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  School of Communication and Information 2023-2025 Ph.D. Program in Communication, Information, and Media Program Program Areas of Concentration  

Program Areas of Concentration

The Ph.D. program in communication, information, and media (CIM) has three areas of concentration: communication (COM); library and information science (LIS); and media studies (MS). Students whose interests fall across these three areas are encouraged to develop an individual plan of study in consultation with the program director, area coordinators, and their adviser.

Communication (COM)

The communication area of the interdisciplinary doctoral program in the School of Communication and Information has faculty with research interests in five interconnected areas: communication and technology; health communication; interpersonal communication; language and social interaction; and organizational communication. Doctoral students in communication conduct problem-oriented research at the intersection of these areas that focuses on a variety of prominent contemporary topics, such as social networks, social media, online privacy and anonymity, children's media use, community health programs, health campaigns, medical provider-patient interaction, interaction on emergency and emotional support telephone lines, family involvement in palliative care, global teams, organizational change, corporate social responsibility, and institutional leadership. Multiple centers and labs provide various opportunities for doctoral students, including: Center for Communication and Health Issues; Center for Language, Interaction and Health; Center for Organizational Development and Leadership; Collaboratory for Organizing and Social Media; Network Science Lab; and the Rutgers University Conversation Analysis Lab. 

Library and Information Science (LIS)

Library and information science provides a strong academic foundation for students seeking theoretical and research skills for scholarly and professional leadership in the library and information fields. The LIS area of concentration (also known as iSchool) in the interdisciplinary Ph.D. provides an excellent environment for research in such areas as human information behavior; social computing; health information; learning and education; information institutions, artifacts, and documents; human-centered computing/HCI/interaction and design; and data science. Students take classes and research experiences to develop an understanding of and research capability in human information-seeking activity; information retrieval systems; information and knowledge structures; as well as digital and physical information centers as part of a diverse global information environment. Ph.D. students in the LIS concentration 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. Research labs and centers provide various opportunities for doctoral students, including CISSL (Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries), the Knowledge Institute, the InfoSeeking Lab, the Behavioral Informatics Lab, and the SALTS Lab (Laboratory for the Study of Applied Language Technology and Society).

Media Studies (MS)

Media studies is concerned with the political, social, psychological, and economic impacts of journalism and of the news, communication, and entertainment media; and with the historical, cultural, and technological conditions that have shaped them. It studies how media operate at the local, national, and international levels, and the research methods range from the humanistic to the social scientific. Specific areas of faculty expertise include the relationship of journalism and media--including digital, online, and social media--to national politics, law, regulation, and public policy; political and social activism and movements; popular culture and cultural industries; race, gender, religion, ethnicity, and identity; technology and innovation; the formation of political opinions and attitudes; history; collective memory; and media theory and cultural studies.

Interdisciplinary Studies

The program encourages students whose interests fall across these three areas to develop an individual plan of study in consultation with the program director, area coordinators, and their adviser.
 
For additional information, contact RU-info at 848-445-info (4636) or colonelhenry.rutgers.edu.
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