Doctoral Program in Communication
The Department offers a degree program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in Communication. For more information about the program requirements and admissions information, download the PhD Handbook.
The handbook outlines the admissions requirements as well as the program curriculum. It is important to note, the deadline for application submission to the PhD program is January 15th. Applicants must ensure that ALL materials, including transcripts and GRE scores (Institution code: 1898), are at the Office of Graduate Admissions by the deadline date.
Students interested in applying for Graduate Assistantships must also complete the separate Application for assistantship found below and submit it by the deadline of February 1st.
Current Wayne State University students who wish to apply for the Doctoral Program in Communication do not need to reapply through the Office of Graduate Admissions. In lieu of an admissions application, students may submit the Change of Graduate Status Form and submit the form with their supplemental materials (i.e. GRE scores, writing sample, etc.) directly to the Department of Communication. Application requirements and deadlines do apply. See the PhD Handbook for specific details.
Note on the Personal Statement
As part of the materials required to be considered for admission into the Department of Communication's Ph.D. program, prospective students must submit a statement of academic interest and professional goals in which students should state their reasons and rationale for desiring to be admitted into the department's PhD program. As part of the materials required to be considered for admission into the Department of Communication's Ph.D. program, prospective students must submit a statement of academic interest and professional goals in which students should state their reasons and rationale for desiring to be admitted into the department's PhD program. Applicants should include a brief description of their academic interests and discuss which faculty members' research interests intersect with their own. Applicants are encouraged to read the profiles of the department's faculty members. WSU's Graduate School offers tips for the writing of personal statements here.
Dissertation Fellowship Application
As part of the Ph.D. Enhancement Grant awarded to the Department of Communication, we will be offering Dissertation Fellowships to qualifying students. To qualify, applicants must be a PhD student in the Communication department and have defended their prospectus before applying. Students must complete the Fellowship Application and the student's advisor must complete the recommendation form. Applications are accepted throughout the academic year on a rolling basis. Please contact the Interim Graduate Director, Dr. Pradeep Sopory at psopory@wayne.edu for more details.
PhD Downloadable Forms:
- Application for Graduate Assistantships
- Graduate Assistantship (GA) Renewal form
- Application for Graduate Student Travel Awards
- Change in Graduate Advisor Form
- PhD Annual Review Student Form
- PhD Plan of Work checksheet - Media Arts and Studies
- PhD Plan of Work checksheet - Communication Studies
- Doctoral Committee Form
- PHD Change in Plan of Work Form
Other official forms are located at the Graduate School website.