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DOCTORAL CORE COURSE REQUIREMENTS

This page is for students who matriculated prior to Fall 2009.

See Doctoral Manual>

To earn the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Mass Communications, the student must successfully complete the following:

1. Research Methods:

JOUR 801 -- Communications Research Design
JOUR 804 -- Historical Research Methods OR JOUR 806 -- Legal Research Methods
At least one additional research methods class

2. Mass Communication Major Area:

JOUR 802 -- Ethical Reasoning in Mass Communications
JOUR 803 -- Seminar in Mass Communication Theory and Theory Construction
JOUR 805 -- Seminar in Teaching Media Studies
One additional mass communications class

3. Outside Area of Concentration:

A least three courses in another field of study, such as economics, business, political science, history, education, library science, or English must be taken. Normally the three courses would be in the same academic discipline. However, a student interested, for example, in modern Africa might, with approval of the faculty, take one pertinent course in history, one in political science, and a third in sociology.

4. Electives:

Six hours (two courses) of additional course work, either inside or outside the School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

5. Comprehensive Examination:

A comprehensive examination based on doctoral coursework. This examination is administered in two parts: A 12-hour written examination (four three-hour sets of questions, taken over five consecutive business days, and an oral defense before the student's Comprehensive Examination Committee.

6. Residency Requirement:

The student must be enrolled for at least a total of eighteen semester hours over three consecutive major semesters.

7. Foreign Language:

A reading knowledge of at least one foreign language. This requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing an examination administered by the various foreign language departments concerned.

8. Doctoral Dissertation:

An acceptable doctoral dissertation of at least 12 hours and dissertation defense before the student's Dissertation Committee.

It should be pointed out that these are minimum requirements. A doctoral student who aspires to write a dissertation in a given area might be directed by that student's faculty committee to enroll for an additional course in statistics, for example.