Admissions Standards and Procedures

The following is required to be considered for admission to the PhD in Communication:

• A master’s degree in Communication or a related field from an accredited institution with a minimum 3.0/4.0 GPA.

The following documents are required to be uploaded through UofM’s graduate admissions application:

1. Official or unofficial transcripts of prior undergraduate and graduate coursework. Official transcripts must be submitted to be admitted to the University.
2. A curriculum vita or resume including relevant teaching, research, and work experience.
3. Two (2) samples of academic writing, such as a research paper from your MA program, professional research or position papers, or chapters from your MA thesis.
4. A statement/letter of purpose (maximum 1500 words), explaining your purpose in pursuing a PhD, specific communication areas that you would like to explore, and why you would like to study in our department. If your master’s degree is not in Communication, please explain how your master’s prepared you for doctoral studies in Communication.
5. A least three (3) letters of recommendation from faculty or other individuals who are familiar with the applicant’s academic background and aptitude for doctoral work in Communication.
   
   

Applications are accepted for Fall admissions only. Priority deadline for consideration for an assistantship is January 15. The final deadline for PhD applicants is May 15.

Meeting the minimum department standards does not entitle an applicant to admission. Meeting such standards only insures consideration of the application.

Program Requirements

1. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 throughout the PhD program. A student whose cumulative GPA drops below 3.0 is placed on academic probation by the graduate school. Any assistantship is forfeited if a student is put on probation.
   
2. A minimum of 42 hours of graduate credit at the 7000-level or higher beyond the master’s degree. A maximum of 9 hours may be taken from outside of the Department of Communication & Film. No more than 6 hours of dissertation (COMM 9000 ) will count toward satisfying the total number of graduate hours required for the PhD.
   

3. Students are required to take COMM 8017 - Introduction to Graduate Studies in Communication  and COMM 8321 - Communication Theory . Students are required to take at least 6 hours of methods courses (3 hours may be taken outside the department). Department courses designated as methods are listed on the department’s website. Substitutions are allowed with the committee’s approval.
   

4. Core Competencies. Students must have competency in the Department’s areas of specialization. These competencies can be satisfied academically in a variety of ways in consultation with the student’s advisor.
   
5. Comprehensive Examination. The Comprehensive Examinations must be taken within two semesters of completing coursework. This examination includes a written part and an oral part and covers broad scholarly areas with custom areas tailored to the student’s research specialty.
   
6. Dissertation Requirements
   1. On successful completion of the comprehensive examination the student shall select a dissertation director and, in consultation with the director, invite three additional faculty members to serve as the students’ dissertation advisory committee. One member of the advisory committee must be from outside the department. The dissertation director serves as the chair of the dissertation committee. NOTE: Students should familiarize themselves with the Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Guide before starting to write.
      
   2. Dissertation Proposal Defense. The student shall submit a proposal for the dissertation to the dissertation advisory committee and defend the proposal before the committee. To be considered as “making satisfactory progress,” a candidate must have their prospectus approved within two semesters of completion of the comprehensive examination.
      
   3. Dissertation Defense: Once the dissertation director deems a dissertation ready for defense, the director circulates a complete draft of the document to all committee members. “Ready for defense” means the director, in their judgement, believes that the document is satisfactory and defensible before the full committee. The committee will have at least ten (10) business days to review the document before rendering their judgement. Once the majority of the dissertation committee formally agrees that the dissertation is ready to be defended, then a defense date can be set. Upon approval of a majority of the members of the dissertation committee at the defense, the dissertation will then be submitted to the Graduate School for final approval.
7. Departmental PhD Guidelines. Additional details and information are available in the departmental PhD Guidelines found on the department website.

Academic Standards

At the end of every semester, the graduate faculty in the Department of Communication evaluates the progress of every PHD student in the program. During the review, the graduate faculty also evaluates the performance of GTA/GRA work. For those guidelines refer to the department’s website.

For a student to continue in the program, they must maintain satisfactory progress. The student will be judged as NOT making satisfactory progress if:

1. The student’s cumulative GPA drops below 3.0.
2. The student does not submit an approved plan of study before registering beyond 18 credit hours.
3. The student does not pass comprehensive exams within two (2) semesters of completing thirty-six (36) hours of coursework.
4. The student does not defend prospectus successfully within two (2) semesters of passing comprehensive examination.
5. The student does not demonstrate progress on their dissertation within two (2) semesters of defending their prospectus and within each subsequent semester.
6. The student has acquired more incompletes than they can complete during one semester of normal academic work.
7. The student’s coursework does not demonstrate promise for independent scholarly work.

Should a student fail to maintain satisfactory progress, the Department Chair, in conjunction with the Graduate Director may begin a termination process as outlined in the graduate catalog (Academic Performance Termination and Appeal). Moreover, students found by the Office of Student Conduct to have committed misconduct will be sanctioned by the University in accordance with the policies contained in the “Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.” In these cases, the Department Chair, in conjunction with the Graduate Director, may also begin a termination process as outlined in the graduate catalog (Academic Performance Termination and Appeal.) The Department Chair, in conjunction with the Graduate Director, may also (in accordance with the “Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities”) initiate academic retention processes against students for alleged violations of professional standards or ethics (e.g. the National Communication Association’s Code of Professional Ethics and Credo for Ethical Communication; the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Code of Ethics; or any other applicable code of professional standards or ethics) as a separate issue or as an extension of alleged acts of academic misconduct or other violations of the Code.