FAQs

Appointments with a COM Undergraduate Affairs advisor can be made by stopping by COM Undergraduate Affairs (COM, room 123) or by calling (617) 353-3471.

We encourage COM students to meet with a COM Undergraduate Affairs advisor at least one time each semester. You can find information about the COM advising model and the types of questions that are answered by COM Undergraduate Affairs advisors online here. When in doubt, if you have a question and do not know where to ask, please contact COM Undergraduate Affairs (COM, room 123, comugrad@bu.edu, 617-353-3471) and we will do our best to assist you or point you to a resource for help.

Sure! Students can email questions to comugrad@bu.edu.

COM students have a number of different types of advisors both at COM and around the University. Students have access to the professional advisors at COM Undergraduate Affairs (COM, room 123), you have access to a COM Faculty Mentor (sometimes referred to a Faculty Advisor), you have access to COM Career Services (COM, room 112), you have access to your major department’s Administrator, and you have access to all your professors. Additionally first semester freshmen and first semester transfer students from other colleges and universities are also assigned a COM Ambassador (sometimes referred to as a peer advisor). Outside of COM there are also a number of advising resources including the team at the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), the International Student and Scholars Office (ISSO), the main BU-wide Center for Career Development, and you have access to faculty and administration at other schools and colleges on campus. A listing of many of the student support resources available to students is available online here. The BU Hub website also has a map of your advising network online too.

Film and Television
COM, room 118
(617) 353-3483
filmtv@bu.edu

Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations
COM, room 124
(617) 353-3482
mcadvpr@bu.edu

Journalism
COM, room 137
(617) 353-3484
jodept@bu.edu

COM keeps a list of various resources offered throughout campus online Student Support page. If you are seeking a specific support service that you do not see listed here, please contact COM Undergraduate Affairs.

“Permission required” listed on a COM course is a university term that simply means that in order to register for the course at your assigned time you must be a COM student, a CGS student, or a formally declared COM minor. If you are a non-COM student you will not be able to register for the course at your assigned registration time, but will be able to register for the course (provided seats still remain) at the cross-registration date. You can see the various registration dates and limits on number of COM credits you can register for on our COM Registration webpage.

You can view your assigned registration date and time on your BU Student Link. You can also find Boston University registration dates and times by class year and BU ID number online here. Students can see the various registration dates and limits on number of COM credits you can register for on our COM Registration webpage.

Unfortunately COM Undergraduate Affairs and our advisors cannot sign you into a course that is full. In addition, COM Faculty cannot sign students into their course that is full. It is extremely important that you register at your assigned date and time to take advantage of the registration priority that is afforded to you.

If a COM course is full, your best course of action is to keep an eye on the BU Student Link to see if a seat becomes available as another student drops the class or switches sections. We also encourage students to reach out to department offering the COM course to see if there is any waitlist or course demand list that they can be added onto. The Film and Television Department often posts information on that process online here. The Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations Department often posts information on that process online here. Some courses will have seats that are reserved for transfer students from outside Boston University. Those seats will open via the BU Student Link (if any remain) on the first day of classes.

We encourage students to meet with the advising team either at CGS or at COM Undergraduate Affairs to discuss your path. All students who plan to continue to COM must successfully compete COM CO 101 with a minimum grade of a “C” or better. You must also complete all requirements at CGS to be eligible to continue to COM following your sophomore year.

To be eligible to IUT to COM you must first successfully complete COM CO 101 with a minimum grade of a “C” or better. If you reach that minimum grade and are in good academic standing you should submit the COM Intra University Transfer form to COM Undergraduate Affairs (COM, room 123 or comugrad@bu.edu,). The COM IUT Form is available on our forms page.

Copies of our COM curriculum guides and degree requirements are available here. You can also view degree requirements for not only COM, but other programs at BU through the online BU Bulletin.

Copies of our COM minor sheets are available here. You can also view minor requirements for not only COM minors, but other minors at BU through the online BU Bulletin.

Students who wish to formally declare a minor can find our COM Declaration of Minor Fact Sheet with information on the process on our forms page.

You can learn a great deal about the various BU student abroad offerings through the BU Study Abroad website. You can learn more about the eligibility requirements for COM student to eligible to apply to programs on our two study abroad fact sheets on our forms page

COM freshmen can take a maximum of 18 credits in the fall or spring semester. The only exception to this rule is COM freshmen who are also enrolled in the Kilachand Honor College (KHC) who are eligible to take a maximum of 20 credits in the fall or spring semester.

COM sophomore and junior students who are in good academic standing, have an overall GPA of a 3.0 or greater, and submit the Overload Up to 20 Credits form to COM Undergraduate Affairs (COM, room 123) may take up to 20 credits in a fall or spring semester at normal full-time charges. COM sophomore and junior students who are in good academic standing, but have an overall GPA below a 3.0 will be charged extra for their 19th and 20th credit.

COM students with senior standing are allowed to overload up to 20 credits regardless of GPA automatically at normal full-time charges. COM seniors do not need to complete any form to take 20 credits in the fall or spring semester.

We have a great deal of undergraduate COM policies and accompanying forms on our forms webpage. Many BU-wide policies are described on the University’s Academic Policies page. The Boston University Bulletin also offers a great deal of information on different requirements and policy.