Course requirements are summarized as follows (described in more detail
below):
1.
Core Course Requirements: communication (COM), library and information science (LIS), and media studies (MS): 6 credits (600, 601, and 608)
2.
Program Area Course Requirements: Taken in addition to the core requirements.
COM and MS: 27 credits
LIS: 30 credits
Core course requirements
plus program area course requirements equal
to a minimum total required credits of doctoral level coursework as follows:
COM and MS: 33 credits (6 core course requirements plus 27 program area course requirements)
LIS: 36 credits (6 core course requirements plus 30 program area course requirements)
3.
Transfer of Approved Master's Degree Course Credits: Additional credits
of graduate coursework
including, but not limited to, master's degree transfer of credits. Must be approved by the Ph.D. director.
COM: up to 24 transfer credits
LIS: up to 15 transfer credits
MS: up to 12 transfer
credits
4.
Dissertation Research Credits: Taken after completion of all coursework
credits and the transfer of approved master's degree course credits. Must take a minimum of 1 research credit per semester until graduation.
COM and LIS: 24 research credits
MS: 27 research credits
Upon successful completion of: 1. core course requirements; 2. program area course requirements, and 3. transfer of approved master's degree course credits, the candidate is eligible to take the qualifying examination
(see Qualifying Examinations section).
Course Listings and Schedules, Independent Study, and Assistantship Credits
Ph.D. Courses are listed here:
https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/academics/courses/33
Current Course Schedules by semester
are found here: https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/academics/graduate/phd-program/phd-course-schedule.
Independent
Study Credits: As a general rule, students only take independent study credits
when no course offerings matching their needs are available. Students should not have more than one
independent study as an elective counting toward their minimal doctoral degree
requirements (unless director, area coordinator, and student's adviser
approve such a request). Students may take additional independent studies,
as long as they are not used to fulfill minimal program credit requirements. In
other words, only one Independent study will count toward your degree credits,
unless approved as above.
Assistantship Credits:
Credits
for funded graduate and teaching
assistants do NOT count toward degree requirements in the Ph.D. program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Core Course Requirements for COM, LIS, and MS
There are three core required courses for all Ph.D. students (600, 601,
and 608) as follows:
16:194:600:
Ph.D. Colloquium
(0)
Taken during each semester of coursework and attendance is required until
qualifying exams are passed, Colloquium is held on selected Friday afternoons
from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. It includes
research presentations by students, faculty, alumni, and outside speakers, as
well as professional development seminars.
16:194:601: Communication, Information, and Media Proseminar (3)
Taken
during the first semester, the Proseminar addresses the nature of communication,
information, and media processes, and their role in individual, social, and
institutional behavior. Particular emphasis will be on the conceptual linkages
between communication, information, and media processes, as well as theory and
metatheory. Panels will alternate between interdisciplinary and area-specific
topics featuring CIM program faculty as speakers. Proseminar will include
topics in professional development, academic integrity, responsible and ethical
conduct of research, and intellectual property. Students will pass CITI, Human
Subjects Certification, as part of the course.
16:194:608: Research Practicum (3)
Taken by arrangement with faculty
member, usually toward the end of coursework, this requirement is met by a
student registering for this course with a member of the program faculty who
has agreed to supervise the student's participation in a research project of
interest. Students are expected to contact faculty directly with practicum
projects/ideas. The expected outcome of the Research Practicum is a paper
(single or coauthored) submitted to a recognized conference or refereed
journal. The results of the Research Practicum will be presented by the student
at a Ph.D. poster session colloquium typically held at the end of each semester
(see
https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/academics/graduate/phd-program/phd-program-handbook-key-forms and click on Guidelines for Research
Practicum Presentations bullet).
2.
Program Area Course Requirements by Area (27-30 credits)
Each program area sets its own curriculum
and area course requirements as follows:
Communication (COM)
Ph.D. students in the COM area select a major and minor focus of
study. All students are required to take Research Design (3) and
Foundations of Communication Theory (3) as area requirements and two
specialized methods courses (6 credits). 15 credits (five electives) are required
in two content areas. With adviser assistance, students may designate major and
minor areas fitting their interests. These may include foci within COM (e.g.,
communication and technology, interpersonal communication, health
communication, language and social interaction, or organizational
communication), but are not limited to these areas of COM study. Students may
also choose as a minor area one of the other two areas of the Ph.D. program, or
programs elsewhere in the university. A qualifying exam in each area will be
taken once the student has completed all coursework. All qualifying exam
questions will contain a methods component.
Methods:
Two specialized methods
courses (6 credits) offered in the program or outside the program (consult your
adviser).
Required
COM Area Courses
In addition to the two methods courses, the following are required:
16:194:623
Research Design (3)
16:194:624
Communication Theory (3)
Core
Content Area Courses
Students are required to take THREE of the following
five core content area courses:
-
16:194:620 Interpersonal Communication (3)
- 16:194:621 Organizational Communication Research
(3)
-
16.194:622 Health Communication (3)
- 16:194:633 Mediated Communication (3)
-
16:194:xxx Language and Social Interaction (3)
Elective
Courses: Students will take at least two courses from one or
more of the following areas:
-
16:194: 670-674 Topics in Communication
Processes I through V (3 each). Offerings vary by semester.
