Admission to the Majors

The School of Communication and Information (SC&I) requires an application to its majors separate from the one through which students apply to the university. Students already enrolled at a Rutgers four-year school as well as new transfer students may obtain the most up-to-date information about admission procedures from the school's website (https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/admissions/undergraduate). 

The majors offered by SC&I include: communication; information technology and informatics; journalism and media studies.

Students who wish to apply for admission to any one of the three majors in the School of Communication and Information must meet the following minimum requirements prior to applying:

1)    have completed Expository Writing or an equivalent course or placement with a grade of C or better;

2)    have completed at least 15 credits at Rutgers, or at least 15 transfer credits to Rutgers, with at least a 2.0 grade-point average; and

3)    have completed with a grade of C or better the required course for the major of choice:

• For communication major applicants, the required prerequisite survey course is: 04:189:101 Introduction to Communication and Information Processes.
• For information technology and informatics major applicants, the required prerequisite survey course is: 04:189:103 Information Technology and Informatics.
• For journalism and media studies major applicants, the required prerequisite survey course is: 04:189:102 Introduction to Media Systems and Processes.

The school has a competitive application process and meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee admission to a major. Students' applications, transcripts, and written statements are reviewed by an admissions committee to determine suitability for admission. The school is committed to admitting a highly motivated and diverse student body to the undergraduate programs.

Students who earn a D or F in the prerequisite survey course will be allowed to retake the course one time.

Application Process

The school accepts applications to the major during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Deadlines for submitting the application, which is online on the school's website, are published each year and allow for decisions to be announced in time for students who are admitted to preregister for the following semester as a major.

The website is located at https://comminfo.rutgers.edu and includes details about majors, courses, and the school.

Students who complete the prerequisite survey course may continue to take some additional core requirements and department electives in each program before being admitted to the major:

Students planning to major in communication may take 04:192:200, 201, and 300 after completion of 04:189:101 before being admitted to the major.

Students planning to major in information technology and informatics may take 04:547:111, 200, 215, and 220 after completion of 04:189:103 before being admitted to the major.

Students planning to major in journalism and media studies may take 04:567:274, 275, 276, 278, 324, 333, 334, 335, 350, 365, 379, and 380 after completion of 04:189:102 before being admitted to the major.

Completion of any of these courses does not guarantee admission to any major. Only courses completed with a grade of C or better will count toward the major once accepted.

Declaration of a Minor

Students may declare a minor in digital communication, information, and media after successful completion of one 100- or 200-level course with a grade of C or better. Students may declare a minor in gender and media after successful completion of one of the foundational courses with a grade of C or better. School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) students may declare the minor through the SAS myMajor system; other students may use the declaration form on the SC&I website.