45 total credit hours minimum

Core Requirements (6 credit hours):

COM 6001 Introduction to Graduate Studies in Communication (3 credit hours) &
COM 7325 Research and Methods in Communication (3 credit hours)

In addition to COM 6001 and COM 7325, students are required to take a minimum of 39 credit hours of coursework beyond the M.A. degree (not counting credit hours for dissertation research). Ph.D. students enrolled full-time tend to complete coursework in three years; a minimum of one-year continuous residency is required. 

To qualify for graduation from the Ph.D. program in communication, a student must complete the following:

1. Enroll in and successfully complete a minimum of 4 classes designated as "Ph.D. seminars" during coursework.

2. Establish a supervisory faculty committee approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

3. Prepare a Plan of Study approved by the student's supervisory faculty committee. The Plan of Study expresses the ways in which the student will show evidence of the following:

• expertise in one or more domains of communication study;
• expertise in the research methodologies needed to carry out original research in the specialized area of concentration and;
• 6 hours of coursework in an area of study outside the department.

4. Pass a written qualifying examination covering the student's area of specialization and methodological competence by the end of coursework. This examination will be prepared and evaluated by the student's faculty supervisory committee.

5. Complete and defend a dissertation approved by the student's faculty supervisory committee that must include at least one member of the graduate faculty outside the department.