The doctoral program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the master’s: 48 credits of classes and 12 credits of dissertation work. The curriculum consists of courses in three core areas with required and elective courses available. Additional electives are being developed. Students will be required to develop a planned program of study in consultation with their advisor and the doctoral co-coordinators.
- Research: Provide students with tools for designing data gathering activities, analyzing data, interpreting existing research, and synthesizing new and old information into useful answers and productive new questions.
- Theory and Culture: Familiarize students with models of thought and develop a cognition that critically analyzes the impact of media on culture and instruction as well as the impact of culture and instruction on media.
- Production: Broaden media development skills while enabling learners to begin work on exploring new media formats and applications.
Research Courses (12 Credits: 4 Courses)
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| COMM 800 |
Comm. Research Statistics or Equivalent |
3 |
| COMM 825 |
Quantitative Methods in Communications Research |
3 |
| COMM 828 |
Qualitative Methods in Communications Research |
3 |
| COMM 910 |
Advanced Doctoral Research in Communications |
3 |
Theory and Culture Core Courses (12 Credits: 4 Courses)
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| COMM 801 |
Ideas that Shape Media |
3 |
| COMM 812 |
Media Ethics |
3 |
| COMM 857 |
Doctoral Seminar in Communications Culture and Technology |
3 |
| COMM 900 |
Culture of Cyberspace |
3 |
Theory and Culture Elective Courses (6-9 Credits: 2-3 Courses)
Students will choose two courses from the approved electives.
Production Core Courses (12 Credits: 4 Courses)
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| COMM 832 |
Media Production |
3 |
| COMM 832 |
Media Production |
3 |
| COMM 846 |
Instructional Media Solutions |
3 |
| COMM 860 |
Media Preproduction |
3 |
Production Elective Courses (3-6 Credits: 1-2 Courses)
Students will choose two courses from the approved electives.
Elective Courses (0-9 Credits)
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| COMM 814 |
Crisis Communications |
3 |
| COMM 815 |
Teaching Communications Media |
3 |
| COMM 822 |
Children and Media |
3 |
| COMM 853 |
Corporate Communications |
3 |
| COMM 876 |
Online Media |
3 |
| COMM 881 |
Special Topics |
3 |
| COMM 882 |
Simulations and Games |
3 |
| CURR 915 |
Writing for Professional Publication |
3 |
| ECON 820 |
Managerial Economics for Decision Making and Leadership |
3 |
| ENGL 808 |
Technology and Literacy |
3 |
| ENGL 956 |
Literacy Theory for the Teacher and Scholarly Writer |
3 |
| SOC 803 |
Social and Organizational Theory |
3 |
| SOC 862 |
Analysis of Social Data |
3 |
Dissertation (12 Credits)
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| COMM 995 |
Dissertation |
12 |
Total: 60 credits beyond a master’s or master’s equivalencies
