Doctor of Philosophy in Communication

The Department of Communication at the Faculty of Arts offers an MA program in Communication with thesis or with research paper, a Master of Communication (MC) by coursework to which a co-op option can be added, and a PhD in Communication.

The Department of Communication, in collaboration with the University of Ottawa’s Co-op office, offers a co-op option to a limited number of students in the MC program. Students must request this option in their admission file. The co-op option provides the opportunity to acquire practical work experience by completing two one-term paid work placements.

The School is one of the participating units in the collaborative program in Science, Society and Policy (master's level only).

The PhD in Communication program is designed for students with academic and professional training.

The program focuses on two fields of research: media studies and organizational communication. The media studies field examines the content and the modes of operation of traditional and emerging media in their social, cultural, economic, political and regulatory contexts.

Organizational communication focuses on interpersonal and group interactions in the workplace; planning for internal and external communication in private, public, and nonprofit organizations; riskcrisis communication, public relations, ICT’s uses within organizations, etc.

The program aims to develop in graduates the following skills:

Evaluate critically the theories, concepts and assumptions underlying media studies or organizational communication with particular attention to their chosen research interest.
Demonstrate an ability to identify and work with the varying epistemological traditions developed by French-speaking and English-speaking scholars in communication studies.
Contribute to the development of skills, theories, approaches, and materials for both academics and professionals.
Analyze data and communicate research results to diverse audiences, including scholars, policymakers, and professionals in communication studies.
The master's programs are offered on a full-time or on a part-time basis. The PhD program is offered full-time. The master's programs are offered in English and in French whereas the PhD program is offered in bilingual (English-French) format.

In accordance with the University of Ottawa regulation, students have a right to produce their work, their thesis, and to answer examination questions in French or in English.

For an application to be considered, the applicant must:

Hold a master's degree with thesis or research paper in communication, or in a related discipline.
Have obtained a minimum average of 75% (B+) calculated according to graduate studies guidelines.
Provide two confidential letters of recommendation.

A minimum TOEFL score of 625 (5 in the written), a minimum score of 107 (24 in the written) in the IBT (Internet Based TOEFL).
A minimum IELTS score of 7 (International English Language Testing System).
An average score of 5 in listening/reading and a writing score of 4.5 in the CanTEST (for English) or TESTCan (for French), administered by the University of Ottawa.
Provide a CV and a statement of interest outlining career goals.
Provide the name of at least one faculty member of the program whose research interests match their own.
Provide an outline of the proposed research project.
Candidates with a master's degree in a field related to communication and who have not taken any basic course in communication (i.e. theory or research) will have to fill this gap by completing one or two (undergraduate or master's) courses prior to admission. To find out which courses to take, applicants should contact the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication.