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Program Details

Graduate Program: Communication (PHD)

General Information

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Program/Degree
Communication (PHD)  
Program Description

The Communication PhD doctoral program is grounded in theory and research concerning human communication and provides excellent preparation for careers in academia. The department offers hands-on research experience and a broad range of coursework and educational opportunities, with specialization in Interpersonal Communication, Media, Health Communication, Small Group and Intergroup Communication, New Communication Technologies, and Political Communication. PhD programs of study combine major and minor coursework to fit individual intellectual needs and areas of research specialization.

 

 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

Communication

The Department of Communication faculty examine ways in which human beings exchange messages with one another, the content of those messages, and the effects they have for individuals and society.  The Department's strong commitment to quality teaching and research has earned its faculty and graduate students numerous teaching awards and a ranking as one of the top Communication programs in the nation.

 
College

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences

 
Campus where offered

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Tina R Mendoza
520-621-1366
Graduate Program Coordinator
Tina R Mendoza
520-621-1366
Director of Graduate Studies
Jennifer L Stevens Aubrey
520-621-1366
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Kristi R Davenport
520-626-1930
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the PhD program in Communication, applicants must have earned an MA or MS degree before beginning the Fall term. 

Writing sample (thesis chapters or prospectus preferred)

 3 letters of recommendation addressing the applicant’s academic and intellectual qualifications

 Statement of Purpose  (500-2000 words) should be broken into the following sections: (a) your scholarly and research interests in the field of communication, (b) why you wish to pursue graduate study in the Department of Communication at the University of Arizona (including explicit connections between your research interests and our faculty's areas of expertise), and (c) your plans following completion of your graduate degree. Prospective PhD students should incorporate specific information on their plans for doing research in our graduate program into this statement. We encourage applicants to list one or two specific core faculty with whom they wish to work.

GPA:  3.5 minimum

TRANSCRIPTS:  For purposes of evlauation, we will accept unofficial transcripts of credits earned from ALL colleges and universities attended, uploaded where indicated on application. If applicant accepts offer of admission, we will require official transcripts sent to the Communication Dept at the University of Arizona.

GRE General Tests:  See GRE test score info below.

For International students: English Proficiency Test is required.  Please refer to the graduate college webpage shown here for types of tests accepted, as well as required scores: https://grad.arizona.edu/admissions/requirements/international-applicants#english-proficiency. ; Please note: because all of our graduate students are also hired as Graduate Teaching Assistants/Associates, applicants must achieve the higher test scores listed under "Special requirements for students who will be acting as Graduate Teaching assistants".

 

 

 
Standardized Tests

GRE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA CODE: 4832   DEPT GRE CODE: 4507

Required test(s):  GRE Geneal Tests: Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical Writing Subtests. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS also required to take English Proficiency exam: TOEFL preferred.

 Minimum GRE Verbal:  156
Minimum GRE Quantitative:  146
Minumum GRE Written:  4.5

Minimum TOEFL:  95 IBT, 250 CBT, 600 PB

IELTS: composite score of 7, with no supject area below 6
 

 
Funding Opportunities

Graduate Teaching and Research Associateships, Tuition  Scholarships, Graduate College fellowship funding, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences scholarship and fellowship funding

 
Admissions Deadlines

Domestic and International Applicants:

  • Fall Admission:  March 1
  • Applications not accepted for admission during Spring or Summer semesters.
 
International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information
The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

ETS Major Field Code(s) for this program: 4507

NRC Taxon(a) for this program: Communication

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

64 

Core Coursework Requirements

Core Courses (9 units): All students must complete 500, 561, and 571 with a grade of B or better in each. For students who have already completed 500, 561, 571 as part of our M.A. program or another M.A. program, those units must be replaced by 9 elective units approved by the student’s advisor.

  • COMM 500 Intro to Graduate Studies in Communication (3 units)
  • COMM 561 Research Methodologies I (3 units)
  • COMM 571 Research Methodologies II (3 units)

Required Theory Seminars (6 units): All students must complete at least two of the required theory seminars from the theory seminar rotation: 609, 610, 620, 669.

