The Doctor of Philosophy degree is designed to prepare the student for a lifetime of scholarly research and teaching as a college or university professor or communication specialist. Ph.D. students must complete at least 45 semester hours of coursework beyond the master's degree plus a dissertation in their area of study.

Applicants for the Ph.D. program should have: 

• academic goals compatible with the focus of the School's graduate program,
• a minimum 3.30 graduate GPA (on a 4.00 scale) in a master's degree program (recommended GPA is above 3.50),
• a recommended combined score of 1200 on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), 
• 3 superior letters of recommendation from individuals in a position to evaluate graduate academic performance and potential,
• completed the academic requirements of a master's degree in communication, which normally contains a thesis.

International students must also achieve a minimum score of 600 on the TOEFL examination.

Core courses include:
     COMM 75000   Foundations of Communication Inquiry
     COMM 75020   Quantitative Research Methods in Communication
     COMM 75060   Communication Measurement and Analysis
     COMM 75652   Theories of Communication

All new graduate teaching assistants must also complete COMM 75794 (Teaching of College Communication) during their first Fall Semester. Teaching assistants are required to enroll in a one-hour teaching mentorship seminar each term.