Admission Requirements
The
Graduate School of the
University of Alabama administers admissions for the entire
University. The Graduate School’s
web
site has detailed admission policies, a copy of the graduate
catalog, an electronic application, and other useful information
for those considering graduate studies at the University.
Applicants to the doctoral program in communication and information sciences must meet
the admission requirements of the Graduate School of the University
of Alabama and those stated below. Consideration for acceptance
is based on having met these requirements, and on evidence of
the capacity for success in communication studies at the doctoral
level, in the form of clarity of expression and goals in the statement
of purpose; letters from professors who can attest to an applicant's
potential for doctoral-level work; record of prior academic study
(including the nature and academic standing of courses of study
already completed and grades earned); satisfactory scores on the
Graduate Record Examination; and other information that may illustrate
ability, maturity, commitment, and sense of purpose or that may
otherwise indicate an applicant's potential to complete doctoral
studies.
Normally, an applicant will have completed requirements for a
master's degree in the communication field or in library and information sciences. Consideration will
be given to individuals with advanced degrees in other fields
who make clear cases showing how their previous graduate work
would apply to doctoral study in communication and information sciences. Admission for
study in master's degree programs offered in the College of Communication
& Information Sciences does not imply eligibility to work
toward the doctoral degree. Admission to doctoral study in the
College of Communication & Information Sciences requires completion
of a separate application through the Graduate School.
An applicant whose credentials meet the following minimum requirements
may be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program in communication:
- an undergraduate grade point average
of 3.0 or higher overall (based on a 4.0 system) or a 3.0 or
higher average for the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate
study, and a graduate-level grade point average of at least
3.0
- a combined score of 1100 on the verbal
and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examination
and no less than 400 on either the verbal or quantitative portion
of the examination
Foreign applicants must score at least
600 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to be
considered for admission.
An applicant who does not meet these requirements may be considered
for conditional admission to the program if the following conditions
are satisfied:
- an undergraduate grade point average
of at least 3.0 overall (based on a 4.0 system), and
- a combined score of 1000 or higher on
the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record
Examination and no less than 400 on either the verbal or quantitative
portion of the examination.
A student admitted conditionally to the program removes the condition
by earning a grade point average of 3.0 or better during the first
12 semester hours of graduate work attempted after admission to
the doctoral program, and by satisfying any other conditions that
may be specified by the Admissions Committee of the College of
Communication & Information Sciences. If the 12 hours are
completed in a term in which the total credits exceed 12, the
evaluation is made on the basis of all graduate work completed
at the end of that term of enrollment.
A student who removes the condition immediately assumes the status
of a regularly admitted graduate student. Failure to remove the
condition within the first 12 hours of graduate work will result
in the student's dismissal from the program.
No student will be admitted to the program on any basis other
than the two described above (regular and conditional admission
to the Ph.D. program in communication and information sciences).
Admission of a foreign student to the program may be contingent
upon the successful completion of specified coursework in the
English language offered by the English Language Institute of
the University of Alabama. In such cases, the criteria for successful
completion include earning at least a "B" grade in each
course. Stipulated courses in the English Language Institute must
be completed before the student is permitted to begin a course
of study in the doctoral program.
Students who are admitted contingent upon the completion of preliminary
courses specified by the Admissions Committee must complete these
prerequisites during the first semester of study in the program
if at all possible. Students will not be permitted to continue
beyond the second semester of enrollment without having successfully
completed the prescribed prerequisites. The prerequisite courses
do not carry graduate credit.
The student's advisor and/or Program Advisory Committee may also recommend
specific, preliminary, noncredit coursework to be completed during
the first or second semester of study if deficiencies in a specific
area are determined. These requirements must be approved by the
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies & Research of the College
of Communication & Information Sciences.
General program requirements
1. Number of hours required in the program
Number of hours required: 48 - 60 hours as determined by a student’s
program committee. Twelve of those hours may be transferred from
a student’s masters program.
Plus 24 hours of dissertation research will be taken, usually following admission to candidacy.
2. Specialization
Number of hours required: 18 - 30 hours are required in the student's area of specialization, from one of the following three specializations:
1. Mass Communication
2. Information Studies
3. Cultural, Critical, and Rhetorical Studies
Faculty advisory committees determine which specific courses
he or she must take to satisfy program and research requirements.
3. Cognate
Number of hours required: 9 - 15 hours are required in the student's cognate area, which has to be approved by the student's Program Advisory Committee. We recommend that students take their cognate in courses outside the College of Communication & Information Sciences. If the cognate is taken within the College, it must be in an area outside the specialization.
