Pre-Major Exam

Thursday, September 11, 2008

7:00 pm, 101 Bachelor Hall

Admission to each of the major programs in communication is limited. After meeting pre-major requirements students are eligible to apply to become a major. This is a selective admission process as not all those who complete the pre-major requirements will necessarily be admitted to the major.

The Pre-Major in the Department of Communication

Before being admitted as a major in the department, students must successfully complete the pre-major course requirements which include:

• COM 134 Introduction to Speech Communication
• COM 135 Public Expression and Critical Inquiry
• COM 143 Introduction to Mass Communication Theory and Issues

Students may not take these courses a second time to improve their grades. Only the first grade in any given course will be considered in the admission decision. Students must earn at least 30 semester hours, complete each of the three pre-major courses, and successfully complete the pre-major examination before being admitted to the major. Entrance examinations will be administered in September and January. The exam can be taken only once.

Application

You must register for the pre-major exam at least one week before it is given by submitting an application to the major and a current DAR. Honors students do not need to take the exam, but must fill out an application.

Preparing for the Pre-Major Exam

The Pre-Major Exam will be a 100 point exam consisting of 100 multiple choice questions. There will be 30 multiple choice questions from COM 134, 30 from COM 135, 30 from COM 143, and 10 on current events related to communication issues. Each question will be worth 1 point. The multiple-choice questions will test recall, application, or analysis of material from the three pre-major courses. Students will record their answers to the 100 multiple-choice questions on a standard scantron form using a #2 pencil.

Current events are defined as events that are in the headlines in major news sources such as CNN, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, ABC, Time, or Newsweek during the 8 weeks preceding the exam, and that are related to communication. Exam questions will be based on events such as political issues, social policy, ethical communication issues, crisis management, and similar events that are related to concepts discussed in COM 134, COM 135, and COM 143. Exam questions will test for knowledge of these events and their relationship to communication concepts.

Study guides containing learning objectives and sample questions to help students prepare for the examination can be downloaded here. Printed copies are not available.

If you took any of these classes rior to the semesters indicated, alternate study guides and exam forms will be provided. Bring two #2 pencils and your student ID with you to the testing location. No other materials or objects may be brought into the testing location. Accommodations wil be made for students with disabilities.