Graduate Studies in Communication
at The Ohio State University
The School of Communication at The Ohio State University
offers a unique graduate program for studying the underlying
mechanisms and theoretical explanations for communication
phenomena.
We encourage our students to become their own scholars,
finding their place in the larger study of communication
processes and effects by working with multiple faculty across
specializations and using multiple methods. This approach to graduate training is the way of the future,
we believe, and will best prepare students to face the integrated communication landscape of the 21st
century.
The National Research Council’s 2010 report ranks the OSU School of Communication among the top
three Communication Graduate Programs in the country. Graduate study in communication at OSU is
flexible and tailored to the individual, with coursework and individual study taking place within the
context of theoretical perspectives grounded in empirical social science.
Program Fundamentals: Theory and Methods
One cannot understand current thinking about the nature of communication without an understanding
of a range of theoretical approaches and the methods used to test and refine theories. The OSU School
of Communication is top-ranked in the study of communication theory and is a top-ten program in the
study of communication methods.
Both the master's and Ph.D. programs begin with an examination of the basic research methods and
theories that serve to guide students in selection of a particular area of study and the choice of an
adviser. This set of courses provides students with an understanding of contemporary theory and
methods that span the broad field of communication.
Focus Areas
After gaining a foothold in the current state of the field, students specialize in the area of their choice.
Faculty in the Graduate Program of the School of Communication offer particular expertise in one or
more specializations:
•Communication Technology
•Health Communication and Social Influence
•Mass Communication
•Political Communication and Public Opinion
M.A. Program
Master's students focus on the social and psychological
processes involved in communication and/or the relationship
between communication and society. In addition to courses
directly related to their communication interests, students may
take courses in sociology, psychology or other social sciences.
Many of our M.A. students pursue a Ph.D. after the completion
of their M.A.
Ph.D. Program
Doctoral students focus on the theoretical and methodological study of communication, including
individual and organizational communication processes and effects. Most doctoral students in this area
enter academic careers and go on to teach and research in communication programs around the world.
Some enter media or entertainment industries as research directors, and some work in government
agencies as communication specialists.
Research Facilities
We have state-of-the-art facilities that allow for many different types of research, including:
•automated eye-tracking of visual stimuli
•field and community-based research
•focus groups
•human-computer interaction
•interpersonal and small group observation
•laboratory experimentation
•media content analysis
•mediated messages
•national public opinion polls
•online behavior tracking
•psycho-physiological
Funding Opportunities
The School of Communication funds many of the students we admit to our
M.A. and Ph.D. programs with either a Graduate Assistantship (teaching or
research) or some form of Graduate Fellowship (University or Enrichment
Fellowship). These funding packages allow students to focus all of their
energies on better understanding communication theory and research
without the need for outside employment while enrolled in course work or
completing a thesis or dissertation.
Information: Please visit http://www.comm.ohio-state.edu/graduate-soc.html
Contact: comm@osu.edu, (614) 292-6503.