4. Core requirements (those courses to be required of every
student)
(A) 12 hours required in six courses:
CIS 600 Proseminar in Communication and Information Sciences (1 hour)
CIS 601 Proseminar in Pedagogy (1 hour)
CIS 602 Colloquium in Communication and Information Sciences (1 hour)
(B) 6 hrs. in theory. The student, in conjunction with the Program Advisory Committee, chooses two theory courses, one of which must be in the student's area of specialization:
CIS 604 Mass Communication Theory
CIS 605 Cultural, Critical, and Rhetorical Theory
CIS 606 Knowledge and Information
CIS 607 Theory Construction and Epistemology
(C) 3 hrs. in methods:
MC603 Communication Research Methods
Additionally, the student must demonstrate proficiency in the
research methodology to be used in the dissertation through
coursework beyond CIS 603 before taking the comprehensive examinations.
Students taking coursework that requires quantitative research
and/or doing a dissertation using quantitative research must
complete a statistics course.
5. “Electives” (additional courses)
Number of hours required: 0 - 21 hours
These courses may be in the Specialization, Cognate, or other
areas that the student’s advisory committee may stipulate or approve.
SUMMARY
Area Semester hours
Total program 48 - 60
Specialization 18 - 30
Cognate 9 - 15
Core 12
Additional/elective 0 - 21
Also (University Graduate School requirements):
Dissertation 24
6. Other requirements
a. A minimum of 36 hours of coursework must be completed after
enrollment in the CCIS doctoral program.
b. A minimum of 24 hours of coursework must be at the 600 level.
The remainder of hours of approved graduate course credit must
be at the 500 or 600 level. No cross-listed 400/500-level course may be taken in the doctoral program. A maximum of 6 hours of 400- or 400/500 level credit may be transferred from a master’s degree program.
c. Each student must complete a minimum of four 600-level seminars from the College of Communication &
Information Science curriculum.
Up to 12 hour of these 36 hours may be transferred from a student's masters program if approved by the student's Program Advisory Committee and the Associate
Dean for Graduate Studies. Credits so approved
must have been earned within a period of up to six years prior
to admission.
Students admitted to the program may be required to complete additional
coursework to be prepared for doctoral level (600-level) study
and research in the communication and information sciences, at the discretion of the student's Program Advisory Committee and
the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.
All degree requirements must be completed within seven years after
admission to the program.
Entering doctoral students with incomplete master's theses must
complete these during the first year of doctoral study. Students
must provide official transcripts of their master's degree work
as evidence that their degrees have been granted. If a student
fails to provide the transcript, the College may refuse to administer
the preliminary examination and/or may withdraw financial support.
Scholastic requirements
Students must maintain cumulative grade point averages of at least
3.00 on a 4.00 scale for graduate courses undertaken following admission
to the doctoral program. A doctoral student whose grade point average falls
below 3.00 at any time after 6 semester hours have been completed
will be placed on probation by the College of Communication &
Information Sciences. A student on probation will not be permitted to apply for
admission to candidacy and may not hold an assistantship. Probationary
status must be removed (by raising the overall average to 3.00 or
higher) within the next 9 hours of graduate work following the period
of probation. Failure to remove probationary status will result
in the student's dismissal from the program. Earning a "C" grade at any time will automatically put a student on academic probation within the College. Additionally, a student
who earns a grade below "B" in more than two courses will
be dropped from the program.
A grade of "I" (Incomplete) is evaluated as an "F," and must be removed within four weeks during the next term of enrollment.
Students who are dropped from the program may petition the College's
Graduate Studies Committee for readmission. The committee may
in turn make a special request to the Dean of the Graduate School
for approval of the student's readmission.
Residency requirement
The minimum period in which the doctoral degree can be earned is
three full academic years of graduate study. The student must spend
an academic year in continuous residence as a full-time student
(9-12 hours of coursework) in the Graduate School of the The University
of Alabama (or, if specifically approved by the faculty concerned,
one full summer consisting of two terms, preceded by or followed
by one regular semester. Only
by enrolling in coursework can satisfy this requirement; dissertation research cannot be used.
Students must completed their residency requirement before admission to candidacy.
Preliminary examination
The preliminary examination is
required of all doctoral candidates. The examination is given after all required course work and other work prescribed by the student's Program Advisory Committee has been completed. The examination
must be completed at least six months before the degree is awarded.
* The student must demonstrate, through written and oral examinations,
a capacity to understand, synthesize, and apply communication
theory and research techniques in the communication and information
sciences, as well as demonstrate knowledge of the pertinent literature, issues, and
recent advances in the student's area of specialization and cognate
area of study. In other words, the examination must cover (1) communication theory core, (2) the research methodology core, (3) the student's specialization, and (4)
cognate area. The written examination is administered by
the student’s program advisory committee, which may call
on other faculty members associated with the student’s course
work for assistance in preparing the examination. Sixteen hours
are set aside for the examination, -- four hours for each division
(theory, methods, specialization, and cognate). The examination
is to be completed within a
two-week period.
