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STATEMENT OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM
MISSION:
The School of Communication Studies offers the Ph.D. with emphases in Mass Media Studies and Communication and Culture. The
mission of the doctoral program is to promote and extend the study of communication processes ranging from interpersonal transactions
to mass-mediated communication. The School endeavors to create a premier learning community for its approximately 60 doctoral
students by promoting student participation in regional, national and international conferences, forums, and journals. The
School maintains numerous partnerships to nurture collaborative teaching, innovative research, and significant public service.
With a tradition of excellence in graduate study dating back to the 1950s, the faculty, staff, and students of the School
of Communication Studies look forward to contributing to today's environment of communication education and practice.
PHILOSOPHY:
The graduate program of the School of Communication Studies is known for its excellent placement records; its balance in teaching,
research, and service; and the diversity of its student body. The graduate program has repeatedly earned the highly competitive
Winifred O. Stone Award which is bestowed in recognition of successful recruitment and student success of minority students.
The doctoral program also currently has two students who are funded by BGSU's Presidential Scholarship which awarded competitively
to applicants who will enhance the diversity of BGSU's graduate student body. The key commitment of the SCS faculty is to
motivate and educate students to be independent intellectual leaders and professionals.
RESEARCH:
Doctoral students in Communication Studies examine and analyze communication processes from a variety of methodological perspectives
such as social scientific quantitative and qualitative methods, interpretive methods, ethnography, and critical analysis.
Many dissertations integrate media and culture. Dissertations in progress include a cultural feminist analysis of an online
journal; assessments of intercultural training workshops; a qualitative study of the communication of race and racism among
African American women; a social scientific study on agenda setting in Nigeria's media during the transition to democracy,
and a critical analysis of colonial understandings of African rhetoric.
The doctoral program encourages individualized programs of study in which students and faculty collaborate on research projects
of joint interests. A low student to faculty ratio is essential to such a climate; the School of Communication Studies has
24 graduate faculty members and an average of 40 doctoral students in residence.
ADMISSION STANDARDS:
Admission requirements are a master's degree from an accredited college or university with at least a 3.2 GPA (4.0 scale)
and a background in Communication Studies. An applicant must submit three letters of reference, transcripts from all colleges
and universities attended, GRE scores, samples of work and a personal statement that explains reasons for pursuing doctoral
training and identifies areas of research interest. International students must also submit TOEFL scores. Students may apply
for admission only or for admission and funding via a Graduate Teaching Assistantship.
FACULTY:
The faculty in the School of Communication Studies are nationally and internationally recognized leaders in the field. The
SCS faculty, students, and graduates present research on hundreds of panels each year at the conventions of the top professional
associations, including the National Communication Association, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication,
and the International Communication Association. They also present at numerous domestic and international conferences including
the Association for Internet Researchers; the Popular Culture Association; the American Culture Association; the Organization
for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender; the International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies;
the American Educational Studies Association; and the International Association for Media and Communication Research.
The graduate faculty are distinguished by their publications in the top communication and interdisciplinary journals. They
have written books, journal articles, and papers that have been nominated for and granted scholarship awards in prestigious
professional associations. They also hold elected leadership positions in regional, national, and international professional
associations. Many of the faculty have professional experience in the fields they teach and research. Faculty have received
major research grants and fellowships from external funding sources. They are committed to community outreach and service,
lending their expertise through such roles as media advisor for national health projects and campaigns and as expert witnesses.
They serve on editorial boards and selection committees for national and international grants and awards.
ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE STATE/REGION:
The doctoral program of the School of Communication Studies effectively prepares its graduates for tenure-track and other
instructional positions within the state. Three of its alumnae, for example, are faculty members or instructors at the University
of Toledo, a satellite campus of Kent State University, and Heidelberg College. The program also provides the expertise and
flexibility needed for current Ohio instructors and faculty to obtain the highest academic credentials. Several of the program's
current students are teaching or working at the Ohio Northern University, Heidelberg College, the University of Findlay, and
Bowling Green State University.
Many of the faculty and students are active in their local communities in an effort to integrate research, education, and
service. More locally, the graduate program provides high quality educational service to BGSU's undergraduates. Its doctoral
students regularly win disproportionate numbers of teaching awards. Doctoral students are involved in media and diversity-related
initiatives in community schools, community organizations, and projects of regional and national reach.
PLACEMENT OBJECTIVES FOR GRADUATES:
The Ph.D. program successfully prepares doctoral students for careers in academia. The program is proud of its 100-percent
employment placement record. Every doctoral graduate has found employment appropriate to his or her training. Over the last
five years, 95 percent of our graduates have entered academia (four-year colleges and universities), the remaining 5 percent
have found employment in governmental or corporate organizations or already held positions in business. Although tenure-track
positions across the nation are becoming more competitive, our program continually places its doctoral students in tenure-track
positions before they've completed all of their program requirements. In 2002-2003, for example, six doctoral students who
had yet to defend their dissertations accepted full-time instructor or tenure-track positions. Two of them received offers
which they declined. A Preparing Future Faculty program within the graduate program as well as an active Graduate Communication
Association are instrumental to the maintenance of this record.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND REVIEW:
Program objectives are to: 1) strengthen our existing areas of research concentration by increasing external grant support;
2) increase the scholarly productivity of faculty and graduate students; 3) continue fostering fruitful collaborations and
cooperative training opportunities with community agencies and other outreach efforts; 4) maintain the high quality of incoming
students by increasing the department's visibility nationally and internationally; 5) maintain our distinctive placement record;
and 6) maintain and further enhance the diversity within its graduate student body.
The doctoral program in Communication Studies is reviewed regularly as part of the University's Academic Program Review process.
The last review of the School of Communication Studies occurred in the 1997-1998 academic year. During 2003-2004, the Department
of Telecommunications will become part of the School of Communication Studies, and Telecommunications faculty will participate
in the School's graduate program that will undergo expansion and revision. As a result of this academic reconfiguration during
2003-2004, the next scheduled review of Communication Studies (2004-2005) will take place at a later date.
Contact Information:
Oliver Boyd-Barrett , Director
Radhika Gajjala, Graduate Coordinator
Room: 302 West Hall
Phone: 419-372-8349
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