Communication
This is an archived copy of the 2021-22 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.ndsu.edu.
The graduate program in communication offers graduate study leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The program prepares students for academic and management positions, as well as advancement within current career fields.
The department tailors student research projects and academic programs to individual needs and interests. Students may take interdisciplinary graduate course work to enhance their program of study. Information is available on the department's website, www.ndsu.edu/communication .
Admission Requirements
Programs are open to students holding baccalaureate degrees from accredited universities or colleges.
Master of Arts
To be admitted with full status to the program, the applicant must meet the Graduate School requirements; have adequate study in communication, journalism or a related area; and provide a score for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
Doctor of Philosophy
To be admitted with full status to the program, the applicant must meet the Graduate School requirements. In addition to materials required by the Graduate School applicants must submit:
- A CV or resume which clearly identifies your current position, including your responsibilities, your professional publications and papers, your service and professional activity, and your teaching and training experiences.
- A scholarly writing sample where the candidate is first author (single authorship preferred), such as a master's thesis, proposal, or chapter, a conference paper, or a final course paper.
- Evidence of effective teaching potential (please include one or more of the following): teaching evaluations, teaching philosophy statement, recommendation letter(s) that speak to experience or potential of applicant, peer evaluations/observations, sample syllabi, sample lesson plan/assignment, etc.
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores.
- TOEFL test results (required for international students).
Financial Assistance
Students admitted at full or conditional status will be considered for teaching assistantships at the master's or doctoral degree level, based on the strength of their application materials. Initially, teaching assistants conduct lab sessions for the Comm 110 class. Teaching assistants may have opportunities to teach other classes during their program.
Graduate assistants receive a stipend and tuition waiver.
Master's program
The Master of Arts program is designed for students who are interested in conducting quantitative, qualitative, or humanistic/rhetorical research. The program requires completion of 30 credit hours of graduate coursework with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better. The student can elect to complete a research-based thesis, for which six of the 30 credits are awarded, or a written exam, for which three credits are awarded. A prospectus meeting and final defense of the thesis/written exam is required.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| COMM 700 | Research Methods in Communication | 3 |
| COMM 711 | Communication Theory | 3 |
| Research Tools | ||
| Select at least two of the following: | 6 | |
| Qualitative Research Methods in Communication | ||
| Quantitative Research Methods in Communication | ||
| Rhetorical Criticism | ||
| Qualitative Methods | ||
| Quantitative Methods | ||
| Applied Statistics | ||
| Elective Specialization | ||
| 12-15 credits of additional coursework, depending on whether the thesis or exam option is selected. Students can select from a wide range of specializations, pending approval from their adviser. Students may also choose graduate-level electives from other departments that may enhance specialized communication study goals. | 12-15 | |
| Thesis or Exam | ||
| The thesis option requires six credits of COMM 798. The exam option requires three credits of COMM 799. | 3-6 | |
Doctor of Philosophy
The Ph.D. program is designed to be completed in 4 years, and requires at least 60 credit hours beyond the master's degree. These hours will be in a planned course of study approved and overseen by the student's adviser and advisory committee.
The department currently offers two areas of concentration:
- Media/Technology and Society
- Organizational Communication
Students with a master's degree in another discipline may be required to complete additional graduate course work in specific areas of communication deemed necessary by the student's adviser and advisory committee. Graduate work taken beyond the master's degree may be judged applicable by the advisory committee, but post-master's graduate credits beyond 9 semester hours will not count toward the 60 credit minimum required for the Ph.D.
Students are strongly encouraged to take all of the Summer Scholar courses.
Course Requirements
Minimum of 60 credit hours in core or content concentration:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| COMM 700 | Research Methods in Communication | 3 |
| COMM 702 | Introduction to College Teaching in the Humanities and Social Sciences | 3 |
| COMM 711 | Communication Theory | 3 |
| COMM 735 or 783 Media and Society or Org Comm Theory Course | 3 | |
| Content Concentration | ||
| Minimum of 12 credit hours in the department's 700-level courses in the student's major concentration area | 12 | |
| Minimum of 9 credit hours in the department's 700-level courses in the student's minor concentration area | 9 | |
| Research Methods Courses | ||
| At least 12 credit hours exclusive of COMM 700, maximum of 6 credit hours of independent study | 12 | |
| Dissertation | ||
| At least 15 credit hours of dissertation credits | 15 | |
Comprehensive Exam
When coursework is nearly completed, the Director of Graduate Studies will consider the program of study and student’s professional presentations and publications to determine readiness for the comprehensive exam process. Doctoral students will meet with their advisers to prepare for the comprehensive examination.
After completion of the written examination, the doctoral committee will evaluate the written work. If the committee deems the work to be acceptable, the advisor will schedule an oral examination in which the student will defend his or her exam.
Dissertation
Under the guidance of an adviser and advisory committee, doctoral candidates will submit and defend a dissertation prospectus and ultimately a completed dissertation.
Stephenson J. Beck, Ph.D.
University of Kansas, 2008
Research Interests: Group and Organizational Communication, Interaction Analysis, Communication Strategy
Ross F. Collins, Ph.D.
University of Cambridge, 1992
Research Interests: Media History, International Media
Elizabeth Crisp Crawford, Ph.D.
University of Tennessee, 2007
Research Interests: Visual Storytelling, Advertising Message Strategy, Advertising Education
Shuning Lu, Ph.D.
University of Texas at Austin, 2019
Research Interests: Mass Communication, Digital Journalism
Zoltan Majdik, Ph.D.
University of Southern California , 2008
Research Interests: Rhetoric, Computational Study of Language, Digital Humanities
Robert Mejia, Ph.D.
University of Illinois, 2012
Research Interests: Media and Cultural Studies, Political Economy of the Media, Technology Studies, Game Studies, Rhetoric of Health and Disease
Carrie Anne Platt, Ph.D.
University of Southern California, 2008
Research Interests: Rhetoric of Cultural Politics, Gender and Technology, Media in Society
Melissa A. Vosen Callens, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2010
Research Interests: Online Pedagogy, Emerging Media and Classroom Technology, Representations of Race and Gender in Popular Culture
Justin A. Walden, Ph.D.
Pennsylvania State University, 2013
Research Interests: Organizational Communication, Organizational and Individual Technology Adoption, Employee/Brand Advocacy
Catherine Kingsley Westerman, Ph.D.
Michigan State University, 2008
Research Interests: Organizational Communication, Workplace Friendships
David Westerman, Ph.D.
Michigan State University, 2007
Research Interests: Computer Mediated Communication, Interpersonal Communication
Cheng Zeng, Ph.D.
University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, 2018
Research Interests: Organizational Communication
Emeritus
Robert S. Littlefield, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota
Paul E. Nelson, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota
Judy C. Pearson, Ph.D.
Indiana University
Jerry Richardson, M.A.
University of Washington
Lou Richardson, M.A.
North Dakota State University