Take a bold approach to your education!
At CMCI, you'll have opportunities to gain early career experience, take your education on the road, and earn scholarships and honors to celebrate your hard work.
Identikey: The first two letters of your first name + the first two letters of your last name, and four letters. You will use this to log into your CU profile and access services like BuffPortal. Students must activate their identikey.
Student ID #: A nine-digit number, different from the number on your BuffOneCard. It may start with 109.
Check your CU email! This is the email that you are expected to use for all CU communication. This could take a couple of different forms: firstname.lastname@colorado.edu or youridentikey@colorado.edu.
Have questions on what it'll be like on campus? See specific CMCI-related information below and check back often for updates. For detailed information on timelines and procedures, view the FAQ from CU's Office of Undergraduate Education.
Students will still have the opportunity to build community and get involved. Many of our student clubs and media organizations will be holding virtual club meetings, holding online events, and supporting peers through community building on social media and via the campus Zoom platform.
Many club meetings may occur online. We are committed to continuing this important leadership and community building opportunities for students.
Yes, these learning opportunities will still be available. Whether they will be in-person or remote depends on what the faculty member has determined will work best for the course. Client partners will still be able to participate via Zoom. Students have access to many collaboration tools—such as Slack—to support group work.
We encourage students to contact their academic advisor and discuss their progress.
The CMCI advising team remains committed to helping you during this semester. We will be offering in-person and virtual appointments, which can be booked through Buff Portal Advising.
Log in to Buff Portal, CU's one-stop shop for students.
How to navigate the official student portal:
Detailed Degree Audit Walk-Through
Note: This video reflects the MAPS requirements that will be changing for students starting in fall of 2023. All other information is still relevant. If you ever need assistance accessing or understanding your audit, please connect with your advisor.
Log into your Buff Portal to access your "Class Registration Guide Card." Open the "Plan" section and click "view Degree Audit" to access the audit page.
Click on Transfer Evaluation, if applicable, to review AP/IB/Transfer credit.
Request an audit type:
After the degree audit is finished processing, click View Audit (look for the link on the right).
Planning courses
Review the below video from New Student and Family Program (also included in your Online Experience)
New first-year students are encouraged to register for a minimum of 13-16 credits during their first semester. Remember that you will be pre-registered for some classes at the end of June!
First-Semester Students may be pre-enrolled in:
CMCI 1040 (4 credits) required in first year—fall or spring (students are pre-enrolled in this course and do not need to self-register)
The first class for their selected majors
A CMCI Core or RAP class (such as WRTG 1160 or ANTH 1170)
Plan to complete the rest of your schedule by adding one to three more classes to get to your desired number of credits. Additional major courses, CMCI Core classes, or lower-division electives make great options for your first semester schedule.
CMCI Major Classes to consider: Note: First-Year students should look for lower division (1000-level or 2000-level classes)
Communication:
COMM 1210: Perspectives on Human Communication—3
COMM 1300: Public Speaking—3
COMM 1600: Group Interaction—3
Information Science:
INFO 1111 (Fall): Introduction to Information Science: Understanding the World Through Data—4
INFO 1121 (Spring): Introduction to Information Science: Designing Interactions—4
Media Production:
CMDP 1400: Introduction to Contemporary Media Cultures—4
CMDP 2100: Historical Media Practices—3
Media Studies:
MDST 1001: Foundations of Media Studies—3
MDST 1002: Introduction to Social Media—3
MDST 2002: Media and Communication History—3
Journalism:
JRNL 1000: Principles of Journalism and Networked Communication—3
JRNL 2401
JRNL 2014
Strategic Communication:
APRD 1003: Principles of Communication—3
APRD 1004: Fundamentals of Grammar—1
CMCI Core classes to consider:
Note: First Year students should look for lower division (1000-level or 2000-level classes)
Note: Students with AP and/or IB credit may already have fulfilled some areas of CMCI Core. Contact your advisor if you need help understanding your completed credits.
Quantitative Reasoning or Computing or Natural World
Lower Division Composition
Recommended: WRTG 1160: CMCI First-Year Writing and Rhetoric—3
People and Society
Humanities and the Arts
Historical Views
Diversity and Global Cultures
Elective classes: Note: First Year students should look for lower division (1000-level or 2000-level classes)
Electives are classes that apply to your total required number of credits for graduation, but may not be meeting specific major or core requirements.
Most CMCI students will need some elective credits to graduate.
Elective credits are great for exploring possible areas of interest outside of your major and may help you choose your secondary area of study later on in your program.
Log in to Buff Portal Advising.
Click on the advisor's photo under 'Student Success Team' to view their calendar.
Click on an available group-advising session, drop-in or meeting:
Only group advising and individual appointments can be scheduled in advance.
Make sure to check the modality of your selected meeting so you know how to attend. CMCI offers advising over Zoom, phone and in person.
Confirm or cancel appointments by clicking 'Show History' under My Meetings in the upper-right corner of the Buff Portal Advising Site.
View the Buff Portal Advising Student User Guide (PDF) for more details.
Check your Enrollment Date and Time on your enrollment dates card in Buff Portal (you may be prompted to log in).
Continuing student registration remains open from your assigned enrollment date until the date specified in the registration calendar.
These items are listed in Buff Portal on the "Holds and To-Dos" card.
Expand the menus for more information.
Holds: Prevent you from taking some kind of action (i.e. registering for classes). CU Boulder departments and offices may place a hold on a student's record for a number of reasons. Resolve holds as quickly as possible by following the instructions associated with each hold listed.
To-Do items: Recommended actions necessary to complete specific outcomes. Some to-do items become holds if not completed by a specific date. Monitor to-do items closely and follow the instructions to resolve it.
Log in to Buff Portal and navigate to your "Class Registration Guide Card."
Open the “Plan” section and click the search for classes link. You can also navigate directly to the CU Class Search directly by clicking the below button or by typing classes.colorado.edu into your web browser
Use the following search criteria:
Select the following:
Click on the class options generated from the search. Review class registration restrictions, description, time and location and section information.
Registration Restrictions:
Click on the desired section(s). Note: Classes may require a LAB or REC (Recitation) along with the LEC (Lecture). Select both to register for the class.
Click Add to Cart.
Hints:
At the date and time of your enrollment, log in to Buff Portal.
Click on Classes and Registration, Registration Checklist and select Enroll in Classes
Review schedule in the Buff Portal to confirm enrollment.
See the Office of the Registrar's website to learn how to waitlist for a closed class, swap a class or drop a class.
Important notes about registration:
CMCI offers a variety of workshops and events throughout the year.
The College of Media, Communication and Information offers a number of automatic consideration merit scholarships for freshmen and over 25 scholarships for continuing students that require an application.
Prospective freshmen are automatically considered for CMCI Merit Scholarships based on the strength of their admissions application. Awards are made in conjunction with the CU Boulder Esteemed Scholars Program as well as the Presidential Scholarship.
CMCI Career and Internships connects CMCI students and alumni with top employers in the fields of media, communication and information, with over 1,000 employers in the office’s database.
The office also provides career counseling, resume reviews, workshops, career fairs, mock job interviews and more.
Thanks for your interest in CU Boulder’s College of Media, Communication and Information. We welcome your questions or comments and will respond as quickly as possible.