Advising

Appointments

The College of Social Science Student Success Center (CoSS SSC) offers advising for all degree requirements. Because CoSS SSC advisors can also answer all your General Education (GE) questions, we recommend meeting with a CoSS SSC advisor every semester before meeting with a COMM advisor.   

Schedule an appointment in Spartan Connect by selecting the blue appointment button at the top right.

*Click on "Drop-in advising" to the right if looking for drop-in advising.

Unit: Select "Academic Advising"

Service: Please choose one of the following service options:

(A) GE Planning/Scheduling Questions

Select one of the following for COMM advising

(B) Communication Studies Major Advising

(C) Communication Studies Minor Advising

(D) Change Your Major into/within Communication Studies

You may also use the personal appointment link below to schedule an appointment with a COMM major/minor advisor:

Dr. Marie Haverfield is the department's Winter Session advisor. Please schedule an appointment with her via this scheduling link. 

Please review the tutorials and the university no-show policy below before scheduling your next appointment.

Scheduling Help Tool [pdf] [pdf]

Student Self-Service Appointment Scheduling Guide

No-Show Policy for Scheduled Appointments

Drop-in advising is not available during the Winter 2026 Session. Drop-in days and times for Spring 2026 will be announced as soon as possible.

Winter 2026

October 8: Registration opens for SJSU students

October 15: First day to register for repeating classes

December 22: First day of instruction

• Drop without a W and with a 100% refund

December 26: Last day to drop class with 100% refund

January 4: Last day to add without a late fee. 

January 16: Last day of Winter Session - Finals

See the following calendars for additional dates:

Semester Registration Calendars

Summer Calendar or Winter Calendar

1. Review our B.A. in Comm Studies, Minor in Comm Studies, and Minor in Comm in the Digital Age which summarizes each program requirements.
2. Read COMM course descriptions and review the COMM major and minor requirements by catalog year in the SJSU academic catalog.
3. Scroll through this COMM Advising page for important information on completing your degree.

To change your major to Communication Studies, follow these steps:

1. First, maintain an overall/SJSU GPA of 2.0 or higher.
2. Next, complete 6-8 units of COMM classes with a 2.0 GPA or higher. 
3. If you are a lower-division student, [you have fewer than 60 UE (units earned)], then complete 6-8 units of lower-division COMM courses, which are numbered 1-99 (i.e., COMM 10, COMM 20, COMM 74, etc.). Be sure to earn a 2.0 or higher in these classes while maintaining 2.0 GPAs.
4. If you are an upper-division student, [you have 60 or more UE (units earned)], then complete 6-8 units of upper-division COMM courses, which are numbered 100-199 (i.e., COMM 100W, COMM 174, COMM 157SL, etc.). Be sure to earn a 2.0 or higher in these classes while maintaining 2.0 GPAs.
5. Are you not sure how many UEs you have? Log into MySJSU and view your unofficial transcript for this information.
6. Finally, after you have completed all of the steps above, email or meet with a COMM advisor through Spartan Connect. Your advisor will verify that you've met all of these requirements and then complete your change of major to COMM.

Future Transfer? You can learn more about applying to SJSU from our Transfer Admissions or meet with a Pre-Admissions Counselor.

Already Accepted? Congratulations! You can learn about the COMM major and what to enroll in for your first semester by reviewing our COMM Transfer Day Orientation slides.

Please visit Student Experience for Transfers (SET) for more information about your transfer orientation. We also recommend you review the following tutorials and resources:

Registration Basics Page

MyProgress

Transfer Credits

Application and Platforms for SJSU Students

All COMM majors must complete the 2-unit Applied Activity requirement. This requirement is completed over two semesters (1-unit per semester) except for COMM 157SL or Study Aboard to Berlin.

Each Applied Activity is coordinated by a different department program and faculty member, and each one has its own application process. Please review our Applied Activity page for a list of our program options and how to apply.

You may not self-enroll in COMM 198 courses. You will need to apply to a program. You will receive a permission number to enroll in COMM 198 once admitted to a program.

All COMM majors and minors should use the following tools to regularly track their progress. 

Available online 24/7, these are the same tools that our COMM Advisors use during their advising sessions with you.

MyProgress

MyProgress is a powerful online advising tool that allows you to check your progress toward all of your degree requirements, including GE, SJSU Studies, GPA, major, minor, and much more. If you would like more information on how to use MyProgress, you can visit the MyProgress for Students page. 

MyPlanner

MyPlanner is an interactive online tool that undergraduate students can use to map their entire academic path to graduation. For detailed information on how to use this resource, visit the MyPlanner page.

MyPlanner has some limitations; for example, it does not consider that some courses can be substituted or double-counted, so be sure to validate your changes on MyPlanner with an advisor. 

MyRoadMap

MyRoadMap is a helpful tool for planning out what classes to take and when. It shows you a generalized 2-year (for transfer students) or 4-year (for frosh) plan toward your degree, with all the required courses for your major as well as their sequence. For detailed information on how to use this resource, visit the MyRoadMaps page.

All COMM majors can apply for graduation through MySJSU once you become eligible.

Please review your MyProgress for your graduation eligibility and the Office of the Registrar's Application Central page for an application tutorial and to learn more.

You may learn more about the graduation ceremony from the SJSU Commencement page.

Need to change your graduation date? No problem - it's quick and easy!

Please follow these steps to change your graduation date:

1. Complete the CoSS Grad Date Change Form.
2. Type in your name and email address.
3. Type in the name and email address of a COMM advisor (see below) and your Graduation Evaluator.
4. Click the Begin Signing button at the bottom of the form.
5. Once you have completed and signed the form, it will be routed to the other signees for review and processing.
6. For more details, look over SJSU Graduation Date Changes page.

Disqualified and returning student should complete the Intake Form to learn more about disqualification or returning student status and what to do next. Please schedule an appointment with a SOAR counselor after completing the Intake Form to discuss your return to SJSU.