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Students pursuing a PhD in Communication devise their own concentrations. The PhD program is designed to familiarize the student with a particular body of knowledge and a variety of approaches to inquiry shaped by a general understanding of communication. The program prepares graduates for careers in teaching and research with special concentrations possible in business, government, media industries, and community organizations.

The structure of the program and its requirements are here described in brief. For more detail, please consult the Graduate Handbook.

A Minimum of 66 Credits of Coursework

The PhD degree requires a minimum of 66 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree. Many students complete credits in excess of this minimum. Computation of the required 66 credits begins with the completion of the bachelor’s degree (not the MA) and is exclusive of dissertation credits. No more than 6 credits of 500-level courses, and no more than 6 PhD tutorial or independent study credits, may be counted toward the degree. Courses taken at other institutions (e.g., during an MA program) will be credited toward the minimum requirements of the PhD on a course-by-course basis at the discretion of the GPD and the student's Guidance Committee (up to 30 credits)

PhD students will follow one of the following three sets of requirements, based on their MA or equivalent preparation:

Group 1 requirements are for students who earned an MA in Communication at another university.

Group 2 requirements are for students who earned an MA in a field other than Communication.

Group 3 requirements are for exceptional students with a BA in Communication who have academic experience and/or additional training in the field.

For details on the exact requirements for these three groups, please consult the Graduate Handbook.

Residency

Doctoral candidates must spend the equivalent of at least one continuous academic year of full-time graduate work (9 credits per semester) in residence at the university, in either a fall/spring or spring/fall sequence. During this year, you must spend some part of each week physically on campus. Because funding in the department typically takes the form of a teaching assistantship, which is done in person, additional residency beyond Graduate School requirements is common. We do not provide non-residential funding.

Comprehensive Examination

After all coursework in the Plan of Study has been completed, the student takes a Preliminary Comprehensive Examination under the guidance of the Comprehensive Exam Committee consisting of the student’s advisor and two other members of the Communication faculty. Any outside member must be in addition to three faculty members from the department. These may or may not be the same three members from the student’s Plan of Study Committee. Students typically constitute this committee in the second half of their second year.

Successful completion of the comprehensive exam shows that the student is experienced in secondary research and has the skills to perform original research, can articulate their position in the discipline, and shows skills for teaching in it.

The comprehensive exams, or “comps,” consist of six components, only three of which are traditional exams. Students must successfully complete these six components and pass an oral defense before they can progress to their Dissertation Prospectus.

The three comps components that are not traditional exams are:

  1. A research paper in a “ready for journal submission” state
  2. A reflection paper in which the student provides a statement about the communication discipline and how they position themselves in this field
  3. A comprehensive syllabus for a 400-level seminar in the student’s area of expertise accompanied by a brief reflection paper

The three exams are in theories, methods, and the student’s area of specialty.

Dissertation Prospectus

After passing the Comprehensive Examination, you must prepare a prospectus describing the research to be conducted, analyzed, and presented in the dissertation. Each member of the Dissertation Committee must sign the cover sheet to indicate approval of the topic and its plan of execution. The Graduate Program Director or department head then signs the prospectus and forwards it to the Graduate Records Office. This copy must be received at least seven months before the date of the Final Oral Examination.

Dissertation

As soon as you pass the Comprehensive Examination, the Doctoral Dissertation Committee is appointed by the Graduate Dean upon nomination and recommendation by the Graduate Program Director (GPD) or department head.

The committee comprises at least three graduate faculty members: the chairperson, at least one other member from the department, and one member from outside the department. Selection of the committee typically begins with an invitation to serve from the student to the faculty members, but it is ultimately a matter of academic judgment on the part of the student’s advisor and GPD, with approval by the Graduate Dean.

The dissertation is a substantial piece of original research in Communication. Its completion, successful oral defense, and approval by all members of the dissertation committee is the final requirement of the degree.