We invite you to apply online.
For a comprehensive description of the program, please consult the Graduate Program Handbook.
Watch our Zoom presentation on the Graduate application process
The application requirements are:
- Online application
- Payment of the application fee
- Personal statement
- Resume
- Writing sample of no more than 25 pages
- Three letters of recommendation
- One official transcript from each school previously attended (sent directly to the Graduate School)
- Undergraduate GPA of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale or an equivalent to this score
- English language proficiency scores for non-native English speakers
- Optional: GRE scores
Apply through the Graduate School Admissions Office
The UMass Amherst Graduate School Admissions Office has a standardized application form. For more application information and forms, including an online application, please visit the Admissions section of the UMass Amherst Graduate School website and the specific program page for Communication.
The application deadline for fall admission is January 2. Spring admissions are not considered.
Application Materials
Here we elaborate on Admissions Committee expectations for the application materials in the Department of Communication.
The personal statement may be 1.5-3 pages single-spaced. The admission committee uses this statement to learn what the candidate hopes to study and accomplish in a PhD program in Communication, and why they think our department is the right place to do it. The committee wants to find out what interests the candidate wants to pursue and what past educational, research, or lived experiences and accomplishments the candidate will bring to their studies and their research program. The strongest statements reveal a candidate’s original thinking and how a candidate uses ideas to approach and make sense of communicative phenomena.
In the resume or CV, the committee hopes to see a concise summary of the candidate's educational history, employment history, publications or scholarly presentations (if any), creative or community projects (if any), or other experiences and accomplishments the candidate deems relevant.
The committee will typically only read one writing sample of no more than 25 pages. This writing sample should be solo-authored. It could be a term paper, a segment of a thesis, a report, or a solo-authored publication. From this sample, we hope to see how candidates write and think, and learn about candidates' substantive research experience and/or scholarly interests.
The letters of recommendation should speak to the candidate's potential for success in graduate school and scholarship. These letters typically are from former professors with whom students have worked closely. If letters are from former employers or collaborators, they should speak to the candidate's skills and interests that are relevant to graduate study.
GRE scores are optional. If a candidate feels that GRE scores will enhance their application, or represent academic skills not already represented elsewhere in the application materials, they are welcome to include them.
About the Admission Decision
Although the graduate school retains applicants’ official records, decisions to accept applicants to the Communication program (and to recommend admittance to the university) are made by the department's own Graduate Admissions Committee. The committee is highly selective. Admission decisions are based on all available information, not on any single criterion. Primary considerations include a statement of interest in areas in which the department has expertise, letters of recommendation, grade point averages, and the writing sample.
Most students admitted to the PhD program in Communication have or are in the process of completing a master’s degree in Communication or a related field in the social sciences or humanities. The department may admit exceptional students with a BA directly into the PhD program. These applicants will be required to demonstrate significant experience with and/or potential in producing original research. Students admitted with a BA or a Master’s degree in an unrelated field are required to do at least one additional semester of coursework.
Financial Assistance
Accepted students are typically offered a tuition waiver and an assistantship which comes with a stipend. For more information, see our page about Funding.