Communication Ph.D. Requirements

Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements for consideration for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Communication Program include:

1. Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher OR MA degree in Communication
2. Statement of interest, including personal goals and the relevance of the Ph.D. in Communication to those goals.
3. Original academic paper, 10-15 pages in length, reflecting the student’s ability to articulate and synthesize ideas.
4. Three letters of recommendation from sources familiar with the applicant’s potential as a doctoral student in Communication.
5. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test (no minimum score required for consideration)
6. Individuals applying to enroll in the program online are expected to enroll full time (i.e., 9 credits per semester) and should indicate they intend to do so in their statement of interest. Individuals applying to enroll in the program on campus may be considered for part-time enrollment, but full time is preferred. The intentions of the on-campus applicant should also be indicated in the statement of interest.
7. To be considered for a teaching assistantship, the student must submit a statement of teaching philosophy and letters of recommendation must address the student’s teaching abilities.
8. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

Note: Students whose native language is not English are not permitted to hold teaching assistantships unless they have attained a score of at least 50 on the SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) or the TSE (Test of Spoken English). The test is administered at the University, after the student arrives on campus.

Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as specific requirements set forth by the Communication Program.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree set forth by the Communication Program include:

1. Completion of 90 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. Thirty credit hours from a Master’s degree in communication or related discipline may be applied toward the 90 credit hours.
2. Core Requirements (15 cr) that must be taken from the Communication Department (i.e., no waivers or transfers allowed):

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   COMM 501	Theoretical Perspectives in Communication	3
   COMM 505	Concepts in Quantitative Communication Research	3
   COMM 506	Concepts in Qualitative Communication Research	3
   COMM 535	Intercultural Communication	3
   COMM 550	International and Global Communication	3

3. Elective Requirements from COMM (minimum of 21 credits chosen from the list below)

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   COMM 515	International and Intercultural Narrative Communication	3
   COMM 522	Data Mining Analytics for Communication Professionals	3
   COMM 523	Social Network Analysis Visualization	3
   COMM 525	Interpersonal Relations and Communication	3
   COMM 528	Intercultural Global Conflict	3
   COMM 530	Communication, Society, Diversity	3
   COMM 540	Communication and Organizations	3
   COMM 549	Information Communication Technologies	3
   COMM 570	Seminar in Communication	3

4. Additional Electives (minimum of 15 credits chosen from the list below)

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   Interdisciplinary coursework (maximum 9 credits)
   Remaining courses from COMM electives above
   COMM 591 Individual Readings and Research may be taken at the discretion of the committee

5. Completion of a non-thesis MA research project (9 credits: these may be taken as COMM 997 Credits)
6. Comprehensive Examination
7. Dissertation (15 cr)

Additional Program Information

Students enrolled online are strongly encouraged to attend course synchronously, although completing them asynchronously is allowed.

On-campus or online students requesting tuition waivers or graduate assistantships must be full time students. Both tuition waivers and graduate assistantships are competitively awarded. Receipt of tuition waivers or a graduate assistantship one semester does not guarantee receipt of waivers or an assistantship in following semesters. Conversely, non-receipt of tuition waivers or a graduate assistantship does not mean waivers or an assistantships will not become available in the future.