COMMUNICATIONS

Dean of the College of Communications: Kim B. Rotzoll

Director, Institute of Communications Research: Clifford G. Christians

Associate Director for Graduate Studies: Norman Denzin

Correspondence and Admission Information: Associate Director for Graduate Studies, Institute of Communications Research, 228 Gregory Hall, 810 South Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-1549; E-mail: icr@uiuc .edu

URL: www.comm.uiuc.edu/icr/home

GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAM

The program for the Doctor of Philosophy in Communications is administered by the Institute of Communications Research in the College of Communications. It provides a core program in communications and permits advanced specialization in several areas: social and cultural aspects of communication with an emphasis on critical-historical analysis; studies of economic and political aspects of communication institutions; studies in language, meaning, and linguistics; and processes and effects of communication including public opinion and attitude change. The program applies the methods and disciplines of the social sciences supported by the humanities, fine and applied arts, and natural sciences to the basic problems of human communications. It is intended for students who plan careers in teaching communications theory and such subjects as popular culture, film, and media studies; scholarly research on the history, control, and ethics of the mass media; research on public opinion measurement, cultural studies, gender, political economy, international communications, medicine, technology, advertising, communication effects, psycholinguistics, and semantics; and executive jobs in government an d industry requiring breadth, perspective, and a scholarly background.

Admission

Any student with a bachelor's or master's degree and with a substantial background in the humanities, social sciences, or physical sciences is eligible to apply to the communications doctoral program. All candidates for admission must submit an application for admission along with an application fee, transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate courses taken and grades earned, and three letters of recommendation. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required. International students from non-English-speaking countries are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum score is 600 on the paper-based test (250 on the computer-based test). Students normally are admitted to start the program only during the fall term. Only under exceptional circumstances are they allowed to begin in the spring or summer term.

All material for fall admission should be subm itted by February 1 of the same calendar year.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 24 units beyond the bachelor's degree. Students working toward a Ph.D. degree usually require from three to five years to complete their work. Full-time students entering the program directly after receiving a bachelor's degree should expect to take two full years of coursework and a minimum of one additional year for the preparation of a thesis. Full-time students entering with a master's degree should expect to transfer only two to three units of coursework. Doctoral students must pass preliminary examinations covering coursework and declared specialties and a final examination covering the thesis. A master's degree in communications is not offered. Students desiring to complete a master's degree should consider enrolling in the Departments of Journalism or Advertising or in one of the departments in the social sciences.

concentration or minor in cultural studies and i nterpretive research

Cultural Studies and Interpretive Research is an interdisciplinary, intercollege concentration of eight units or minor of four units. It is open to Ph.D. students in affiliated programs who wish to obtain expertise in cultural studies, social theory, and interpretive research while completing their degree requirements within their home departments.

Contact Norman Denzin, Program Chair, Institute of Communications Research, University of Illinois, 228 Gregory Hall, 810 South Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801.