
Join us on Rocky Top!
Our interdisciplinary doctoral program will give you the skills you need to follow your academic journey. Below is the application procedures and policies checklist to get you started on your way to becoming a Volunteer!
College of Communication & Information (CCI) PhD checklist
Admission policies and application procedures checklist
New doctoral students begin classes in the fall semester. Applications for both admission and financial aid are due on December 15.
To apply for admission into the CCI doctoral program, the application and materials must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions through the online application submission process. Students lacking academic or professional experience may be required to take prerequisite courses. The following are normally minimal requirements for admission to full potential candidate status:
- The completed online Graduate Application for admission.
- A non-refundable application fee paid by credit card or electronic check.
- A minimum of 3.00 (4.00 system) grade point average (GPA) in undergraduate and a 3.30 GPA for graduate studies is typically required for admission.
- A completed master’s degree is required for entry into the doctoral program. Transcripts from all accredited undergraduate and graduate institutions are required. At the time of application, students may submit a copy of an official transcript.
- Applicants must follow Graduate Admissions instructions when submitting transcripts.
- Resume/curriculum vitae.
- Research interest statement (following guidelines in application).
- Personal statement (following guidelines in application).
- Writing sample (an independently authored paper that best illustrates your ability to excel in a research-intensive doctoral program).
- Recommendation letters from at least three former teachers or professional colleagues.
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (optional).
- Graduate assistantship statement of interest (optional).
- Professional experience in some field of communication and/or information is a highly desirable criterion for admission.
After admission is offered, official transcripts and degree certificates (if separate from the transcript) must be provided to the Graduate School. See the Office of Graduate Admissions website for more information.
English Certification
An applicant may be required to undergo English Certification for admission to the Graduate School by submitting results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Official scores are required to be admitted to the Graduate School. See the Office of Graduate Admissions website for more information.
An applicant may not be admitted simultaneously to more than one degree program. Two or more applications to separate degree programs will not be considered concurrently.

Timeline for PhD program
- Email list open – Any time; join via the interest form
- Application opens – Early August
- Application and/or financial aid application deadline – Dec. 15
- Faculty review of applications by the end of January
- Online interviews with finalists – by the end of January
- Admission and funding decisions – early/mid February
- Deadline to accept the offer of admission is April 15. The enrollment deposit is due June 1, or within 10 days of your notification of admission if after June 1.

After admission
Incoming graduate students will attend both the university-wide virtual graduate student orientation in the weeks before classes begin and the college-wide graduate student orientation the week before. We’ll provide details about orientation and other onboarding procedures in mid-summer. During orientation, students will be assigned a first-year faculty advisor who will assist with course selection, registration, professional development, and other essential tasks.