 DOCTORAL
PROGRAM
Overview & Goals
The goal of the Ph.D. program in communication
is to produce well-educated graduates who are intellectually
prepared to be academic professionals, as well as communication
specialists in other contexts.
We are still a relatively
new program (our initial doctoral class began in 1998)
and are proud of our increasing number of graduates (see
Graduate Alumni). Because
each individual's goals are unique, the graduate curriculum
in communication is intentionally flexible to accommodate
each student's particular plan of study.
In addition to its ability to adapt to a broad
spectrum of interests, another strength of the doctoral
program at Texas A&M is accessibility of faculty and
purposely small classes that allow for a great deal of
student-faculty interaction. Department
faculty exemplify
intellectual curiosity and excellence in scholarship; as
a result, our doctoral students are themselves very active,
productive scholars, participating frequently in professional
meetings, publishing their own work, and being acknowledged
for excellence in research and teaching (see Recent
Awards and Recent
Publications).
Click here for a list of current graduate students
Requirements for Admission into the Program
To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program in
communication, most applicants have earned a master's
degree from an accredited college or university. We are now beginning to consider admissions of students into the Ph.D. program straight from a B.A. or B.S. degree, but such admissions are very rare. In admitting
graduate students, the Department of Communication gives
preference to the most highly qualified applicants as evaluated
by a combination of criteria, including grade point average,
letters of recommendation, demonstrated writing ability,
and objectives that are a suitable fit with our departmental
resources (also, English language proficiency for international
applicants).
Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis with a
final deadline of December 1 for international
applicants,
December 20 for those applying for
admission with assistantship and January
1 for applicants not seeking funding. For specific
instructions on applying, please see Admissions
Process and the Office
of Graduate Admissions.
Program
Requirements
We expect that all incoming Ph.D. students will have completed
graduate-level coursework in the following areas that are
equivalent to courses offered in the Texas A&M master's
program. If they have not, they will be required to do
so as soon as possible once they enter the Ph.D. program.
Foundation courses taken while a Ph.D. student will not
count toward the 64-hour requirement for the Ph.D. degree.
- Human
Communication Theory: 3 hours (Texas A&M
equivalent: COMM 620)
- Rhetorical Theory: 3 hours (Texas A&M equivalent:
COMM 640)
- Research Methods: 3 hours (Texas A&M equivalents:
COMM 610, 615, or 645)
Courses Required of all Ph.D. Students (8
hours):
Elective Courses Prescribed for Students (21 hours):
Students, in consultation with their Ph.D. Advisory Committees,
will choose 7 courses (21 hours) from among the following:
Other Courses (9-18 hours):
Students will be expected
to take at least 9 semester hours of interdisciplinary
context-related coursework. These hours must be taken
in departments other than Communication. Specific courses
to be taken by individual students will be under the
guidance of his or her Ph.D. Advisory Committee.
Dissertation Hours (11-27
hours):
Total Hours for Ph.D. Degree: 64
Anticipated Time for Completion:
3 - 4 years
Developing a Plan of Study
Upon entering the Ph.D. program at Texas A&M, each
student will be assigned an interim advisor. The interim
advisor's responsibilities include helping the new student:
- Assess the degree to which his or her master's degree
coursework has fulfilled the Ph.D. Foundation Course
requirement or must be supplemented with M.A. coursework
at A&M.
- Become familiar with the graduate
faculty, their
research interests, and their expertise in anticipation
of selecting a permanent advisor and advisory committee.
Students will need to provide their interim advisors
with syllabi from M.A. coursework that they believe fulfill
the Foundation Course requirement(s). Syllabi from
related TAMU courses are available in the main office and
incoming students may be asked to consult with the faculty
members who most recently taught those courses.
Students should select a permanent advisor by the end
of their first year of study. They will need the advisor’s
guidance and approval on the Degree Plan that must be submitted
to and approved by the Office
of Graduate Studies before
registering for more than 20 credit hours. The Degree Plan
identifies what coursework the student will take to satisfy
graduation requirements and serves as the basis for graduation
audits—in other words, students are held to it and
must petition to make changes.
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