Doctoral students choose between two tracks, or emphasis areas. The first is for students interested in rhetoric, and the second focuses on applied scholarship. All students will work with their advisors and committee members to determine an appropriate degree plan beyond the required core courses for each track.
Doctoral students must complete: 1) an 18-hour theory core; 2) 27-hours in their major areas of study, including at least one independent research course; and, 3) 12-hours of dissertation work. Students coming into the program without previous course work in communication studies must complete additional requirements. Details and explanations of these and other requirements for the doctoral degree may be found in the school’s handbook for graduate students, which is available online at the Web address: http://www.usm.edu/communication-studies.
The student takes rigorous written and oral comprehensive examinations and submits and defends a scholarly dissertation pertaining to the area he or she elects to emphasize (see section on General Requirements and Regulations ). A 3.0 GPA is required for graduation.
Residency
Students must meet the residency requirements specified in this Bulletin.
Research and Scholarly Integrity Education
All faculty holding Regular or Associate graduate faculty status must complete CITI training modules required by the Graduate School and their schools. All graduate students must complete the CITI training modules required by the Graduate School and their schools the first semester they are enrolled in graduate school. The RSIE policy and training information are found on the Graduate School web page – www.usm.edu/graduate-school. Contact the Dean of the Graduate School if you have any questions regarding the policy or training information.
Continuous Enrollment Requirement: Students must meet the requirement specified in the front section of this Bulletin.
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