Sixty credit hours (17 three-credit, graduate level courses and 9 dissertation credits) are required to complete the degree.
No class may be used to fulfill more than one requirement.
Required Core Courses (15 credits)
COMM601 Ep​istemology and Theory in Communication
COMM603 Communication Research Methods Procedures
COMM604 Communication Research Methods Analysis
COMM630 Interpersonal Communication Theory
COMM670 Media Theory
Research Competency Courses (9 credits)
Students must take 3 credits from the Research Methodology course list, 3 credits from the Statistical Methods course list, and 3 additional credits from either list.
​Choose one of the following 3 credit Research Methodology Courses
COMM624 Media Message Analysis
COMM685 Analysis of Face-to-Face Communication
COMM803 Topics in Communication Research Methods
COMM815 Proseminar in Media Effects
COMM832 Proseminar in Political Communication
COMM841 Proseminar in Interpersonal Communication
EDUC862 Design and Analysis of Experiments
HDFS615 Research Methods
HDFS815 Research Issues and Designs
SOCI605 Data Collection and Analysis
SOCI606 Qualitative Methodology
UAPP702 Research Methods in Urban and Public Policy
UAPP718 Survey Research Methods
UAPP808 Qualitative Methods for Program Evaluation
Choose one of the following 3 credit Statistical Methods Courses
EDUC665 Elementary Statistics
EDUC812 Regression and Structural Equation Modeling
EDUC865 Educational Management Theory
POSC815 Introduction to Statistical Analysis for Political Science
PSYC860 Psychological Statistics
PSYC861 Psychological Statistics II
PSYC878 Hierarchical Linear Modeling
PSYC879 Structural Equation Modeling
SOCI614 Advanced Data Analysis
STAT609 Regression and Experimental Design
STAT611 Regression Analysis
STAT615 Design and Analysis of Experiments
STAT616 Advanced Design of Experiments
STAT675 Logistic Regression
UAPP691 Quantitative Analysis in Public and Nonprofit Sectors
Choose one additional 3-credit course from either list above, chosen in consultation with your academic advisor. If a student finds a course not on the lists above that they would like to use to fulfill part of the research competency requirement it must be approved by their academic advisor and a request must be made for its evaluation by the Department of Communication's Graduate Director. Such a request can be made using the Department of Communication's Graduate Course Substitution Form.
Concentration Courses (15 credits)
Each student will choose and declare one of three concentrations within the Communication program by the end of their first academic year. Concentration requirements consist of the completion of four concentration courses (12 credits) from their chosen concentration. Students must also complete one 3 credit course from each of their non-chosen concentrations (6 total credits).
​Concentration 1 Interpersonal Communication
COMM610 Organizational Communication Theory
COMM617 Communication and Management Conflict
COMM621 Intercultural Communication
COMM640 Topics in Interpersonal Communication
COMM642 Topics in Organizational Communication
COMM643 Communication and Emotion
COMM652 Communication and Persuasion
COMM653 Health Communication
COMM656 Communication in Organizations
COMM676 Social Media and Communication
COMM685 Analysis of Face-to-Face Communication
COMM811 Communication and Ethics
COMM841 Proseminar in Interpersonal Communication
Concentration 2 Media Communication
COMM618 Topics in Media Communication
COMM623 Communication, Advertising, and the Consumer
COMM652 Communication and Persuasion
COMM653 Health Communication
COMM654 Children and the Media
COMM658 Science Communication
COMM676 Social Media and Communication
COMM808 Media Law and Policy
COMM811 Communication and Ethics
COMM814 Communication Campaigns
COMM815 Proseminar in Media Effects
UAPP715 Media, Citizenship, & Public Policy
Concentration 3 Political Communication
COMM621 Intercultural Communication
COMM625 Advanced Topics: Politics and Broadcast Journalism
COMM631 Entertainment and Politics
COMM633 Topics in Political Communication
COMM652 Communication and Persuasion
COMM658 Science Communication
COMM676 Social Media and Communication
COMM808 Media Law and Policy
COMM811 Communication and Ethics
COMM814 Communication Campaigns
COMM832 Proseminar in Political Communication
COMM836 Digital Technology in Politics
POSC807 American Political Behavior
UAPP715 Media, Citizenship, & Public Policy
Elective Courses (9 credits)
Students must take nine additional course credits over the course of their program. Students may take no more than one 3-credit independent study (COMM866). If a student would like to take a course from outside of the Communication Department they may with prior approval by their academic advisor and the Department of Communication's Graduate Director.
Communication Colloquium (0 credits)
Students must enroll in the COMM890 Communication Colloquium each semester they are enrolled in coursework for a total of up to six semesters.
Dissertation (9 credits)
COMM964 Pre-Candidacy Study (3-12 credits until candidacy is achieved)
COMM989 Doctoral Dissertation
