COM: Journalism

Students should meet with their CGS advisor. Students may also meet with an advisor in COM Undergraduate Affairs, Room 123 in COM, as necessary to gain an understanding of requirements and policies within the College.

CGS students wishing to meet with a COM Undergraduate Affairs academic advisor for the first time, please email comugrad@bu.edu and ask to be “tagged” for COM on Handshake. This will make you eligible to schedule academic advising appointments with a COM Undergraduate Affairs academic advisor via Handshake:

• • https://bu.joinhandshake.com/appointments/new
  • Then choose “COM Undergraduate Affairs” from the menu
  • Follow the prompts

Students may also call (617) 353-3471, or stop by COM, Room 123, to schedule an academic advising appointment with COM Undergraduate Affairs.

Please review the COM Bulletin for information on your major before making an appointment with an advisor.

Upon completion of the CGS program, students must have earned credit towards the following 10 courses:

• Humanities: 3 courses
  • Choose two from CGS HU 103, CGS HU 201, or CGS HU 202
  • CGS HU 104*
• Natural Sciences: 2 courses
  • CGS NS 201 and CGS NS 202
• Rhetoric: 2 courses
  • CGS RH 103 and CGS RH 104*
• Social Sciences: 3 courses
  • Choose two from CGS SS 103, CGS SS 201, or CGS SS 202
  • CGS SS 104*

*Required course taken during the Summer term.

COM CO 101 is required for all COM majors. A zero-credit professional experience (COM CO 575) is also required, and will be taken upon continuing to COM in junior or senior year.

• All COM courses must be taken in residence at Boston University
• A student must earn a minimum grade of ‘C’ or higher in COM CO 101 to be eligible for continuation to COM.
• In addition to COM CO 101, the journalism major requires 11 total courses, including 6 core classes, a Professional Core requirement, and sixteen credits of program electives within the Journalism Department.
• COM CO 201 is one of the core classes and must be taken before the first Journalism writing course (COM JO 200)
• COM CO 101 must be taken before the start of junior year, with the minimum grade received, in order to continue to COM, and may only be retaken once.

For more information about the major, please see the COM Bulletin and the COM Curriculum Guides.

• Completion of CGS liberal arts requirements
• Cumulative GPA greater than or equal to 2.00
• Completion of the required elective COM CO 101 with a minimum ‘C’ grade
  • Note: If students do not receive the ‘C’ grade or higher the first time around, they can retake COM CO 101 once, but would have to receive a ‘C’ at that time in order to continue to COM. 

• BU Hub requirements
• COM requirements:
  • Boston University students must complete at least 128 academic credits, with all COM courses being taken at Boston University. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 minimum overall GPA and a 2.0 minimum COM GPA to graduate, including COM CO101 and COM CO 201.
• Advertising major requirements

Internship credit is awarded only for COM juniors or seniors in good academic standing who have taken COM CM 217 and COM CM 331. Students are encouraged to participate in work experiences at any time. The Professional Experience course (COM CO 575) can only be taken as a COM student, but any student at the University can participate in Ad Club, AdLab (with proper course pre-requisites), butv10, WTBU, and any other extra-curricular or co-curricular experience without being in COM. The COM Undergraduate Affairs Office can assist in directing students to the appropriate office.

Please carefully read the COM Study Abroad Fact Sheets for details on requirements.

Students planning to continue to COM and planning to study abroad in the fall of their junior year must make an appointment with a COM academic counselor in the spring of their sophomore year to seek an electronic signature on their BU Study Abroad Advisor Support of Participation Form or any external (Non-BU) study abroad paperwork. To make an appointment, call 617-353-3471.