Degree Title: Doctor of Philosophy

Program Name and Number: Mass Communication-Journalism - PH5308

Department/Unit: E.W. Scripps School Journalism

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus. Some elective classes may be offered online.

Terms of Entry: Fall Summer

Program Mission: The PhD program in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism is designed to create successful academics in journalism/mass communication programs at colleges and universities.

Program Learning Objectives:

• Learn and apply the principles of mass communication research and theory.
• Master mass communication skills.
• Learn to write academic research papers of a quality to be presented at a conference or published in an academic journal.
• Prepare for a career in academia or in advanced journalism/mass communication research.

Program Overview:  The E.W. Scripps School of Journalism offers a doctoral degree in cooperation with the School of Media Arts & Studies (formerly Telecommunications). Students admitted to the program typically receive tuition waivers and funding for three years. Students take a core of classes in theory, research, law, and ethics, as well as a program of electives which they tailor toward their own research and teaching interests.

Link to Program: http://scrippsjschool.org/phd/. Contact Graduate Director Dr. Michael S. Sweeney at sweenem3@ohio.edu.

Graduation Requirements:

1. Dissertation: Required
2. Comprehensive exams: Required
3. Expected time to completion of degree if studying full time: Three years.
4. Minimum number of semester credit hours: 90, including 10 dissertation hours. (Up to 33 credits may be transferred to the PhD program from a master’s degree program, not counting thesis or internship hours.  A minimum of 37 credits must be earned in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and School of Media Arts and Studies. Students must take a minimum of two classes in the School of Media Arts and Studies.)

Culminating Experience: All PhD students must complete the following to earn the doctoral degree:

• Preparation and defense of a course of study.
• Comprehensive written exams with an oral defense.
• Defense of a dissertation proposal.
• Research, composition, and defense of a dissertation—an in-depth, original work of scholarship related to the mass media.

Approval of coursework, comprehensive exams, and dissertation is by a four-member faculty committee, headed by a faculty member in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism who holds the doctoral degree.

Admission Requirements: Minimum qualifications for admission are a four-year bachelor’s degree; a master’s degree; a score of 300 on the GRE (verbal plus quantitative); TOEFL of 100 or its equivalent for non-native-English speakers; a GPA of 3.0; and at least two years of professional work in journalism, public relations, advertising, or some other form of mass communication. Previous degrees do not need to be in journalism/mass communication. PhD students typically come from professional backgrounds and MS programs, meaning they are likely to have a background in graphics, newswriting, and news editing. If they lack such background or such skills, they will be required to take basic journalism classes.