Declaring the Communication Major

Pre-Admission

A limited number of first-year students are pre-admitted as Communication Majors by the Admissions Office. An orientation session for first-year Communication Majors is typically held on a Saturday morning toward the end of August, as part of the orientation weekend for first-year students.

Application to the Major

Communication is a limited-enrollment major. Students who have not been pre-admitted to the program as part of the application process to the University must apply for admission to the major during the application period that is scheduled each semester after the end of the Add/Drop period. (Check with UNH Advising or the Department of Communication office for exact dates and other information.) Each prospective major must submit a completed Application Form, process an on-line Change Major request (see below for instructions), and an up-to-date Communication Major Requirements Form, along with a copy of his/her academic file. Relevant forms and instructions are available ONLY at the MANDATORY Orientation Meeting scheduled just prior to the application period. Criteria for acceptance to the major include: available space in an applicant's class rank, cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better, and current academic good standing. A week after the end of the application period, a list of new majors and their assigned advisors will be posted on the bulletin board outside the department office. Students who are not accepted to the major their first time should consider taking one or two of the introductory courses (CMN 455, 456, 457) by signing up for the non-major sections of those courses. By doing so they can start work on the major before officially being admitted. (NOTE: The Department also offers a Minor in Communication, which is open to any UNH undergraduate. Contact Bonnie Hodgdon for more information).

Transfer Students

A limited number of transfer students may be admitted to UNH each year as Communication Majors. Transfer students must complete at least 20 credits of their communication coursework at UNH to complete the major satisfactorily. Transfer students must receive formal faculty approval for any transferred courses to be applied to the major. (See your advisor.) Communication courses from other colleges and universities must relate to the three areas of communication (Mass Communication, Rhetoric & Public Address, and Interpersonal Communication) offered at UNH. Students may be asked to supply course syllabi, papers, and other materials for their advisor's evaluation.

Change of Major Process

If you are currently in a major or undeclared within the College of Liberal Arts…

1. Sign in to MyUNHblackboard
2. Select Webcat/Services and continue to Webcat
3. Select Student Services & Financial Aid
4. Select Student Records
5. Select Change Major/Option and follow prompts

    View brief tutorial on the online change of program process

If you are currently in a major NOT within the College of Liberal Arts…

1. Obtain a paper yellow change of program form from the Registrar's Office or download one here.
2. Meet with your advisor, and obtain signature and your student academic file.
3. Go to your current Dean’s Office, obtain signature.
4. Bring your signed form and file to our office where we will instruct you on next steps.