Frequently asked advising questions
Please visit our Advising page for our most updated schedule and to sign up for an appointment.
This list serves as a guidance to various topics you can speak with an adviser about during your appointment:
- Academic and course planning
- Change of major forms
- Declaring a minor
- Applying for graduation
- Academic petitions
- Applying to the major
- CPT/OPT forms
- VA forms
- Study abroad course evaluation
- Professional development planning
- Questions about transcripts
- Academic and/or personal hardship
The Communication Advising Office, also known as the Communication Commons, has workspace for both individual and group work. No reservations are needed. If the Office is open, students are welcome to use the space. We also recommend that you look to our UW libraries for study and group work space.
All prospective Communication and Journalism and Public Interest Communication (JPIC) majors will need to have their prerequisite course(s) completed prior to applying. Students who have their course in-progress during the current quarter will have to wait until the first week of the following quarter to apply.
You are welcome to set up a Senior Meeting with one of our advisers through an advising appointment on our Advising page. Please visit our Information for Graduating Seniors page to learn more about the process of applying to graduate.
Once a student has reached 135 credits or if they are planning on graduating within the next two quarters, they are eligible to apply to graduate. This is the official paperwork to complete their degree and allows for them to have two consecutive quarters of graduating senior priority registration.
Please visit our Information for Graduating Seniors page to learn more about the process of applying to graduate.
When a UW Seattle student reaches their final 60 credits for their degree they are required to have at least 45 of those credits be taken in-residency at UW Seattle. If a student decides to take them elsewhere, they are allowed 15 credits of online and/or in-person transfer credits. More information can be found here.
To declare a minor, please sign up for an advising appointment through our Advising page. Students are recommended to speak with their minor adviser to go over their academic plan.
To declare a second major, please sign up for an advising appointment through our Advising page. Students will then need to obtain a signature from their other departmental adviser and are recommended to speak with their other adviser to go over their academic plan.
Students are welcome to receive UW elective credit for their internship through General Studies 350 (GEN ST 350). GEN ST 350 does not count towards COM or JPIC major requirements. For more information on GEN ST 350, click here.
If you are studying abroad outside of a UW program, you will need to meet with the UW Study Abroad Office and obtain a course evaluation sheet. Each course will then need to be matched with the matching UW department and be signed off by a departmental adviser.
The Department of Communication has various student organizations that allow students to network and gain leadership skills. There are also a wide-range of student organizations in the UW that cater to students’ professional development and personal interests. If you can’t find one you like, you can also create one!
Take advantage of the UW Career & Internship Center! This office holds various workshops and has career counselors available to assist with your professional development. The Department of Communication also has a database with communication-related internships.
Students with a registration hold will need to make an appointment with their general academic adviser to go over their academic plan and fill out a pre-major extension form. To sign up for an appointment, please visit our Advising page.