The PhD with a major in communication and information is intended to prepare scholars for teaching, research, administration, and service in the fields of communication and information. The goal of the PhD program is to prepare graduates for positions in research-intensive institutions. This preparation will also enable them to work at other types of educational institutions and industry positions. Doctoral students develop publishable research in their course work and provide evidence of publishable research prior to taking comprehensive exams. Graduates are expected to be competent in using at least one research method and should be literate in statistics. The program includes training in the foundational origins and contemporary literature of communication and information theories and professions. The program offers the opportunity for students to learn to be good teachers and to participate in service and outreach activities.
The program is interdisciplinary, consisting of a required core curriculum and primary and cognate areas of study. Core courses begin in the fall semester. The first fall and spring semesters must be spent in residence (i.e., enrolled as a full-time student). Attendance at a fall orientation session is required.
Admission
The master’s degree is required for entry into the doctoral program. Students lacking academic or professional experience in communication and information may be required to take prerequisite courses.
The following are normally minimal requirements for admission to full potential candidate status.
- A 3.0 (4.0 system) grade point average in undergraduate studies, and 3.5 for graduate work.
- At or above the fiftieth percentile in verbal, quantitative, and analytical aptitude on the Graduate Record Examination.
- Recommendation letters from at least three former teachers or professional colleagues.
- A statement of the applicant’s goals and reasons for pursuing the doctorate. Personal interviews with members of the PhD Admissions Committee may be required. Professional experience in some field of communication and/or information is a desirable criterion for admission.
- For students whose native language is not English and who have not earned an earlier degree at an American college or university in the past two years, the Test of English as a Foreign Language is required. The test must have been taken within the past two years. Students should show mastery of the English language.
Requirements
A minimum of 62 hours of approved graduate work is required for the PhD.
Core courses (17 hours)
CCI 605 , CCI 631 , CCI 635 , CCI 620 (2 hours), CCI 611 or advanced statistics, additional CCI doctoral level course.
Primary Concentration (12 hours)
3 hours of ADVT 680 , CMST 680 , INSC 680 , JREM 680 , or PBRL 680 . Other concentration courses will be defined by the student and his/her program committee.
Cognate Area (9 hours)
Defined by the student and his/her program committee.
Dissertation (24 hours)
Other Requirements
Within the combined primary concentration and cognate areas, a total of 6 credit hours must be from theory-focused courses and 6 credit hours must be from methods courses. Courses both inside and outside the college (including graduate-level courses in the schools) may be identified as theory and/or method courses.
All courses require the approval of the student’s program committee and the associate dean. A preliminary program plan must be submitted to the associate dean’s office by April 1st of the second semester of study. A final program plan must be submitted before the student undertakes his/her comprehensive exam.
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