Admission Policy and Procedure
To be admitted to the program, you must first declare a pre-major. Ideally, the pre-major should be declared in the freshman or sophomore year. Application for admission to full JMC-major status should take place during the sophomore year. It is important to note that the JMC major is a two-year program beyond the time at which a pre-major is admitted with full JMC major status. Whether admitted as a sophomore, junior, or senior, the newly admitted JMC major will often need two full academic years to complete the major course requirements. In particular, seniors and transfer students who are considering applying to become JMC majors are advised that it is not usually possible to complete the process of application to the major and all the required coursework in fewer than four regular semesters.
To Become a JMC Pre-Major
- Read the JMC department’s Acknowledgment Letter available from the JMC department office (Candelaria 1265) and sign the form on the reverse side of the Letter.
- Deliver the signed Acknowledgment Letter to JMC’s administrative assistant, and fill out a Change of Major/Minor form at the JMC office.
To Become a JMC Major
- Complete ENG 122 and JMC 100 with grades of “C” or better in both.
- Complete 30 semester hours of undergraduate credit. Hours accepted in transfer from another college or university can count toward these 30 hours, as can JMC 100’s three credit hours.
- After completing ENG 122, JMC 100, and 30 hours,
- complete the Application for Admission to the Major in Journalism and Mass Communications form (available here as a .pdf file)
- sign up to take the essay examination during one of the controlled lab sessions. You may do this beginning on the first day of the month in which you wish to apply. You must hand in your completed application before signing up. You may not sign up for an essay session if you have not turned in your completed application.
Note: Transfer students only must submit, along with their applications, transcripts of all work completed at colleges and universities other than UNC. If an official UNC Transfer Evaluation has been processed for you, check with the JMC department to see if a copy of that Transfer Evaluation is on file—if it is in JMC files and shows all work you wish to use to apply to the JMC major, then you need not submit any transcripts.
Journalism and Mass CommunicationsThe application and transcripts must reach the JMC department by
Candelaria Hall, Room 1265
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO 80639
October 15 for Fall admission, orJMC does not consider applications during summer.
February 15 for Spring Admission
Registering for the Essay-Writing Session
As indicated above, the essay you are to write as a part of your application to become a JMC major is one you will write in a computer lab. You will have 2.5 hours to answer an essay question, which will be provided at the lab. You must register for a scheduled essay session when you submit your completed application. Applications must be submitted to the JMC administrative assistant by Oct. 15 in the fall and Feb. 15 in the spring. The following times and dates are scheduled for the essay:
- 3-5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20 in Candelaria Hall 1140/1170
- 8-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 in Candelaria Hall 1140/1170
No one may register before 8 a.m. Oct. 1 or after 4 p.m. Oct. 15. Please note that one of the essay session dates is a Saturday. The JMC program faculty and staff want to make this procedure as easy as possible for students.
Essay questions will differ from one session to the next.
Students with special needs must see the admissions chair at least two weeks prior to the application due dates of Oct. 15 or Feb. 15 to make needed arrangements.
