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The PhD Program
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.
For additional information on the Department, its activities, research, and resources, go to:
http://www.umass.edu/communication/
Location
The Amherst campus is part of one of the most exciting educational cooperatives in the country, Five Colleges, Inc., which includes the university, Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College. The intellectual, cultural, and entertainment opportunities in the Pioneer Valley are rich and diverse.
Communication is one of eight departments in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Other departments include Anthropology, Economics, Journalism, Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning, Political Science, Resource Economics, and Sociology. The college also includes the School of Public Policy (SPP) and programs such as Labor Studies, Legal Studies, and Social Thought & Political Economy (STPEC). Students may also complete certificate programs in areas such as Film Studies; Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies; Native American Studies; Feminist Studies; Ethnographic Research; and Data Analytics and Computational Social Science. In addition to taking courses within our college, a number of our graduate students also find useful cognate courses in a variety of other departments, such as Public Health, Education, History, Philosophy, English, and Comparative Literature.
Departmental offices are located on the third floor of the Integrative Learning Center (ILC). In addition, the ILC houses the department’s video production facilities, viewing centers, and editing suites.
Resources
Graduate students are offered a variety of opportunities for training and experience in research. In addition to pursuing independent research, there are some opportunities to work with faculty on their research through research assistantships funded by grants, through coursework, or through more informal collaborations. In terms of technology, students have high-speed access to all internet services and the latest operating systems in the department’s graduate student computer lab. Students also have comprehensive computer access in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library and the Lederle Graduate Research Center.
Audiovisual production and exhibition facilities are available in the department’s studio, viewing centers, and editing suites located in the ILC.
The Du Bois Library has a Graduate Commons Space, a dedicated area for graduate students and post- docs for study or small group work. See https://libcal.library.umass.edu/reserve/gcrooms for more information. Library carrel space is also available for graduate students.
Special archival collections on the history of communication education, Black History, contemporary rhetorical theory, Renaissance rhetorical studies, Latin American studies, numerous U.S. presidential campaigns, and much more are available on campus.
Additional major research libraries are located within a two-hour drive, including the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Worcester Antiquarian Society, and the MIT and Harvard libraries.
The Graduate School and Office for Professional Development offer many valuable workshops as well as one-on-one consulting on professional development in teaching, writing research, grant writing, the job search, work-life balance, and careers. These run throughout the calendar year, both in-person and online.
Please visit the university website or the UMass Graduate School website for more information about the university and its diverse resources and forms of support for graduate students.