AGENDA ITEM X-C (4)
Consideration of a request from Texas Tech University for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree
with major in Mass Communications
RECOMMENDATION:
Expansion of the Table of Programs of Texas Tech University
(TTU) to include doctoral-level authority in Mass Communications
Approval and authorization to implement a Doctor of Philosophy
(PhD) degree with major in Mass Communications. Staff
recommends approval with the understanding that within three
years the institution will submit a report confirming the presence of
faculty and other resources consistent with institutional
commitments. The report also will provide an assessment of
student progress.
BACKGROUND AND PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Texas Tech University (TTU) currently offers baccalaureate degrees in journalism,
photocommunication, telecommunications, public relations, and advertising, and a master’s
degree in mass communications. Schools of mass communications and journalism traditionally
have been organized by media form and function; however, distinctions among the basic mass
communications categories have begun to blur within the industry in the face of technological
advances.
To integrate the separate categories of study within mass communications, the proposed
program would provide students concentrated study in mass communications at the doctoral
level, with an emphasis on the emerging scholarly area of “convergent media” and
communication. Convergent media occur when the same message is transmitted by different
methods (i.e., by newspaper, magazine, television, radio, e-mail, Internet, etc.). Scholarly
investigations in this emerging area of study are intended to connect research involving human
communication as a general process and research involving the unique and interactive
characteristics of various modes of communication. Graduates would serve as faculty, conduct
research and consult for organizations, and contribute to policy development.
Baccalaureate-prepared students entering the proposed program would be required to
complete a minimum of 75 semester credit hours (SCH) past the bachelor’s degree, plus the
dissertation; entering master’s-prepared students would be required to complete 48 SCH past
the master’s degree, plus the dissertation. The curriculum is designed to provide opportunities
for students to develop effective teaching skills and train students to conduct specialized
research in their major area of concentration within the mass communications discipline,
particularly as it relates to convergent media and communication.
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AGENDA ITEM X-C (4)
Page 2
NEED
Employment Opportunities
Employment opportunities for graduates of the proposed
program are expected to be excellent. According to the 2003
Annual Enrollment Report of the journal Journalism & Mass
Communication Educator, sharply increasing enrollments in
baccalaureate and master’s degree programs have created a
demand for additional doctorally prepared faculty in mass
communications nationwide. Further, a large number of
current faculty within the discipline are expected to retire within
the next five to ten years. The demand for research-oriented
scholars who understand the concept and implications of
convergent media is expected to be very high in the years
ahead.
Projected Enrollment
TTU expects 6-7 new students to enroll in the program each
year, with a sustained total enrollment of 20 students after five
years. Graduates and current enrollees of TTU’s mass
communications and business programs would be possible
candidates for the proposed PhD program. Other possible
candidates would include graduates of bachelor’s and master’s
degree programs in mass communications and business at
other institutions within Texas, as well as graduates from such
programs outside the state.
Existing State Programs
The University of Texas at Austin offers PhD degrees in
Journalism, Radio/Television/Film, and Advertising -specialized areas of mass communications.
QUALITY AND RESOURCES
Faculty and Other Personnel
Seventeen members of the current core graduate faculty in the
School of Mass Communications would be involved in the
proposed PhD program. The School currently is conducting
searches for three additional full-time faculty members; at least
one of these will be filled at the associate- or full-professor
levels. The proposed program would draw on faculty
resources in related departments at TTU (notably the
Departments of Management, Marketing, and Information
Systems in the Rawls College of Business Administration, and
the Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences).
(Note: Total five-year costs for the addition of three new faculty
members are not included in the budget for the proposed
program because these faculty will be hired regardless of
program approval.)
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Facilities and Equipment
Existing facilities and equipment, including technology, are
sufficient to support the proposed program.
Library, Supplies, Materials
Library resources are sufficient to support the proposed
program. TTU plans to enhance its library resources in mass
communications, particularly in convergent media (total fiveyear costs $25,000).
Clinical/Internship Sites
There are no clinical or in-service placements required for the
proposed program.
Accreditation
TTU’s undergraduate program in journalism is rated
“Accredited” by the Accrediting Council of Education in
Journalism and Mass Communications. There is no
professional program accreditation for PhD programs in mass
communications.
Educator Certification Program
TTU is rated “Accredited” by the State Board for Educator
Certification.
FIVE-YEAR COSTS
Personnel1
Facilities, Equipment,
Supplies, Materials
Library
Other (Student
Recruitment)
Est. 5-Year Costs
SOURCES OF FUNDING
$ 678,400
$ 32,000
$ 753,000
$676,000
$ 25,000
$ 17,500
Reallocated Funds
Anticipated New
Formula Funding
Special Item Funding
Other Funding
$752,900
Est. 5-Year Revenues
$1,429,000
$
0
$ 0
The Chief Executive Officer of the institution has certified, and staff has determined, that
the institution will have funds sufficient to support the proposed program.
Estimated formula funding generated by the institution in years three through five of the proposed
program would total $676,000, based on a projected enrollment of seven new students per year.
1
Personnel costs include $70,400 for clerical staff and $608,000 for doctoral student financial support.
Total five-year costs for the addition of three new faculty members are not included in the budget for the
proposed program, because these faculty would be hired regardless of program approval.
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