New Students
Welcome to the School of Communication!
Important Reminders
Students should enroll in 5 courses every semester to remain on track for graduation.
While you can add yourself to waitlists for backup options, ensure you enroll in 5 open courses to guarantee a complete schedule.
Aim to include at least one of the suggested major, minor and/or cognate courses in your schedule, with the remaining slots filled from general education requirements.
If you can’t secure a spot in a major, minor, or cognate course, don’t fret. Construct your schedule using general education and electives, and contact your advisor.
Welcome to the School of Communication. My name is Luis Herrera, Associate Dean of the Office of Admission, Academic and Alumni Services. My staff and I look forward to providing you an outstanding advising experience. Each department has a dedicated advisor who will assist you and will answer your academic related questions.
Our advising staff has designed a course selection process for you that should be easy to follow and will allow you to choose courses that will count for your major, minor and your general education requirements. Please select your major on this website or in the UM bulletin for a list of required courses and general education information. Then, please continue on through the registration process on your CaneLink using the course list provided. You can access the academic calendar here.
New students entering the University of Miami School of Communication will receive an email notification from the University Registrar with detailed registration information prior to the start of classes.
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Email: communication@miami.edu
Phone: 305-284-5234
Dr. Luis Herrera
Assoc. Dean for Student Development Programs
For All Majors and Undeclared Communication Students
- English Composition – Every first-year student is required to enroll in an English course OR have achieved First-Year English credit through Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or transfer work.
A. If you have earned AP/IB credit for English Composition, then this requirement is complete and you do not need to select a course in this area. B. If you earned an ACT/English of 32 or higher OR a SAT/Writing score of 700 or higher, then WRS 105 is waived. You may proceed to enroll in WRS 106.
- Math Requirement – All School of Communication students must complete a minimum of 3-6 credits in math above MTH 101 (MTH 107 does not satisfy this requirement). Students must complete the math requirement within the first 60 credits at UM.Your Math level will be pre-determined for you based on the highest Math SAT or Math ACT entrance exam scores received by UM. You can find the placement scale here.
If you have earned AP/IB credit for Math as outlined here, then your Math requirement will be satisfied for all majors in the School of Communication.
Steps for Registration
- Please review all of the information on our website. Email your advisor if you have questions or concerns.
Refer to the Registrar’s website for assistance with CaneLink and to watch short videos on the registration, swap and waitlist processes.
Registration time is on your CaneLink home page.
Have a backup plan in case your first choices are full.
Remember all schedules may be updated once classes start. Check the academic calendar for add/drop periods.
Foote Fellow Advising Information
Foote Fellows are EXEMPT from all General Education Requirements including Cognates. Here are some exceptions:
- Foote Fellows are not exempt from pre-requisite courses.
- Some general education requirements may be necessary for admission to medical/graduate school.
- Foote Fellows may complete General Education Requirement courses by choice or automatically with AP/IB/Dual Enrollment credit.
- Foote Fellows may choose to complete Cognates.
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Foote Fellows are exempt from WRS 105 and 106 and math requirement, however these courses may be required for some majors.
Cognates
The University of Miami’s General Education Requirements ensure that graduates have acquired essential intellectual skills and have engaged a range of academic disciplines. All new students will fulfill the General Education requirements by selecting a Cognate, which is a cluster of courses arranged by their content, field and interest.
A cognate is a group of at least three related courses for at least 9 credits.
The courses in a cognate are related in a topical, thematic, interdisciplinary, sequential, or other such fashion, so that completion of a cognate provides coherent depth of knowledge in the area.
Students must take three cognates to fulfill the Areas of Knowledge requirement, one in the Arts & Humanities (A&H), one in People & Society (P&S), and one in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM).
To learn more about what cognates are in a short video, click here.
Your major satisfies one of your cognate requirements.
- Advertising (Management) — People & Society Cognate
- Advertising (Creative)—Arts & Humanities Cognate and/or People & Society Cognate
- Broadcast Journalism—People & Society Cognate
- Communication Studies (all tracks)—People & Society Cognate
- Electronic Media—People & Society Cognate
- Immersive Media—STEM Cognate
- Interactive Media—STEM Cognate
- Journalism—People & Society Cognate
- Media Management—People & Society Cognate
- Motion Pictures (all tracks)—Arts & Humanities Cognate
- Public Relations—-People & Society Cognate
To Search for Available Cognates visit: Cognates Search Engine
The cognates listed in the above search engine have been approved by the University Curriculum Committee for the current academic year. More cognates will be added to the search engine as they are approved.
New Transfer Students
All transfer students will receive communication from their advisor to schedule an advising appointment prior to the beginning of the semester. During your appointment, your advising hold will be removed, so you can add courses to your shopping cart and register.
During your appointment, your advisor will see if your transfer credits are applicable towards major, minor, cognates, and elective requirements. Transfer coursework towards your major will be approved by the department chair or a faculty advisor. You will receive further instruction on this process during your appointment.
Transfer courses that have not been given a direct equivalency still count toward the completion of your degree if passed with a grade of C or above. If you are currently taking courses, it is your responsibility to inform your advisor as soon as possible and send a final official transcript to the UM Office of Admission by the end of the semester.