Limited Enrollment Programs
Communication

Applying to the Major


Transfer Students


Students applying to the University of Maryland from other institutions apply to LEPs through the general application for admission to the University by indicating their major of interest. Students are first reviewed for admission to the University, and then, if admitted, are reviewed for admission to Limited Enrollment Program majors based on LEP standards.

Applicants who have completed all required Gateway courses at the time of their application are notified of their admission decision in late April for fall admission and late October for spring admission. Students who are in the process of completing the required Gateways at the time of their application are notified of their admission decision to the university at the previously mentioned times, but will be notified about the major decision after the semester has ended and final grades for the semester have been calculated. Students should be sure to send their final transcript from their previous institution if they are taking classes at the time of application.


  • Completion of one of the following with a grade of C- or better: STAT 100 [Elementary Statistics and Probability], or other courses including: BMGT 230, CCJS 200, EDMS451, PSYC 200, SOCY 201 or equivalent
  • Completion of one of the following courses with a grade of C- or better: COMM 107 [Oral Communication], COMM 200 [Critical Thinking and Speaking], COMM 230 [Argumentation and Debate]
  • COMM 250 [Introduction to Communication Inquiry] with a grade of C- or better

External transfer students who attend an institution that does not offer COMM250: Introduction to Communication Inquiry, and who will earn 60 or more credits in the semester they apply, with a transfer GPA of 3.5 or higher, will be admitted directly to the major if they satisfy all other gateway requirements. These students must earn a grade of C- or higher in COMM250 during their first semester at UMD. If they fail to earn a grade of C- or higher, they must repeat the course in their second semester and earn a grade of C- or higher to remain in the major.


A minimum grade point average of 2.7 or above in all college coursework is required for all internal and external transfer students.


The following guidelines pertain to all Limited Enrollment Programs:

  • Only one gateway or performance review course may be repeated to earn the required grade and that course may only be repeated once. When more than one course can satisfy a gateway requirement, taking a second course from the list will count as a repeat. Please note that a grade of "W" is considered an attempt and must be repeated.
  • Students may apply once to an LEP.
  • Students who were directly admitted and fail to meet the performance review criteria will be dismissed from the major and may not reapply.
  • Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 after admission to an LEP. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the major.
  • Any student denied admission or dismissed from the major may appeal in writing to the individual LEP.

Transfer Students may use the Transfer Credit Services Database of Course Evaluations to determine how past, current or future courses may transfer to the University of Maryland.


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Current Students


Students currently attending the University of Maryland who wish to switch to an LEP or add an LEP as a second major can submit an LEP application through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The LEP application is made available following the add/drop deadline of each semester. Internal transfer students should complete the application either during the semester in which they complete the required gateway courses or at the end of the semester. This timeline is dependent upon the application deadline for the student’s preferred major. When previewing the application prior to submission, you will see all portions of the online application form, including those not relevant to the program for which you are applying. This is to be expected and will not impact your application provided you completed the sections relevant to your desired LEP major.

Please note: Students applying for the fall semester are able to complete a gateway course during the summer, either at UMD or another institution. In order to be considered, courses must be taken during UMD’s Summer 1 Session. If the course is taken at another institution, it must be completed by the end of UMD’s Summer 1 Session. Students applying to change their major for the spring semester are not able to complete gateway courses during the winter term.


  • Completion of one of the following with a grade of C- or better: STAT 100 [Elementary Statistics and Probability], or other courses including: BMGT 230, CCJS 200, EDMS451, PSYC 200, SOCY 201 or equivalent
  • Completion of one of the following courses with a grade of C- or better: COMM 107 [Oral Communication], COMM 200 [Critical Thinking and Speaking], COMM 230 [Argumentation and Debate]
  • COMM 250 [Introduction to Communication Inquiry] with a grade of C- or better

A minimum grade point average of 2.7 or above in all college coursework is required for all internal and external transfer students.


The following guidelines pertain to all Limited Enrollment Programs:

  • Only one gateway or performance review course may be repeated to earn the required grade and that course may only be repeated once. When more than one course can satisfy a gateway requirement, taking a second course from the list will count as a repeat. Please note that a grade of "W" is considered an attempt and must be repeated.
  • Students may apply once to an LEP.
  • Students who were directly admitted and fail to meet the performance review criteria will be dismissed from the major and may not reapply.
  • Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 after admission to an LEP. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the major.
  • Any student denied admission or dismissed from the major may appeal in writing to the individual LEP.

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Freshman Students


All students accepted directly as freshman into the Communication major must complete a series of gateway courses and a review at 45 credits.


  • Completion of one of the following with a grade of C- or better: STAT 100 [Elementary Statistics and Probability], or other courses including: BMGT 230, CCJS 200, EDMS451, PSYC 200, SOCY 201 or equivalent
  • Completion of one of the following courses with a grade of C- or better: COMM 107 [Oral Communication], COMM 200 [Critical Thinking and Speaking], COMM 230 [Argumentation and Debate]
  • COMM 250 [Introduction to Communication Inquiry] with a grade of C- or better

A minimum grade point average of 2.0 in all courses is required at the 45-credit review. On campus freshman may apply to COMM prior to the last day of final exams of their first semester.


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Contact

College Park Campus

Department of Communication

Phone: 301‐405‐6519

Email: commadvising@umd.edu


Skinner building

Shady Grove Campus

Communication

Phone: 301‐738‐6168

Email: sgcomm@umd.edu

Majors offered:

  • Communications Studies, with an emphasis in Digital Media & Visual Communication

Communication at Shady Grove is not a Limited Enrollment Program. All students entering a Communication major at Shady Grove will have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA, completed 60 credits and successfully completed the following courses/requirements with a C or higher:

  • COMM 107 Oral Communication
  • COMM 250 Introduction to Communication Inquiry
  • STAT 100 or BMGT 230 Statistical Analysis
  • All General Education requirements with the exception of Professional Writing