<p>Have a question about the COM major at UCSD. I have read that it is pretty "theoretical", in other words it is more weighted towards the interdisciplinary aspects of communication analysis, rather than the generation of mass communication via various media and/or the PR aspects of it. Perusing their web site seems to confirm that impression, but I would like to know what current COM majors think.</p>
<p>Is it purely theoretical, or are there more "vocational" aspects of the program, in terms of teaching techniques of mass communication and other aspects of the creation of communications? How much freedom is there to tailor your own program to emphasize one or the other?</p>
<p>I believe that COM is one of the impacted majors. How difficult is it to get accepted there?</p>
<p>Comm is DEFINITELY not impacted.</p>
<p>sorry, what does it mean if a major is "impacted"?</p>
<p>It means that they only accept a limited number of students into the major. As a result, when you apply to UCSD under an impacted major, you may or may not get your first choice major regardless of whether or not you are accepted into UCSD.</p>
<p>fish0matic: Is there a reason comm is so heavily impacted at UCLA but not impacted at UCSD? Academically the departments seem very similar, and if you look at semi-quantitative measures, such as citation per published article, etc., UCSD is at least on par with UCLA. Is it just the size of the school relatively to the size of the department?</p>
<p>I didn't know that UCLA's comm major was impacted, but I know that there are enough comm majors here that it can't have been limited to a certain number of students. And I'm pretty sure that it isn't a "pre-major", either, so you don't have to apply again for the actual major when you're actually at UCSD.</p>