Changing Majors

Hey! So I feel like a bit of an idiot because of this but here’s what happened. I applied to the Park School (for fall 2019) as a Communications Management and Design major. I ended up getting in under that major but then I realized that Integrated Marketing Communications is much better for what I want to do career-wise. I guess I should have been a little more careful when applying. I know that to change majors you have to have completed a semester of school with at least a 2.75 GPA to be considered, but I was wondering if that is different in my case, being that I have not even started at Ithaca yet. If it is possible to switch to that major before I start, please let me know. If not, I’m more than ok waiting a semester.

As a current IMC major - high five! Great choice! It’s an amazing major and I love it so much!

Ok, now on to your actual question…

If you really want to change your major right now, you should email/call admissions (it should be on the Ithaca College website somewhere. Just Google it, I’m sure it will pop up!). Admissions should either be able to change your major for you, or direct you to the people that can, if changing your major at this phase is possible (I’m like 99% sure it is).

That being said, I don’t know how worth it changing right away would be. A lot of people in the department call IMC and CMD sister major because we share a department and take a lot of the same classes…especially in our freshmen year.

In either of the majors, you’ll have to take S’Park, Intro to Strategic Communications, Communications in Organizations (in IMC you’d have the option between this class and a class called Business and Professional Communications, whereas CMD majors don’t get that choice), and Presentation and Graphic Design. The only difference is IMC majors have to take Intro to Mass Media in addition to the other classes, and CMD majors have to take Systemic Design.

Because the majors are so similar, I wouldn’t worry too much about changing right now. Changing your major is super easy once you’re enrolled - its literally just an online form.

Edit - also, don’t feel like an idiot! IMC and CMD are super similar, and a lot of people switch between them at some point once they become students here. Also, they’re not really super common programs, and the names aren’t really super clear on what you can actually do with them after graduation.