What is a Ph.D. in Communication with an emphasis on Social Justice?
The Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Cincinnati gives students the opportunity to investigate the power of communication to shape our personal identities and impact our social, organizational, mediated, and political lives.
Given our location in the heart of the urban core of Cincinnati, as well as the mission of our department to explore and address social issues, much of our work emphasizes our value of social justice. We recognize the central role that communication plays in our understanding of key social justice issues (e.g., race, gender, health, environment, globalization-related, etc.) and in finding solutions to those issues.
As graduate faculty in communication, we have identified a trend that students approach communication studies from a social justice angle, and are seeking opportunities to advance academic training that prepare them to have a social justice focus in their research or praxis career trajectory. Through academic preparation and externship work, our program prepares students to lead positive change through academic, and applied work, or in professional careers through a blend of theory, research methodology, and practical application.
What are our focus areas?
- Organizational Communication and Public Relations
- Media and Cultural Studies, Traditional and Digital Media Effects
- Health and Environmental Communication
- Interpersonal Communication and Leadership
- Culture and Globalization
- Rhetorical, Interpretive, Critical, and Quantitative Methods
What are some of the advantages of this program?
- Small classes mean you get concentrated attention from our award-winning faculty
- You can customize the program to your interests by choosing electives and independently working on a completion project tailored to your interests
- Many of our full-time Ph.D. students receive a graduate assistantship (GA), a competitive assistantship that pays your tuition and provides a $16,000 stipend each year for four years. Most GA students teach their own sections of public speaking and consider it a highlight of their experience.