* The Oral portion of the examination (required) will be scheduled
as quickly as possible following the written examination. Immediately
following the oral examination, the examination committee will
convene to determine whether the student has passed, must perform
additional work to demonstrate understanding of competency in
one of more areas, or has failed the examination. In the case of a clear failure, the re-examination must take place after six months and
before twelve months have elapsed. Each of the four portions of
the preliminary examination may be taken only twice. The examining
committee will rule either pass or fail on the second examination
in toto.
Admission to candidacy
A student is certified by the Dean of the Graduate School for admission
to candidacy for the Ph.D. in Communication and Information Sciences after meeting the
following requirements:
- Completion of the program of coursework
and other requirements as prescribed by the
student's Program Advisory Committee and approved by the College of Communication
& Information Sciences Office for Graduate Studies.
- Demonstration by passing the preliminary examination, of competence in the Ph.D. core theory, research methods,
specialization, and cognate.
- A successful defense of a dissertation
proposal.
Advisory Committee
A student's PhD Program Advisory Committee is composed of at least four members. The chair of the committee should hold a PhD degree. All committee members may be Associate Members of the graduate faculty. One member may be from a college or school outside the College of Communication& Information Sciences, but must have graduate faculty status.
A student's Program Advisory Committee can have no more than two members from one department. There shall be no more than one Temporary member serving on any Program Advisory Committee. Additionally, Temporary members shall not chair Program Advisory Committees.
Program Advisory Committees take responsibility for leading students through coursework and examinations toward degree candidacy.
Dissertation committee
Following the successful completion of preliminary examinations, the candidate for the Ph.D. in Communication & Information Sciences must form a Dissertation Committee. This committee evaluates the dissertation proposal and
the dissertation proper. Both the proposal and the completed thesis
must be defended before the committee. The successful defense of
a proposal grants the student candidacy for the degree and entitles
his or her to conduct thesis research. The successful dissertation
defense is last formal step to reception to the Ph.D. degree.
The Dissertation Committee is composed of at least five members. The Graduate Faculty of the College of Communication & Information Sciences must be represented by at least three members. A fourth member may be from CIS or from a college or school outside the
College, but he or she must have graduate faculty status. A fifth member, to be appointed by the Graduate School of the University, must be a member of the Graduate Faculty in a division other than the College of Communication and Information Sciences; this so-called "Outside Member" represents the UA Graduate Faculty at large. Only full members of the Graduate Faculty may chair doctoral dissertations.
At least one committee member other than the chair must have full membership of the College's
Graduate Faculty. One other member must also be a full member. All the
other members may be associate members. However, no more than one, temporary
member of the Graduate Faculty may serve on any given committee.
Dissertation
After successful completion of the preliminary examination, degree candidates must submit a written proposal to their dissertation committee. The proposal describes
the importance of the proposed topic, outlines the hypotheses to be evaluated, provide an overview of the relevant literature, specifies the methodology to be used, and includes a timetable for
completion of the project. The dissertation must make a significant
original contribution to the field of communication and information
sciences and must demonstrate the candidate's ability to report
that research in writing in a clear, comprehensive, and scholarly
manner.
The defense of the dissertation proposal must precede the defense
of the dissertation itself by at least 30 days. Furthermore, the
student must submit the proposal, and later the dissertation,
to the Dissertation Committee at least 14 days prior to the defense.
After the proposal has been circulated among the members, the
student's Dissertation Committee meets for the student's oral
defense of the proposal. The candidate must complete the dissertation
within seven years of the date of admission to the doctoral program.
Final examination
The candidate must present a copy of the final draft of the dissertation
to each committee member at least two weeks before the scheduled
date of the final examination. After the dissertation has been completed
and accepted by the candidate's Dissertation Committee for purposes
of the examination, the candidate will be given a final oral examination
by the dissertation committee.
The final examination is primarily concerned with the research
embodied in the dissertation and with the field in which the dissertation
lies, but it may extend over the student's entire primary field
of study. The final oral examination is governed by the rules
of the Graduate School of the University of Alabama. All members
of the Graduate Faculty of the College of Communication & Information Sciences are invited to attend.
After the Graduate School has approved the dissertation the student is to provide the Office for Graduate Studies a bound copy of the final version of the dissertation. It is also recommended that the student present his chair and committee members a copy of the final version of the dissertation.
Financial Aid
The College of Communication & Information
Sciences offer a limited number of graduate assistantships to qualified
students. The assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis
to individuals who can best aid the institution in achieving its
research and instructional missions. Students interested in graduate
assistantships should apply to the appropriate divisions by November
1 for spring semester applications and by February 15 for all fall
semester applications. Other financial aid available from the University.
Disclaimer: Although the authors
of this Web site have made every reasonable effort to be factually
accurate, no responsibility is assumed for editorial or clerical
errors or error occasioned by honest mistake. All information
contained on this Web site is subject to change by the appropriate
officials of The University of Alabama without prior notice. Material
on this Web site does not serve as a contract between The University
of Alabama and any other party.
