PhD Program Requirements

The content of the doctoral program consists of the following requirements

• Applicants lacking the necessary academic and/or professional background in communications may be required to complete a number of prerequisite or supplemental courses offered by the College of Communication and Information and approved by the major advisor.

• Core courses: 16-19 semester hours. Includes Communication and Information 610 and 615; 3 hours of statistics; and 1 to 4 hours of Communication and Information 620.

• Primary Concentration: 12 hours.

• Cognate Area: 9 hours.

• Dissertation: 24 hours.

The above program of 61-64 hours semester hours, including the dissertation, represents the maximum course work required for an individual. A student should anticipate three to four years of full-time study, which includes time for dissertation research, for a completion of the PhD degree. A comprehensive examination is given when the student has completed all required and prescribed courses.

Comprehensive examinations must be taken within five years and all requirements must be completed within eight years from the time of a student's first enrollment in the doctoral program.

More information about the program is available in a summary document and in the Graduate Course Catalog.