Declaring the Communication Major

Before declaring the Communication major, students must first be accepted into the College of Arts & Sciences at Penn. While the School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) formally confers the B.A. in Communication, Annenberg School faculty design the major’s curriculum, teach the Communication courses, and admit students to the major. Graduation with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication requires a total of 34 course units, including 14 courses in the major.

How to Declare

Prerequisite Coursework

Before applying to the major, students must complete or be enrolled in the following courses:

• Two of the three introductory core survey courses, which include:
  • COMM 1230 (formerly 123): Critical Approaches to Popular Culture
  • COMM 1250 (formerly 125): Introduction to Communication Behavior
  • COMM 1300 (formerly 130): Media Industries and Society
• At least one additional Communication course (COMM 1000-4999)
  • COMM 3091 Communication Internship Seminar may not be taken to fulfill this requirement.

When to Declare

Students must declare the major during the semester in which they completed or are enrolled in the third of these prerequisite courses.

We strongly encourage students to declare the major no later than the second semester of their sophomore year, in order to allow time to easily complete all the major’s requirements by the end of their senior year. Students may, however, apply as late as the first semester of their junior year.

The Application

Students who have completed and/or are enrolled in their prerequisite coursework can declare the major by submitting the declare/update field of study form in Path@Penn. After your application has been received, you will be notified to make a major mapping appointment with the Comm Associate Director of Student Services.