursue the SCOM major take SCOM 240/240L in the second semester of their sophomore year.

Admission

Admission to the major is based on availability to the most qualified students as determined by performance in SCOM 240 and SCOM 240L. Students who do not meet these performance standards (generally a C- or above in both courses) on their first attempt, are permitted one more attempt to successfully meet performance requirements in SCOM 240/SCOM 240L by enrolling the next regular semester or in the summer if the student desires. For students retaking, you must retake both parts of the course and put forth your best effort.  

Once SCOM 240/240L is successfully completed, it takes approximately four semesters to complete the requirements for the major. Until you are fully admitted, students can take ONLY 9 hours of SCOM credit (excluding the General Education course but including SCOM 240/240L).  

All students with an SCOM major are required to complete a minor, a second major, or complete 12 hours of cognate credit (classes outside of SCOM at the 300/400 level.) A minor is strongly recommended. 

This requirement is in place because those with communications knowledge and skills will put these skills to use in a variety of contexts. A minor or second major can help prepare you to work in specific contexts or add valuable knowledge and skills that complement your Communication Studies major and make you well-rounded.

The cognate option is for students who wish to study a broad range of topics, rather than concentrating on one particular area of study in addition to their major. The cognate requires completing 12 credit hours at the 300 level or above outside of the SCOM department. Courses in other disciplines at this level may have prerequisites or be available only to people majoring in those areas. Those pursuing a cognate should be prepared to spend time searching for courses online and plan ahead to ensure the coursework can be completed to allow for timely graduation.