A leader in journalism education and research, the School awarded the first doctor of philosophy degree in 1934. Beyond teaching and administration, our doctoral graduates add value to corporations, media entities, strategic communication firms and other organizations through their research and understanding theoretical approaches. Doctoral students:
conduct research with world-renowned faculty,
collaborate with world-class scholars and professionals in journalism and strategic communication,
gain experience as an educator alongside award-winning faculty
The eight research areas of study prepare our doctoral students for careers in the academy and industry:
Big Data
Health Communications
Journalism Studies
Media History
Media Law, Ethics and Policy
Media Sociology
Science Communication
Strategic Communication
Selecting the right doctoral program is a major decision. At the Missouri School of Journalism, our students will have the mentorship and assistance in job placement they need. Missouri graduates are represented in colleges and universities around the world, serving as deans, chairs and professors. Recent doctoral graduates are now on the faculties of Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Iowa, Colorado, Louisiana State, Georgia and other accredited journalism programs.
We live in an era of large-scale science-related challenges and rapid advancements in groundbreaking science with major societal implications. Even as we continue to grapple with challenges such as climate change and public health crisis, new scientific developments and technologies are reshaping our society, including CRISPR and gene editing.
Effective communication is critical to the future of science, and to ensuring informed decision-making or policy choices about scientific issues. Any communication about science must be informed by research.
In this program, you can contribute to the growing field of science communication by exploring research related to:
Public understanding and knowledge about science and technology, including scientific misinformation
Public attitudes about science and science-related issues
The democratization and evolution of science and the scientific process
How media, public, scientists, and other stakeholders communicate about science
Developing and evaluating science communication efforts and messages
