Recommendations for your first 40 credits

General recommendations for incoming freshmen

Recommendations for transfer students

General recommendations for incoming freshmen:

1. If needed, take your Communication-A course
   Some students test out of this requirement on the English Placement Test, or are exempted through a score of 4 or 5 on either of the English AP exams. Completion of a Communication-A course is a pre-requisite to take Journalism 201.
2. Complete your math requirements
   If you have an outstanding Quantitative Reasoning-A or Math requirement, take the appropriate course/s (often Math 112, but there are many different options) within your first two years.
3. Complete your foreign language requirements
   If you choose to pursue a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree, you will need to complete up to the third-year level of one foreign language. If you took three years of one foreign language in high school, you have completed this requirement (one high-school year is equivalent to one university semester). If you choose to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), you must complete up to either the fourth-year level of one foreign language, or the third-level of one language and the second-year of another. This option may be preferable if you took two or three years of a foreign language in high school but do not feel confident taking the next level of difficulty at the UW.
4. Don’t put off your science requirement
   B.A. students must complete 12 credits in the sciences, B.S. students must do 16.
5. Journalism 201: Introduction to Mass Communication
   J201 is a prerequisite to applying into the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. This course often fills before incoming freshmen have the opportunity to register – however, those students who do get a seat in J201 in their first semester at the UW often perform worse in the course than those who wait until their second or third semesters. As the admissions committee does look at the grade earned in J201 as part of the application review process, it may be in your best interest to wait a semester.
6. Introductory Social Science courses
   The J-School requires students to take three introductory-level social science courses off of an approved list as part of their degree. Each of the three courses must be from a different department, and one must be either a political science or economics course. These courses also count toward the L&S social science requirement.
7. Meet with an adviser regularly
   If you know that Journalism is the department for you, call 263-4898 to make an advising appointment with a Journalism undergraduate advisor before you register each semester. If you’re still interested in a variety of majors, make an appointment with a cross-college advisor to discuss your options.

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Recommendations for transfer students:

1. If needed, take your Communication-A course
   If you did not get Communication-A credit through one of your transfer courses and believe you should have, contact the office of undergraduate admissions as soon as possible. You may want to consider taking the English Placement Exam before you begin at the UW to try to test out of this requirement, especially if you did not transfer an equivalent to Journalism 201.
2. Complete your math requirements
   If you have an outstanding Quantitative Reasoning-A or Math requirement, take the appropriate course/s (often Math 112, but there are many different options) as soon as possible.
3. Complete your foreign language requirements
   Check to ensure that any foreign language you may have transferred is applying appropriately to your B.A. or B.S. requirements.
4. Finish your Science requirement
   B.A. students must complete 12 credits in the sciences, B.S. students must do 16.
5. Journalism 201: Introduction to Mass Communication
   J201 is a prerequisite to applying into the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. If you took an introductory-level journalism course at your previous university/college that transferred as a journalism elective (e.g. “JOURN X12), but feel it is equivalent to the course offered here, you may petition to have the course substituted for purposes of admission. See one of the journalism advisers to begin this process.
6. Introductory Social Science courses
   The J-School requires students to take three introductory-level social science courses off of an approved list as part of their degree. Each of the three courses must be from a different department, and one must be either a political science or economics course. Courses that transfer as electives in these departments may be substituted in special circumstances. See an advisor for details.
7. Journalism theories and topics courses
   Courses numbered in the 500s and 600s are called “Theories and Topics” courses. They are not restricted to declared majors – if you have junior status, you are eligible to take most of these classes. You must complete 12 credits of courses at this level to earn your degree.
8. Meet with an advisor as early as possible
   If you know that Journalism is the department for you, call 263-4898 to make an advising appointment with a Journalism undergraduate advisor, even before you begin your studies at the UW if possible. Issues like course substitutions and missing requirements can have a big effect on the courses you will take in your remaining semesters here.

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