COMMU-PHD - Communication (PhD)

Stanford's Department of Communication focuses on media in all its forms. The department studies the processes and effects of mass communication: the nature and social role of the various media; their structure, function, and ethics; and their impact on the political system, culture, and society. In this context, it considers not only traditional mass media, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and film, but also information technology, online media, virtual reality, and the Internet. Students are trained as social scientists who can study the media and as potential practitioners in the use of the media in journalism, mass communications, and digital media. The department combines theory and practice and fosters individual research opportunities for its students, employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

University requirements for the Ph.D. are described in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin.

The minimum number of academic units required for the Ph.D. at Stanford is 135, up to 45 of which can be transferred either from a master's degree at the University or from another accredited institution.

The department offers a Ph.D. in Communication, which focuses on theory and research. First-year students are required to complete introductory courses in communication theory and research, research methods, and statistics. These core courses, grounded in the social science literature, emphasize how people respond to media and how media institutions function. In addition, Ph.D. students must complete a minimum of three literature survey courses and related advanced seminars in Communication. Students also take significant course work outside the department in their area of interest. Each student builds a research specialty relating communication to current faculty interests in such areas as ethics, computational journalism, information processing, data science, law, online communities, human-computer interaction, politics, voting, virtual reality, psychology of technology, history of technology, critical data studies, emotion regulation, personality expression, digital media and change across the life span, knowledge production, the influence of algorithms, personality and digital media, and information technology. Regardless of the area of specialization, the Ph.D. program is designed primarily for students interested in university research and teaching or other research or analyst positions.

Students must complete the requirements listed on the Degree Requirements Tab for the Ph.D. degree in Communication. Additional information is available in the Degree Requirements and Department Procedures for Ph.D. Students and Ph.D. Advisors (pdf).

Admission

Prospective graduate students should see the Office of Graduate Admissions website and the Applications and Financial Aid section of the department website for detailed information and application materials. Submission of general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores is optional. The Communication Department does not require any GRE subject tests.

Students who completed graduate coursework at another institution are encouraged to begin the process of transferring course units in the Winter quarter of their first year of doctoral study. Transfer of units will be evaluated by the Director of Graduate Studies on a course by course basis. Graduate work accepted for transfer of residency does not automatically exempt a student from having to complete a course requirement for the degree. University policies related to transfer of  credit for graduate work done elsewhere is located in G.AP 3.2.1 Residency Policy for Graduate Students.

The Department of Communication is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the advisor and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Faculty advisors guide students in key areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing of teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

For a statement of University policy on graduate advising, see the "Graduate Advising" section of this bulletin.

Students are assigned a temporary advisor upon admission to the department. By the end of the third quarter of the first year, students confirm in writing that they will remain with or change their advisor. The faculty advisor must be an Academic Council member and a member of the Communication department.

Faculty advisors guide students in key areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

It is the responsibility of the student to meet with their advisor at least once per quarter during the academic year to discuss academic standing and graduate degree progress.

In addition, the Director of Graduate Studies is always available to Ph.D. students for consultation.

Requirements and milestones, as well as more detailed descriptions of the program's expectations of advisors and students, are listed in the "Degree Requirements and Department Procedures for Ph.D. Students and Ph.D. Advisors" available on the department website. 

The Ph.D. is conferred upon candidates who have demonstrated substantial scholarship and the ability to conduct independent research and analysis in communication. Through completion of advanced coursework and rigorous training in research, the doctoral program prepares students to make original contributions to the knowledge of communication and to interpret and present the results of such research.