The College of Communications and Information offers programs leading to the Master of Arts (either Plan A or Plan B) and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Communication. The program offers special opportunities for students to apply communication theory and research across many contexts. Students may develop a program of study emphasizing (or combining) research areas such as health communication, information studies, instructional communication, media and mass communication, risk and crisis communication as well as strategic and organizational communication. The program is designed to serve the needs of students whose goals may include teaching and academic research, professional research, or communication careers in the media or other organizations.
Students pursuing work in health communication are encouraged to develop interdisciplinary programs involving the Department of Behavioral Science, the College of Medicine, as well as the Colleges of Dentistry, Health Sciences, Pharmacy, and Nursing. Communication also participates in interdisciplinary research programs with the Center for Prevention Research, the Sanders-Brown Center for Aging, and a variety of other health-related departments and institutes.
Admission Requirements
Students with an undergraduate degree from a fully accredited institution of higher learning and a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale are admissible to the graduate program. Only students who have previously completed a master’s degree may apply for admission into the doctoral program. Master’s degree applicants are expected to have had at least twelve hours of appropriate undergraduate work in communication. Students with degrees in areas not directly related to communication are encouraged to apply, but they may be required to take course work without graduate credit. Should the Admissions Committee feel there is a deficiency in the applicant’s studies, it may require enrollment in specific undergraduate courses. Courses taken to remove a deficiency cannot be counted towards the master’s degree. In some cases, successful professional experience in a communication field will be considered in admitting students to the program.
Applicants must complete the University of Kentucky’s Graduate School online-application and pay the application fee. Per the Graduate School’s instruction, all applicants are required to submit official scores on the Graduate Record Examination and official transcripts of all work taken at and beyond the college level. Students whose native language is not English must also submit an official score of at least 79 on the internet-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a minimum of 6.5 of the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS). Additionally, all applicants must submit to the College of Communications and Information Studies Graduate Admissions office: (1) transcripts of all work taken at the college level (unofficial or photocopies are acceptable), (2) at least three letters of recommendation focusing on their academic abilities accompanied by the supplied Reference Form and (3) the completed Application Essay indicating why they want to pursue a graduate degree with their reasons for applying to the program. No additional forms are required for financial assistance consideration-all applicants will be considered for funding at the time of review.
The Admissions and Financial Aid Committee will review only completed admission files after January 5 of each year. Applications must have their completed file on record with the Associate Dean for the Graduate Programs in Communication by the deadline in order to be considered for fall admission. New graduate students are permitted to enroll only during the fall semester. Exceptions will be made only because of circumstances beyond the control of the applicant. This deadline does not apply to: (1) UK undergraduate students in the College of Communications and Information Studies applying as University Scholars, who may be admitted for summer, fall or spring semesters, and (2) current students in the M.A. Program in Communication or the M.L.S., M.S.L.S or M.S. in ICT.
Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. program emphasizes communication as a social science. Graduates are prepared for university positions and careers in government, the media and other organizations as researchers, consultants and policy makers. Students must demonstrate general knowledge of communication across various contexts, as well as competence in a core area of specialization. Current core areas include health communication, information studies, instructional communication, media and mass communication, risk and crisis communication as well as strategic and organizational communication.
Students must demonstrate a thorough grasp of communication theory and research methods and must take course work in a cognate area outside of Communication. Proficiency in a foreign language is not required for successful completion of the Ph.D. in Communication. A student’s advisory committee may, however, stipulate certain graduate-level courses in another language for the student’s program that are consistent with the objectives of the student’s program. The required curriculum is as follows:
Fall Semester: Year 1
Spring Semester: Year 1
Fall Semester: Year 2
All students are also required to complete at least 3 credit hours of CI 790 RESEARCH PROBLEMS IN COMMUNICATION by the last semester of course work.
The Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, in consultation with the Graduate Review committee, can waive any of the above requirements for a student who has previously taken the same or equivalent course at UK or another university for graduate credit. Each student works with a major professor and an advisory committee to plan course work and complete the dissertation. The committee also administers the qualifying examination and the final oral examination. The qualifying examination consists of a written and oral examination over general communication theory, the core area of specialization, research methods/statistics and the cognate area.
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