Entrance to the five majors in the College of Communications is accomplished through the on-line "Sophomore Entrance to Major" application.

Eligible students will receive a letter from The Office of the University Registrar near the end of their third semester informing them that the time has come to identify their first, second, and third preferences of major. Students enter their preferences on-line, using the eLion advising system, typically from early January through mid-February of their second year of enrollment.

Three majors in the College do NOT have enrollment limitations: journalism, media studies and telecommunications. Students from across the University who achieve a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.00 after 28 credits can apply to those majors via the "Sophomore Entrance to Major" application.

Two other majors in the College, advertising/public relations (AD PR) and film & video (FILM) are under special controls, necessitated by: high student demand; the use of a limited amount of expensive, hands-on equipment; the need for intensive instruction in small groups; and the desire to maintain realistic student-to-faculty ratios.

Students must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply for the AD PR or FILM majors via the "Sophomore Entrance to Major" application during their fourth semester:

AD PR
Not open to transfer students.
To qualify for entrance to the AD PR major, students must:
1. be enrolled in the College of Communications or the Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) at the time of application;
2. have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.30 after the third semester; and
3. have completed ENGL 015 or ENGL 030 and ECON 002, each with a grade of C or better, by the end of the fourth semester.
Students who meet the three criteria are guaranteed entrance to the AD PR major for their fifth semester. Students must choose either the AD or PR option for the third and fourth years.
NOTE: In order to insure the fairest process for each sophomore class of applicants, the College will not override entrance requirements, nor does it permit students to reapply at a later date to the AD PR major if they failed to qualify, or failed to apply by the stated deadline, during the fourth semester entrance to major application process. As a result, students who do not qualify for the AD PR major during the entrance to major application process should, with the help of an adviser, develop a plan of action to consider an alternative major.

FILM
Not open to transfer students.
Current sophomores (for the Fall 2005 semester) who wish to qualify for the FILM major must submit a portfolio for review and selection into the major for their fifth semester. All portfolio reviews are done in the spring semester. Click here for portfolio guidelines.
NOTE: Students not selected for entry into the major for their junior year may submit a portfolio the following year. However, they must be aware that their graduation may be delayed by a year. Students doing this should be in another major and continuing on a four-year track for graduation.

Advising Office
204 Carnegie Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: (814) 865-1503

Our Advisers
Jamey Perry, jrp5@psu.edu

Melissa Hughes, mjg124@psu.edu

Kevin Leddy, ktl2@psu.edu

Penny Repsher, psr4@psu.edu

Debra Thurley, djd116@psu.edu