Ranked as one of the best Ph.D. programs in the nation and one of the top-ranked programs at UK, the Graduate Program in Communication offers the only doctoral communication program in the Commonwealth. The National Research Council’s 2010 report ranks the University of Kentucky’s College of Communications and Information Studies PhD program as high as seventh among the 83 Communication doctoral programs in the nation. The NRC report is in addition to the 2004 report from the National Communication Association, which ranked the Health Communication graduate program sixth in the nation. The Program operates at the college level and benefits from the involvement of each of the college’s units. Masters and doctoral degrees are offered in Media Studies, Interpersonal Communication, and Health Communication. Considerable development has also occurred in two emerging areas, Risk Sciences and Instructional Communication. At any given time, a combination of fifty master’s and doctoral students are active in the communication graduate program. Both teaching and research assistantships are available to students. Typically, all students accepted into the program are fully funded.
Thank you for your interest in pursuing a graduate degree in communication at the University of Kentucky. I am thrilled to represent such a prestigious program! We are extremely proud of our faculty and students as their hard work and ingenuity have made our program one of the premier places to study in the nation. You will find we promote the pursuit of individual scholarly interests through collaboration with faculty members and colleagues across related disciplines. I welcome you to apply to the University of Kentucky and wish you the best with your graduate education. For More Information Contact : GradComm@uky.edu
Associate Dean Graduate Program in Communication
The M.A. program requires that every student become familiar with the important theories and concepts and the principal investigation methods used to expand knowledge of communication. All students are required to complete 30 credit hours to complete the Master of Arts degree. Students will be required totake 12 core credit hours consisting of Communication Theory (CJT 651), and Communication Research Methods (CJT 665), plus Statistics 570 (or its equivalent as determined by the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies). In addition, all students will be required to take either Interpersonal Communication (CJT 631) or Mass Communication (CJT 608 or CJT 645). Students may choose from either the Plan A (Thesis option) or Plan B (non-thesis) options to complete their Masters degree requirements.
The Ph.D. program emphasizes communication as a social science. Graduates are prepared for university positions and careers in government, the media and other organizations as researchers, consultants and policy makers. Students must demonstrate general knowledge of communication across various contexts, as well as competence in a core area of specialization. Current core areas include health communication, information studies, instructional communication, media and mass communication, risk and crisis communication as well as strategic and organizational communication.
The GRE is not required for admission into this program for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Applicants must meet the Graduate School admission requirements.
Fall: early January
College of Communication and Information
Graduate Program in Communication
209 McVey Hall
Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0045
859.257.9467