-
Topics in
Communication and Technology (e.g., Mediated Communication Theory, Social
Media, Communication Design, Work and Technology)
-
Topics in Interpersonal Communication (e.g.,
Interpersonal Communication Theory, Uncertainty and Communication, Relational
and Family Communication)
-
Topics in Health Communication (e.g., Health
Campaigns, Interpersonal Health Communication, Professional Practices and
Issues of Health)
- Topics in Language and Social Interaction
(e.g., Basic Structures of Social Interaction, Persuasion and Social Influence,
Communication and Gender)
-
Topics in Organizational Communication (e.g.,
Conflict and Collaboration, Dynamics of Global Organizations, Leadership,
Organizational Change, Communication Networks)
Library and Information
Science (LIS)
Study in LIS consists of at least 12 credits in
the primary LIS area (four courses, including Seminar in Information Studies
and Human Information Behavior). Students must also take at least 6 credits
(two courses) in a selected subfield or secondary area 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.
The LIS Ph.D. area curriculum is structured around five themes: human
information behavior; information retrieval, language, and communication;
information agencies and artifacts; learning, youth, information, and
technology; social and community informatics. Ph.D. students in the LIS area
may choose to specialize in any of these themes. Courses within these themes
will be offered on a regular basis, and students will select courses in
consultation with their adviser.
Methods:
Students must
take three methods courses (9 credits), choosing either Option A or Option B.
Option A:
16:194:604 Quantitative Research Methods (3) (Required)
16:194:603 Qualitative Research Methods (3) and
16:194:605 Critical Research Methods (3)
If Option A is selected, both 603 and 605 are taken; one of these (3) may count toward LIS or secondary area credits.
Option B:
16:194:604 Quantitative Research Methods (3) (Required)
16:194:603 Qualitative Research Methods (3) or 16:194:605 Critical Research
Methods (3) and
One advanced Ph.D. methods course (3) taken from elsewhere in the
university.
Required LIS Area Courses
In addition to the three methods courses, the following are required:
- 16:194:610
Seminar in Information Studies (3
- 16:194:612
Human Information Behavior (3)
Required:
Two Additional LIS Area Courses:
In addition to LIS required courses,
at least two other courses in the LIS area (6 credits) must be taken, such as:
-
16:194:614
Information Retrieval Theory (3)
-
16:194:619
Experiment and Evaluation in Information Systems (3)
-
16:194:641
Information Policy and Technology (3)
-
16:194:656 Theories and Issues
in Library Studies (3)
-
16:194:675-679 Topics in Library and
Information Science I through V (3 each)
- Offerings vary by semester.
Required Secondary Area Courses
Two courses outside of LIS in
your subfield or secondary area (6 credits) (consult with your adviser on
selection of these)
Required: Guided Subfield Research Experience:
Students are required to have a guided
research experience in their chosen subfield which can be taken as 16:194:698 Independent
Study (3 credits)
Media Studies (MS)
Students in the media studies area
must take 27 credits, including two required 3-credit courses (Media Theory and
Critical Research Methods); three 3-credit area courses from courses listed as
Topics in Media Studies (i.e., 16:194:680-684 Topics in MS I-V); and, three
3-credit elective courses approved by the adviser. With the assistance of their
advisers and the area coordinator, students may designate major and minor areas
that fit their interests. Students may choose as a minor area one of the other
areas of the Ph.D. program, or may choose a minor area elsewhere in the university. A qualifying exam in each area will be taken once the student has
completed all coursework.
Methods: Students must take Critical Research Methods (16:194:605) (3) and one
additional methods course (3 credits) to be determined in consultation with the
student's adviser.
Required MS Area Courses: In addition to the two methods courses, the following are required:
-
16:194:631 Media Theory (3) Course must be taken in the first
semester of study.
-
16:194:680-684 Topics in Media Studies I-V. Must take a total of three
courses (9 credits).
Offerings vary by
semester.
Elective
Courses: The remaining three
courses (9 credits) can be taken from any department at the university or from any
school in the consortium (with approval). At least one of these MUST be a
course in one of the other areas in the CIM Ph.D. program, as approved by the
student's adviser.
3.
Transfer of Approved Master's Degree Course Credits
Additional credits of graduate course work
including, but not limited to, master's degree credits may be transferred.
COM: up to 24 transfer credits
MS and LIS: up to 12 transfer credits
Students
should consult their adviser before applying for transfer of credits. The Ph.D. program director will then recommend to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) which and how many courses are
approved for transfer. It is not uncommon to limit transfer credits to less
than 12 or less than 24 credits (depending on the program area and individual
student circumstances). Transferred courses must be theoretical or research-based
courses in communication, information science, and library studies; media; or
closely related fields. Students must have received a B or better on any coursework to be transferred, and courses should have been taken within the previous
six years. Applied or professional courses (such as internships, video
production, or newswriting) are not acceptable. For further information, see
the SGS Handbook.
The
Application for Transfer of Credit (see: Ph.D. Handbook and Key Forms) should be completed and submitted
to the Office of Student Services as soon as the student has finished 12
credits of doctoral studies in the program. Failing to do so in a timely manner
could result in additional coursework requirements and/or delays in taking
qualifying exams.
4.
Dissertation Research Credits
These credits are taken after completion of all coursework credits
and the transfer of approved master's degree course credits.
COM and LIS: 24 research credits
MS: 27 research credits
The number taken during a particular
semester will vary and should reflect the degree of involvement of the student
and his or her adviser during that semester.
Once a student
has passed his or her qualifying examination, the minimum registration required
by SGS is 1 research credit per semester.
Please consult with the program director if
you need to take a leave of absence (e.g., for medical, family, or other
reason) for any semester prior to graduation. Any leave must be formally requested. See catalog section on timelines for completing requirements.