Communication majors may double major in any other major that allows it. In the last few years, Communication majors have double majored in Psychology, Spanish, History, Classics, Management, Marketing, Dance, Sports Management, English, Legal Studies, Hospitality, Political Science, Theater, Sociology, BDIC, German, Judaic Studies, and Philosophy, among others. As of Fall 2005, Journalism has allowed students to double major in Communication and Journalism.
Four Issues Distinctive to Communication Double Majors
1) Junior Year Writing
The Communication Department does not require that you take the Junior Year Writing requirement in the Communication department. You can take the course in your other major, regardless of which is your primary major.
If Communication is your secondary major, and you take Junior Year Writing in your primary major, SPIRE will automatically waive the writing requirement for Communication. (You will not get Communication credit for taking Junior Year Writing in another major--you will still have to complete 5 Communication courses at the 300-level or higher.)
If Communication is your primary major and you take Junior Year Writing in your secondary major, you must fill out a "Request to Substitute an Outside Course" form so that SPIRE will waive the requirement in your Communication Degree Progress Report. The form is available from Machmer 417.
2) The Global Education Requirement
If Communication is your primary major, you must fulfill the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Global Education Requirement.
If Communication is your secondary major and your primary major is outside of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, you do NOT have to fulfill the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Global Education Requirement.
3) Graduating as a double major
If you are a double major, and you fail to complete requirements for one of your majors, you will not graduate, even if all of your other graduation requirements are fulfilled. If you do not plan on completing requirements for one of your majors, you must formally drop it with a "Change of Major" form before you will be cleared for graduation.
4) Distinctive rule for double majoring in Communication and Journalism
No course can count simultaneously toward the Communication major and the Journalism major for students doing the double major. Although there are a number of courses in each major that the other major may accept for credit on a case-by-case basis, any given course can only be applied to one of these majors at a time.
