The doctoral program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the master's: 48 credits of classes and 12 credits of dissertation work.
Coursework
The curriculum consists of required and elective courses in the three core areas. Additional electives are being developed. Students will be required to develop a planned program of study in consultation with their advisor and the doctoral coordinator. Details can be found on the program's Curriculum page.
Degree Candidacy
Each student admitted to the doctoral program is eligible for doctoral degree candidacy after successful completion of 12 graduate credits in the doctoral program with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. To obtain candidacy, the student must successfully complete a candidacy examination.
Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination determines the student's progress in the field of media and communication studies and the student's likelihood of success in the research-dissertation phase.
Dissertation
A dissertation is required of all doctoral candidates and must demonstrate the candidate's mastery of their research and produce results of an original investigation in the field of communications media and communications. The goal should be to make an original scholarly contribution to the field.