ADVISING & SUPPORT

Declare or change your major and minor

You may choose a minor through the online declaration system from the following: Digital Experience Design, Film, Journalism, or Professional Communication after you are accepted to the program starting on September 1. You may also change your major at that time.

Change your major

You will declare your major and minor after you are accepted to the program. The online declaration system is open for you to redeclare your major from September 1 to February 15 from within the student portal. Note that the Digital Experience Design minor is competitive and applications close on January 15.

Please contact your advisor to discuss your options before you make changes to your major and/or minor. Your decision may require additional coursework.

Note: When you change your major you change the courses you are required to take to complete your degree. You will be bound by the program of study and graduation requirements of the specific major and the year you declare the change. Reference the appropriate Academic Calendar and your academic program progress report or academic planning form for all requirements.

Academic Planning Sessions through one-on-one advising appointments are held during the months before the start of the term. Students who have been accepted for fall term will be contacted starting in April regarding enrolment and academic planning. Students who have been accepted for the winter term will be contacted starting in November. Watch your MacEwan University student email account for your welcome message.

The following topics may be covered during an academic planning session:

• Planning your degree
• Choosing the right courses
• Finding out how many courses you should take
• Navigating which sections you can enrol in
• Calculating Grade Point Average (GPA) and understanding Academic Standing
• Understanding university vocabulary: junior vs. senior level courses, prerequisites, etc.

If you live outside of the Edmonton area, you can book a virtual advising session. We encourage you to carefully review the enrolment information that will be sent to you via your myMacEwan email account before you enrol.

To plan your degree you will need to refer to the program of study in the Academic Calendar which outlines the core courses, breadth requirements, major coursework, minor coursework and elective requirements (if applicable) for your degree.

Contact an advisor

If you entered the program under a block transfer agreement, or you need help location your year of study requirements, please contact an advisor in the program.

Contact Us

Your graduation depends on fulfilling all degree requirements and regulations accurately. These requirements and regulations are determined by the year you are accepted to the program. Contact the program for further information.

Additional planning information

Course descriptions

Course descriptions provide you with a brief overview of what you will study in a course, the credit value, and the prerequisites. Course descriptions are available in myStudentSystem or at the back of the Academic Calendar.

Prerequisites and co-requisites

A prerequisite is a course that must be successfully completed with a grade of C- or better prior to attempting a subsequent course. The course description may also list co-requisites which are courses that must be taken along with another in the same term. The faculty has the right to withdraw students from a course at any time if it is begun without the prerequisite or co-requisite or to withhold credit for that course.

Course load

Course Load refers to the number of credits taken in a term. When choosing how many courses you should take in a term, consider the following:

• The majority of courses in the BCS program are 3 credits.
• The maximum course load in the BCS program is 15 credits per term.
• You cannot enrol in more than 15 credits per term without permission from the program.
• If you are on a student loan, and to be considered a full-time student, you must maintain enrolment in a minimum of 9 credits per term.
• You may enrol in less than 9 credits. Students enrolled in less than 9 credits are considered part-time students.
• You must enrol in a minimum of 3 credits in an academic year to remain in the BCS program.
• You must enrol in a minimum of 3 credits in the first term you are accepted to the program.

Junior and senior courses

• Courses numbered 100-199 are considered junior-level.
• Courses numbered 200 and higher are considered senior-level.

Minimum grade restrictions

The minimum passing grade at MacEwan University is D. However, to be in good academic standing, you must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) each term. Please refer to the Academic Standing policy for details or speak with an advisor for help understanding the policy.

If you have taken post-secondary courses previously, some of those credits may qualify for transfer to this program. Depending on the courses, your credit may be applied toward first-year English and breadth requirements. You would then have a lighter course load in your first year or you may be able to take some courses from the second year of the program during your first year.

The process for assessing transfer credit varies depending on where you took your courses. In all cases, your first step is to apply to the program. Transfer credit will only be assessed after you have been accepted.

Learn more about transfer credit

A permission number (PN) allows you to enrol in classes that are restricted to you in myStudentSystem. For example, some course sections in the Bachelor of Communication Studies are reserved by major.

To request a permission number, email an academic advisor in your program from your MacEwan University student email account (Gmail).  You will need to include the following information:

• Your full name
• Your student ID number
• Your major (Journalism or Professional Communication)
• The course and section number (e.g. BCSC 100 BC01)
• The term the course is offered in (e.g. Fall 2015)
• A brief explanation of why you wish to enrol in this course
• If you have been admitted under one of our block transfer agreements, please indicate which one.

In your third year, you will begin building your portfolio of work and your network of contacts. You will have the opportunity to try out your skills in a real work setting. Start early to prepare for your field placement.

Prepare for your field placement

To receive your credential, you must apply to graduate by the deadline. You can find the application to graduate and deadlines in myStudentSystem.

Graduation requirements

To graduate you must complete all requirements and adhere to the regulations of the degree and MacEwan University. Consult the academic calendar for the year you were admitted to the program or, if applicable, the year you declared your major. The following requirements and regulations apply:

• Bachelor of Communication Studies Program of Study (Note some courses are waived under a block transfer. Contact the academic advisor for advice.)
• Bachelor of Communication Studies Degree Regulations
• Institutional Graduation Regulations

Academic Calendar

Convocation ceremony

MacEwan University holds two convocation ceremonies per year. If you complete your degree in December or April, you can convocate in June. If you complete your degree between May and August, you can convocate in November.

Learn more about Convocation