Program Overview
Kent State's Ph.D. in Communication and Information prepares individuals for careers in higher education, research, or communication and information industries. The interdisciplinary curriculum focuses on the intersection of communication, media, and information, with specialized research topics available. Students gain an integrative understanding of these disciplines and develop strong research and scholarly skills. The program emphasizes critical and social-scientific approaches to promote research, teaching, and applications in the digital age.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Kent State's Ph.D. degree in Communication and Information offers a flexible and interdisciplinary curriculum that prepares you for a career as a faculty in higher education or as a researcher in communication, media, or information industries. Through coursework and research, you'll gain an integrative view of the disciplines of communication, media and information while specializing in research topics that intersect these disciplines. The Ph.D. degree in Communication and Information prepares individuals for traditional and emerging careers in teaching, research and administration in the converging fields of communication and information. The degree program consists of a prescribed core of interdisciplinary courses and varied selection of elective coursework within and across disciplines.
Outline:
Major Requirements:
- CCI 80000 FOUNDATIONS OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION INQUIRY: 3 Credit Hours
- CCI 80001 FOUNDATIONS OF RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP IN COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION: 3 Credit Hours
- CCI 80097 COLLOQUIUM IN COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION: 4 Credit Hours (taken four times)
- Advisor-Approved Theory Courses from the College of Communication and Information: 6 Credit Hours
- Quantitative Research Methods Course: 3 Credit Hours
- Qualitative Research Methods Course: 3 Credit Hours
- Additional Methods Courses: 16 Credit Hours
- Electives: 21 Credit Hours (selected with the approval of the student's advisor and supervisory committee to support the student's research interests)
Minimum Total Credit Hours:
70
Graduation Requirements:
- Minimum Major GPA: 3.000
- Minimum Overall GPA: 3.000
- Candidacy Requirement: To achieve candidacy, doctoral students must pass the doctoral comprehensive examination.
Careers:
- Communications teachers, postsecondary: 3.2% about as fast as the average, 35,600 number of jobs, $71,030 potential earnings
- Library science teachers, postsecondary: 3.0% about as fast as the average, 5,400 number of jobs, $71,580 potential earnings
- Media and communication workers, all other: 8.1% much faster than the average, 35,200 number of jobs, $49,730 potential earnings
- Web developers and digital interface designers: 8.0% much faster than the average, 174,300 number of jobs, $77,200 potential earnings
Other:
- The Ph.D. program promotes research, teaching, and application of the social-scientific, humanistic, critical, visual communication and psycho-social principles of communication and information in the digital age.
- Doctoral students in the College of Communication and Information bring diverse backgrounds to the program and are actively engaged in research across a variety of areas.
