Steps for Admission

STEP 1 – Declare Yourself a Pre-Communications Student

Contact the CFAC Advisement Center in D-444 HFAC (801-422-3777) and declare your status as a Pre-Communications student. Students MUST be declared Pre-Communications to apply to the major.

You MUST also be an admitted BYU continuing day student in order to apply to the program. Please be advised that according to University policy, students must select and declare a major by the time they have 60 earned BYU credit hours (excluding language exam credits). Once a student has 75 earned BYU credit hours (excluding language exam credits), they will not be allowed to change their major unless special permission is granted.

STEP 2 – Take the Prerequisite Courses

Students must take the following courses and receive a B or higher in each (a B- will not meet this standard). There are no exceptions to this rule. Intro classes must be completed and the grades visible on the progress report before you may apply to the program. Students may repeat each course only once to earn a higher grade. Meeting the minimum standard requirements does not guarantee admission to any school emphasis.

WRTG 150 or Advanced Writing Requirement**
Communications 101- Mass Communication and Society
Advertising applicants must complete Communications 230: Introduction to Advertising
Communications Studies applicants must complete Communications 238: Introduction to Communications Studies
Journalism applicants must complete Communications 239: Principles of News Media
Public Relations applicants must complete Communications 235: Introduction to Public Relations

** Our WRTG 150 requirement must be fulfilled by WRTG 150, ELANG 150, M COM 320, an Advanced Written and Oral Communication GE course (ENG 311, ENG 312, ENG 313, ENG 315 or ENG 316) or an equivalent transfer course. (Transfer classes from other universities must be cleared by the advisement center prior to applying to the program.) We do not accept AP English credits or English 115.

These courses are typically offered each semester and term. Some courses are also offered through BYU Independent Study and at the Salt Lake Center. Prerequisite courses from other universities or colleges, other than Comms 101 or an advanced writing course, are not transferable.

STEP 3 – Prepare Your Application

In addition to the prerequisites above, each emphasis has an application with specific requirements. Please be sure to complete and include ALL required materials for your desired emphasis:

Advertising emphasis: Click here for application requirements
Communication Studies emphasis: Click here for application requirements
Journalism emphasis: Click here for application requirements
Public Relations emphasis: Click here for application requirements

Students MUST upload a PDF of their Full Progress (ABC) Report, including the Academic Summary (the last page of the report), as part of the application process. The Academic Summary by itself, or an official transcript, will not be accepted and will cause your application to be invalidated. For information on how to find this report, please click here.

Credit Information

Preference for admission will be given to all students with fewer than 75 BYU earned credit hours (excluding language exam credits.) Pre-Comms students with more than 75 BYU earned credit hours (excluding language exam credits) may apply to the major but may not be admitted.

Please direct any inquiries regarding your credits to Emily Emerick, in our advisement center. The number is (801) 422-3777.

STEP 4 – Submit Your Online Application

Applications are due on the second Friday of each Fall and Winter semester. The Winter 2018 application period for PR, Advertising and Journalism is now closed. The Comms Studies application for this semester will remain open until all spaces in the program are filled.

The Fall 2018 online application will be active on May 1, 2018, and there is a $5 fee for each application submitted. If you wish to apply, you may view the requirements for the individual emphases by clicking the links above in Step 3. The Fall 2018 application deadline is September 14, 2018, at 11:59 pm MST. Students who are admitted during the Fall application period will begin their coursework in Winter 2019.

If you have technical issues while submitting your online application, please email support@slideroom.com between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm CST. You may also consult the FAQ page on their website. PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION EARLY IN ORDER TO AVOID ANY POSSIBLE WEBSITE DIFFICULTIES. IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO THE ADVERTISING SEQUENCE, PLEASE ALLOW UP TO TWO HOURS TO COMPRESS AND UPLOAD YOUR VIDEO.

STEP 5 – Attend Mandatory Orientation Meeting

If you are admitted to one of the emphases, you are required to attend their orientation meeting. You will be informed of the time and location of this meeting in your admissions decision email. If you do not attend the meeting, you may lose your place in the program.

Students may apply to more than one emphasis at the same time; however a separate application must be submitted for each emphasis. Students must rank the applications to indicate their first, second, or third choice. Students may apply to the Communications major a total of two times. This means that you can apply to more than one emphasis during one application period but may only apply to the major twice.

The emphases allow some flexibility in your course schedule. However, where prerequisite courses are involved, accreditation rules preclude us from waiving prerequisites or allowing courses to be taken out of sequence. These courses represent what we consider to be important preparation for more-advanced classes.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT IF YOU ARE ADMITTED TO ADVERTISING, JOURNALISM, OR PUBLIC RELATIONS, YOU MAKE A COMMITMENT TO REMAIN IN THE PROGRAM FOR A MINIMUM OF FOUR SEMESTERS. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS REQUIREMENT. ADVERTISING AND PR ALSO REQUIRE YOU TO ATTEND ONE SPRING OR SUMMER TERM.

Click here for answers to frequently asked questions.