PhD in Communication
Degree Requirements
Before registering for courses, the student must confer with their temporary advisor until a permanent advisor is assigned.
The PhD candidate must take at least 48 hours of course work beyond the MA. Students with an MA degree in another discipline may be required by their doctoral program committee to complete additional course work. Course work will include 36 hours within the department.
It is not required that doctoral students in our program have completed an M.A. degree. Students entering the PhD program without an M.A. degree will need to accrue 72 total hours of coursework, per university degree requirements. Students entering the PhD program without an M.A. degree are required to complete a second-year research project.
| Core Requirements | ||
| COMMUN 8110 | Introduction to Graduate Study in Communication | 3 |
| COMMUN 8120 | Introduction to Communication Research Methods | 3 |
| COMMUN 9050 | Comprehensive Examination in Communication | 3 |
| COMMUN 9090 | Doctoral Dissertation Research in Communication | 1-99 |
| COMMUN 9280 | Seminar in Communication Theory | 3 |
| Including the courses listed above, students must complete a total of 15 hours of research methods classes. Nine of these hours may be taken outside the department. | 15 | |
Committee and Qualifying Requirements
A doctoral program committee approves the student’s course of study and determines if the student has passed the qualifying requirements during the spring semester of the first year. Only after passing the qualifying requirements will the student be admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree in communication.
For a student whose MA program was done at MU, the six-hour comprehensive examination or the MA thesis defense constitutes the qualifying process. The student may proceed beyond the MA degree only upon the recommendation of the MA examining committee.
Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation
Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination is a 15-hour written exam including 12 hours of questions divided into two-hour blocks and a 3-hour dissertation exploration followed by an oral defense. The examination will cover all areas of studies in the field. During the semester students take comprehensive exams they enroll in COMMUN 9050.
Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation is written under the direction of the candidate’s advisor. The dissertation and the final oral examination on the dissertation complete the requirements for the PhD in communication. Students take a minimum of six hours of COMMUN 9090.
Length of Study
Course work and comprehensive exams for the PhD must be completed in five years. The dissertation must be completed within five years of completing comprehensive examinations. Satisfactory rate of progress means making adequate progress to meet these time requirements. Students working at a typical pace should be able to complete the doctorate in 4 years beyond their master’s.
Admission Criteria
Fall deadline: January 15
Minimum GPA: 3.0 preferred
International applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements set by the University of Missouri Graduate School.
Admission procedures for students who have completed the MA degree elsewhere and wish to become PhD candidates are identical to the departmental requirements outlined for MA candidates. Only those applicants who show evidence of a clear likelihood of successful doctoral work are admitted.
Required Application Materials
To the Graduate School
All required Graduate School documents
To the Communication Program
- Departmental Application
- 3 letters of recommendation
- Example of scholarly writing (no more than 25 pages)
- Transcripts
- Statement of Interest (no more than 1000 words) following the prompt in the application portal.
- Résumé
Financial Aid from the Program
Some programs require an extra form or statement from those who wish to be considered for internal assistantships, fellowships or other funding packages. Check the program website or ask the program contact for details.
Admission Contact Information
Martha Crump (crumpm@missouri.edu)
108 Switzler Hall; Columbia, MO 65211
(573) 882-4432