About the Program
The School of Journalism and Communication offers a program of studies leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Communication. The program focuses on three fields of concentration:
- The history of communication
- The political economy of communication
- The socio-cultural analysis of communication
Academic Regulations
- See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.
- A standing of B- or better must be obtained in each course counted towards the Ph.D. degree.
Admission Requirements
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The normal requirement for admission into the doctoral program is a master's degree (or the equivalent) in communication or a cognate field such as journalism studies, with an overall average of B+ or better.
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Applicants who have deficiencies in certain areas may be admitted to the Ph.D. Program, but will normally be required to complete additional course work.
Program Requirements
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Doctoral candidates must successfully complete the equivalent of 10.0 credits. The specific requirements are as follows:
- MCOM 6000 (1.0 credit)
- 2.0 additional credits from the list of optional courses below; up to 0.5 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School; students in the Ph.D. program are restricted to one (0.5 credit) directed studies course (MCOM 6010)
- Comprehensive examinations (2.0 credits)
- A thesis (5.0 credits) which must be defended at an oral examination
- A language requirement as stated below
Optional Courses
All doctoral candidates must complete 2.0 additional credits from the list of optional courses below; 0.5 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School, particularly those that address central theoretical and/or methodological issues within the student's chosen field of concentration. Students in the Ph.D. program are restricted to one (0.5 credit) directed studies course (MCOM 6010)
- MCOM 5200
- MCOM 5202
- MCOM 5203
- MCOM 5204
- MCOM 5206
- MCOM 5208
- MCOM 5210
- MCOM 5212
- MCOM 5214
- MCOM 5216
- MCOM 5218
- MCOM 5509
- MCOM 5605
- MCOM 6001
- MCOM 6005
- MCOM 6006
- MCOM 6007
- MCOM 6010
- JOUR 5401
- JOUR 5500
Comprehensive Examinations
In addition to their course requirements, doctoral candidates are required to write two comprehensive examinations each worth 1.0 credit. The first comprehensive examination (MCOM 6900) is closely related to the course materials in the doctoral seminar (MCOM 6000) and is conducted by the instructors of MCOM 6000 in May following completion of the seminar. To be eligible for the first comprehensive, candidates must have a GPA of 9.0 or higher on their previous course work, including MCOM 6000. Students who fail the first comprehensive may be asked to withdraw from the program.
The second comprehensive examination (MCOM 6901) is normally completed during the second year of the program and tests the student's in-depth knowledge of one field of study. It is conducted by the student's supervisor and advisory committee and involves examination of an approved project related to the chosen field. Before taking the second comprehensive examination, students must have completed all of their course work with a GPA of 9.0 or higher and have satisfactorily completed MCOM 6900. The second comprehensive is expected to be completed no later than two years or six terms after initial full-time registration, or four years or 12 terms after initial part-time registration. Students who do not fulfil this requirement within the prescribed time period may be asked to withdraw from the program.
Language Requirement
Students are required to demonstrate an understanding of a language other than English, preferably French. Language testing will be administered by the School and will normally include a demonstration of reasonable understanding, on sight, of material contained in selected samples of scholarly literature in a foreign language and in the field of communication.
Thesis Requirement
A thesis proposal is presented after the comprehensive requirement has been satisfied, and defended at an oral presentation. The thesis, normally equivalent to 5.0 credits, must be successfully defended at an oral examination.