  • COMM 609 Advanced Mass Communication Theory (3 units)
  • COMM 610 Interpersonal Theory (3 units)
  • COMM 620 Theories of Social Influence (3 units)
  • COMM 669 Health Communication Theory (3 units)

Major: All students must successfully complete a minimum of 27 units in the major including: core courses, theory courses, and electives. In addition, students are expected to fulfill their research team, research tool, and dissertation requirements. Courses with grades of 'C' or lower will not count toward the degree.  

 
Elective Coursework

Communication Electives (12 units): Students work with faculty advisor to choose elective courses that will meet the student's career goals.  

  • COMM 501 Lifespan Communication (3 units)
  • COMM 502 Communication and Music (3 units)
  • COMM 503 Theory of Small Group Communication (3 units)
  • COMM 505 Mass Communication and Children (3 units)
  • COMM 507 Family Communication (3 units)
  • COMM 509 Theories of Mass Communication (3 units)
  • COMM 510 Struggle for the Presidency (3 units)
  • COMM 511 Communication and Conflict Management (3 units)
  • COMM 514 Verbal Communication (3 units)
  • COMM 515 Nonverbal Communication (3 units)
  • COMM 517 Relational Communication (3 units)
  • COMM 517A Relational Communication: Close Relations (3 units)
  • COMM 517B Relational Communication: Work + Professional Relations (3 units)
  • COMM 519 Mass Media Policy and Regulation (3 units)
  • COMM 520 Communication and the Legal Process (3 units)
  • COMM 521 Political Communication (3 units)
  • COMM 526 Public Opinion and Communication (3 units)
  • COMM 550 Communication and Cognition (3 units)
  • COMM 599 Independent Study (1-3 units)
  • COMM 640 Research Methodologies III (3 units)
  • COMM 696A Nonverbal Communication Seminar (3 units)
  • COMM 696E Mass Media Seminar (3 units)
  • COMM 696H Communication and Health Messages Seminar (3 units)
  • COMM 696I Interpersonal Communication Seminar (3 units)
  • COMM 696O Organizational Communication Theory Seminar (3 units)
  • COMM 696P Political Communication Seminar (3 units)
  • COMM 696R Advanced Communication Research Methods Seminar (3 units)
  • COMM 696T Comm and New Technology Seminar (3 units)
  • COMM 699 Independent Study (1-3 units)

Students choose from currently offered graduate courses in Communication.  Courses from outside of the Communication Department may be used with pre-approval from advisor.

 
Additional Requirements

Research Team (4 units):  Students must participate on a faculty-supervised research team every semester during the program, for a 1 unit research credit, until they have successfully completed and defended their comprehensive exams. A total of 4 Research units will be counted toward the degree.

Research Tool (6 units): Students must take 6 units of research or methods courses above and beyond the major and minor requirements. The tool should consist of some particular specialty that will be put to use in the dissertation research.

Comprehensive Written Exam and Oral Defense: When essentially all course work is completed, students will take written exams over the major and minor fields, typically in the fifth semester of full-time enrollment. The student must pass all sections of the written major exam and the minor exam before the oral defense can occur.

Dissertation (18 units) and Final Oral Exam: Students will enroll in 18 units of COMM 920 Dissertation while conducting research for and writing the dissertation. After student has successfully defended dissertation proposal and the required standards of scholarship have been met, the student will orally defend the dissertation.

 
Minor Requirements for Doctoral Students in this Program

Minor(s) (9-15 units per minor): Students must have at least one minor and may take two. The requirements for these are specified by the minor department. The graduate college's minimum requirement is that 9 hours be taken in the minor department.

 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate 41.38%
Med. Time-to-degree (years) 4.50
 
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male 27.59%
Enrollment Percent Female 72.41%
Enrollment Percent International 24.14%
Enrollment Percent URM 24.14%

Back to statistics
  • All application, admit, and enrollment data are from Fall 2020.
  • Median Time to Degree calculates how long graduates in the last 5 years (2015-2019) took to complete their degrees, counting back to the first semester entering their program.
  • Underrepresented Minorities (URM) includes domestic students of ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education: African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.

Persistent link: https://grad.arizona.edu/catalog/programinfo/COMMPHD
Last revised 24 Feb 2021
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