The
doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) program is based in the School of Communication and Information
(SC&I) and provides doctoral training for students seeking theoretical and
research skills for scholarly and professional leadership in the fields of
communication, library and information science, and journalism and media studies.
The focus of the program is on the nature and function of communication, information
and media institutions, policies, processes and systems and their impact on
individuals as well as social, organizational,
national, and international affairs. Interdisciplinary approaches to these
issues are strongly supported and encouraged in the program. The program is
especially well-suited for those interested in the interaction between new
information and communication technologies, the individuals who use them, and
the social/cultural/political systems in which they are embedded. However, students
with more narrowly aligned disciplinary interests (e.g., organizational
communication, interpersonal communication, health communication, library
management, journalism, and critical/cultural studies in communication) will also
find that this program serves them well. The Ph.D. program serves students who seek
to acquire theoretical and research skills for scholarly activity or for
leadership positions in the communication and information fields. The program
focuses on the nature and function of communication and information processes.
It looks at systems, institutions, and policies and assesses their impact on
individuals and organizations and upon national and international affairs. Students
may focus on any of the following areas: communication, library and information science, or media studies.Communication
(COM) reflects
faculty research and scholarship focusing on three interrelated core areas: social interaction; organizational communication; and mediated communication.
Problem-oriented research at the intersection of these areas includes prominent
contemporary communication concerns related to health, gender, conversation analysis, persuasion, identity, leadership, change, policy, culture, collaboration, and interpersonal relationships. The department houses two centers
that provide various opportunities for doctoral students: the Center for
Communication and Health Issues and
the Center for Organizational Development and Leadership.
Library
and Information Science (LIS) provides a strong academic foundation for students seeking theoretical
and research skills for scholarly and professional leadership in the library
and information fields. Information science focuses
on information behavior and systematic responses to it. Students in this area
develop an understanding of and research capability in human
information-seeking activity, information retrieval systems, and information
structures. Library science concentrates
on digital as well as physical libraries and information centers as part of a
diverse global information environment. It considers the design,
management, and evaluation of information systems and services responsive to
users' information and cultural needs.
Ph.D. students in the LIS area must have two areas of study.
With the assistance of their advisers, students select a relevant second area
from one of the other areas of the Ph.D. program or from elsewhere in the university.
Media
Studies (MS) is
concerned with the political, social, psychological, and economic impact of the
media, as well as with the cultural and historical conditions that give rise to
contemporary media. The area includes the study of both the "traditional" mass
media and newer electronic technologies and telecommunications. Research and
coursework cover media content and effects; audience reception and interpretive
processes; the emergence of audiences understood in terms of race, age, gender,
class, and politics;
the sociology and production of culture; communication law, regulation, and
policy; and the media's roles in political and international communication and
in educational systems.
To earn a Ph.D., students must complete a minimum of
33 credits of doctoral-level coursework (or 36 if the student's selected area
of study is LIS) and accumulate 24 credits of dissertation research (or 27 if the
student's selected area of study is MS). In addition, Ph.D. candidates must have
completed a minimum of 12 credits of graduate coursework (or up to 24 credits if
the student's selected area of study is COM), which can be transfer credits from
their master's degree.
As a part of the interdisciplinary coursework requirement,
students must take 16:194:601 Communication, Information, and Media Proseminar: 16:194:608 Research Practicum; and 16:194:600
Colloquium. The number of credits in the student's selected area of study
within the program is 30 credits in LIS, and 27 credits in COM and MS.
There is no language or residency requirement, and students
may pursue the Ph.D. on a full- or part-time basis. However, students are
required to enroll for a minimum of 6 credits during the time they are taking
coursework in the program; furthermore, we currently offer no entirely online
courses. Teaching and research assistantships, which include full tuition remission,
and various fellowships are available for highly qualified full-time students.
SC&I
offers two master's degrees, the master's degree in library and information science
(M.L.I.S.) and the master's degree in communication and information studies (M.C.I.S.). These
programs are described in the school's graduate catalog.
