Doctor of Philosophy in Communication - Mass Communication

The general aim of the Ph.D. program in Communication is to provide students with a rigorous course of study that will prepare them for careers in either the academic or commercial spheres. The curriculum is not directed toward either of these domains, but rather attempts to give students a breadth of scholarly training that will allow them to pursue either of these career paths.

Academic Sphere. There is a very strong academic research component to communication. Persons with interests in communication are currently found on Communication faculties and in schools of Journalism and Mass Communication. Communication is an established academic area, as reflected in published research by faculty members in departments of Communication.

Commercial Sphere. Many organizations realize the value of research in mass communication effects, advertising, audience analysis, and other areas of communication. They have created a significant number of positions in communication. At the middle and upper management level, these are often filled by people with Ph.D. degrees. Training for persons filling these positions is often obtained in programs which do not equally emphasize communication theory and methods. The Ph.D. program in Communication is designed to provide the student with strong knowledge of communication theory, coupled with very strong research skills. A graduate of this program can step into a commercial research position without facing a period of hit-or-miss on-the-job training.

The time required for completion for the Ph.D. program will differ, depending on the degree status of entering students, and the courses already completed by the student at the graduate or undergraduate level. It is expected that students entering with a master's degree will require approximately four years to complete the requisite course work, pass qualifying exams, and then write and defend the dissertation.

The Department of Communication requires the demonstration of written, verbal, and quantitative competencies, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement, a writing sample, a CV/resume, complete post-secondary transcripts, and, for non-native speakers of English, TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, or Duolingo scores, unless the applicant qualifies for the Graduate School Language Proficiency Examination Waiver. Please note that all application materials must be submitted via the Slate online application system. Hard copies that are mailed to the department will not be accepted.

Quantitative competency: Students applying for admission are required to demonstrate their quantitative competency. This may be demonstrated in different ways including, but not limited to, the following: quantitative GRE or GMAT score and percentile, listing relevant courses with grade received (e.g. quantitative research methods, advanced mathematics, or statistics courses), certification of proficiency with statistical packages or techniques. One indicator of competency is required, but you are welcome to provide more.
Verbal competency: Students applying for admission are required to demonstrate their verbal competency. A writing sample and personal statement are both mandatory and are one way that verbal competency is assessed. While the writing sample and personal statement are both required you are welcome to provide additional evidence, such as a verbal GRE score.
GRE scores: Optional, effective Fall 2023 admissions cycle. (UConn GRE code: 3915)
Letters of Recommendation: In the application, submit only the contact information for three recommenders. The recommenders will be contacted to send their letters via a Slate request.
Transcripts: All post-secondary transcripts must be submitted with the application. For degrees in progress, submit up to date unofficial transcripts. Official transcripts indicating degree conferral will be required prior to matriculation.

For international applicants who are NOT eligible for the Language Proficiency Waiver, we require one of the tests below. The department requires the following scores for whichever test option you choose:
TOEFL: Applicants must score 23 or above on the Reading, Listening and Writing components. Additionally, applicants must score a 27 or above on the Speaking component and have a combined TOEFL score total of at least 100.
IELTS: Applicants must receive an overall band score of 7. Additionally, applicants must receive a Speaking band score of 8.0 or higher.
PTE: Applicants must receive an overall score of 74 or higher.
A cumulative GPA for their most recent degree of 3.0 or higher for the entire degree