COMMU-PHD - Communication (PhD)
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Program Overview
The department offers a PhD in Communication, focusing on theory and research. Each student builds a research specialty relating communication to current faculty interests in such areas as ethics, computational journalism, information processing, data science, law, online communities, human-computer interaction, politics, voting, virtual reality, psychology of technology, history of technology, critical data studies, emotion regulation, personality expression, digital media and change across the life span, knowledge production, the influence of algorithms, personality and digital media, and information technology. Regardless of the area of specialization, the PhD program is designed primarily for students interested in university research and teaching or other research or analyst positions.
Students must complete the requirements listed in the Degree Requirements Section below for the PhD degree in Communication. Additional information is available in the Degree Requirements and Department Procedures for PhD Students and PhD Advisors (pdf).
This program is full time, doctoral students in the Communication Department are expected to maintain a significant physical presence on campus throughout their graduate studies.This ensures that students have access to advisors and mentors, libraries, and other resources that support timely progress towards completion of degree requirements. Additionally, being on campus ensures that students are part of the academic and campus community which supports continued professional development.
Admissions Information
Prospective graduate students should see the Office of Graduate Admissions website and the Applications and Financial Aid section of the department website for detailed information and application materials.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
Degree Requirements
Graduate Degrees describes university requirements for the PhD.
First-year students must complete introductory courses in communication theory and research, research methods, and statistics. These core courses, grounded in social science literature, emphasize how people respond to media and how media institutions function. In addition, PhD students must complete at least three literature survey courses and related advanced seminars in Communication. Students also take significant coursework outside the department in their area of interest.
Students must complete the following department requirements for the PhD degree in Communication. Additional information is available in the Degree Requirements and Department Procedures for PhD Students and PhD Advisors (pdf).
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Courses must be completed with grades of ‘B+’ or above, except for course (‘B’ minimum) and an advanced methods course (‘B-’ minimum).
Identified with the advice of the faculty, such tools may include detailed theoretical knowledge, advanced statistical methods, a foreign language, computer programming, or other technical skills.
Because the multifaceted nature of the department makes it possible for the PhD student to specialize in areas that draw on different related disciplines, the plan of study is individualized and developed between the faculty advisor and the student.
Teaching is core to the academic and professional training of doctoral students in our program. As such, all students must complete three quarters of teaching or assisting in teaching courses offered by the Department of Communication to fulfill degree requirements regardless of financial support. Many communication students complete more than the required number of teaching quarters as part of their financial support and professional training.
Complete at least two pre-dissertation research projects. The Major Project and the Minor Project are research papers, primarily written by the student, that are considered to be of sufficient quality to be publishable in a respected journal.
The Major Project has to meet the APA guideline for first authorship, providing an opportunity for the student to demonstrate that they are able to successfully and independently perform all relevant aspects of a research project in collaboration with a faculty advisor by independently taking the lead on developing the research questions, conducting the research, and writing the paper.
The Minor Project has to meet the APA guidelines for authorship, providing an opportunity for the student to demonstrate that they have gained significant experience in all relevant aspects of a research project in collaboration with a faculty advisor by playing a major role developing the research questions, conducting the research, and writing the paper.
Students are required to complete the first project by the end of winter quarter of year 3, and the second by the end of winter quarter of year 4.
The Project Readers (the Project Advisor and another Academic Council member) are selected by the student and approved by the student’s advisor. They will determine if the student has passed the project. A student failing to complete this requirement may be dismissed from the program.
See the Department of Communication’s Degree Requirements & Department Procedures for Ph.D. Students and Ph.D. Advisors for detailed information.
Advancement to candidacy is a prospective judgement by the faculty in the degree program of the student’s potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Students are expected to complete the Qualifying Exam, a nine-day take-home, open book and open notes examination, by the end of the second academic year of study. Each student will receive a grade of “High Pass,” “Pass,” “Low Pass,” or “Fail” on the overall Qualifying Exam. A student who receives a grade of “Fail” on the Qualifying Exam will be notified in writing and will be informed of The deficiency or deficiencies that led to this determination and the remedial steps that must be taken to meet the requirement. If the student successfully performs the remedial action, the student will have been considered to have passed the Qualifying Exam requirement. If the student fails to improve sufficiently by the end of Spring quarter of their second year, the student may be dismissed from the program.
Students are required to apply for candidacy by the end of the first week of the student's sixth quarter. The student’s application to candidacy will be reviewed by the PhD faculty as a whole by the end of the eighth week of the student’s sixth quarter. PhD candidacy is valid for five years.
See the Department of Communication’s Degree Requirements & Department Procedures for Ph.D. Students and Ph.D. Advisors for detailed information.
In the Department of Communication, the Oral Exam is a defense of the dissertation presented upon the completion of a substantial portion of the dissertation.
Students complete a dissertation proposal describing the research plan for the dissertation thereby clearly specifying the concepts and theories, literature(s), method(s) and data sources, and analysis strategy. All members of the student’s Dissertation Reading Committee attend the proposal meeting to asses and approve the proposal. Subsequent to the proposal meeting, the student is responsible for revising the proposal and receiving approval from the reading committee. See the Department of Communication’s Degree Requirements & Department Procedures for Ph.D. Students and Ph.D. Advisors for detailed information.
Students complete a dissertation satisfactory to a reading committee of three or more faculty members in the Department of Communication and one outside the Department of Communication.