Doctoral Program 

THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2013

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The Ph.D. program in communication and public discourse provides the opportunity to explore the range of ways human symbolic activity affects the public sphere. This program will provide a rigorous learning environment and foster excellence in teaching, research, and application, consistent with the University’s liberal arts tradition. The intent of the Ph.D. program is to graduate students with scholarly competencies enabling them to assume roles as intellectual leaders of the field of communication as well as public intellectuals stimulating discussion of significant communication issues.

Ph.D. Program Admission Requirements

• Statement of interest, including your personal goals and the relevance of the Ph.D. in communication to those goals
• Original academic 10-15 page paper reflecting your ability to articulate and synthesize ideas
• Three letters of recommendation from sources that are familiar with your potential as a doctoral student in communication
• Graduate Record Examination Test scores
• To be considered for a teaching assistantship, you must submit a statement of teaching philosophy and letters of recommendation that must address your teaching abilities. If your native language is not English, you must submit results of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), with a minimum score of 600 to be admitted. In addition, if you are seeking a teaching assistantship and if your native language is not English, you must attain a score of at least 50 on either the SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) or the TSE (Test of Spoken English). The SPEAK test is administered at the University, after you arrive on campus. You are, however, advised to take the TSE in your native country or the nearest venue where it is offered, and have the results reported as part of your application, as early as possible in the application process.

 

Ph.D. Program Admission Standards

Applicants are admitted to the Ph.D. program unconditionally ("approved status") or conditionally ("provisional status"). To be admitted, the applicant must possess a M.A. or M.S. degree in Communication, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) in all graduate-level coursework. The applicant's M.A. or M.S. degree program must contain a minimum of 21 hours in communication or communication-related coursework, as determined by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Applicants with degrees in fields other than Communication, or who do not meet the minimum GPA or 21-hour requirement, may be admitted with provisional status. Provisional admission will require a maximum of 9 hours of remedial coursework in the Communication Program's M.A. program during the applicant's first year, with a minimum earned GPA of 3.5.

 

Ph.D. Program Degree Requirements

 1. Completion of the core module (9 credits), including COMM 500 Graduate Studies in Communication, 501 Theories of Communication, COMM 502 Research Methods in Communication.

2. Completion of the theory module (9 credits), including COMM 508 Rhetorical and Communication Theory, COMM 509 Media and Mass Communication Theory, one course from the nine interdisciplinary theory courses.

3. Scholarly Tools Module (9 credits), including: COMM 510 Advanced Research Methods in Communication or COMM 520 Criticism and Communication plus one interdisciplinary qualitative tools course, and one interdisciplinary quantitative tools course.

4. Completion of the major module (9 credits) includes three interrelated courses, chosen in consultation with and approved by your faculty adviser.

5. Completion of an elective module (9 credits).

6. Comprehensive examination, taken over your first 36 credit hours of coursework.

7. Completion of the Ph.D. dissertation (15 credits).

 

*Total Ph.D. Credits (including 30 credits from Master’s or related field): 90 credits.

* For more information, check out the current Graduate Student Handbook