Whether you just started in the Communication & Media Studies Program or are further along in your studies, we have answers to your most common questions. Read the Q&A below for info about programs and courses, enrolment, exams and more.
Please feel free to reach out if your question is not addressed below.
General Information
The first step is to contact the Office of Admissions regarding your interest in becoming a York student. Please visit York's Future Students website for information pertaining to admission requirements, transfer credits, deadlines and more.
Please visit our Contact page for details.
Please refer to our Awards page for more information.
Find more information on the Communication Studies Student Association website.
Please contact the Graduate Program in Communication & Culture for more information.
Program Information
The department name change is intended to better communicate what we do as a department. There are no changes to the degree requirements associated with the change.
Please refer to Program Change for more information about changing your program or major.
To begin the process, students must complete a Change My Program Request Form, and submit the form to the Registrar's Office in the Bennett Centre. Department approval is required only for students requesting to enter into our Specialized Honours Program. As of February 2010, all other programs in Communication & Media Studies do not require departmental approval.
For program requirements in Communication & Media Studies, please contact us to schedule an appointment with one of our advisors.
To book an advising appointment, please contact us:
- In-person: 3004 Dahdaleh Building
- Phone: 416-736-5057
- Email: lapscmds@yorku.ca
Please refer to our Degree Options & Requirements page.
Course Information
You can find information on our courses on the York Courses web site, as well as our Courses page.
Students who are able to enrol in their courses may have the opportunity to change their tutorial section online. Sign into "My Online Services" using your Passport York account before the enrolment deadline to change your tutorial section in a particular course.
After the deadline, please complete a Course Transaction Form. This form must be signed by both the Course Director and T.A. Please note, this is not a final approval. Once submitted to the department, your request will be put in queue, pending departmental approval.
Immediately contact your Course Director.
*Please note, we do not over enrol our courses. If a course is full, you can monitor the course for its availability.
Students should keep trying to enrol before the "last date to enrol without permission of course instructor" deadline. After this deadline, students should speak with the course director to seek permission into the course.
Please refer to the Undergraduate Sessional Dates for information about course and enrolment deadlines.
If a course is full, please refer to the question above. If there are seats that are reserved and require our permission, you can add your name to the waitlist. If a waitlist is available, it will be located under 'Quick Links' on our Homepage.
Please note that waitlists do not guarantee entry into a course. CMDS majors will be given priority. Students will be contacted if they meet the necessary requirements.
Please feel free to contact the department if you have questions regarding the process.
If a course has space reserved, limited space has been set aside for specific categories of students who must take the course to satisfy their program requirements. Spaces are limited and are filled based on student's enrolment date.
Students with questions about their enrolment date should review the Enrolment Guide on the Registrar's Enrolment Information website.
On occasion we will have waitlists. You can add your name to the waitlist and contact the department for further information.
Students may have credits from another university transferred to York, but must first have the course approved by our Undergraduate Program Director. Students should complete a Letter of Permission form.
This form should be submitted to our UPD along with the course description, institution and syllabus if possible. Students are strongly advised to do this as early as possible once they have decided to take the course.
Transfer Connect is a web resource for York University transfer applicants. Transfer credit representatives will guide you through the transfer process at York by answering questions about your offer of admission and transfer credit statement. Please visit the Future Students website for details.
The requirement for the iBA is that students must complete at least 18 Language Study credits (not English) toward the major. There are no specific parameters as to which language you choose to study.
Students in the iBA tend to choose a language that pertains to the country they will be doing their international exchange in. For example, if the exchange is going to be in France, then completing the 18 language credits in French is useful.
All fourth year Communication & Media Studies students can take Field Experience Placement Course: CMDS 4140, which allows you to apply for an unpaid position within an organization and work part-time for course credit. You’ll get hands-on experience, opportunities to network with people working in our field, and insight into the kinds of employment positions and activities you might encounter after graduation.
If you are interested in gaining experience in the workplace while earning credits, this course is for you!
*Please note this is not a co-op, it is a field placement course. Placements are unpaid, part-time, work-focused experiences that take place as part of a course for academic credit.