The graduate curriculum emphasizes three main areas

Communication Theory
Marketing Theory
Research Methods

The Communication Sciences Department offers a wide range of courses which provide an important theoretical grounding for the kinds of strategic communication decisions that must be made in marketing contexts. These courses include:

Mass Communication
Persuasion
Interpersonal Communication

These and other communication courses provide students with the theoretical tools that are necessary to effectively analyze a variety of communication contexts.

Marketing Theory
Students will also complete course work in marketing areas which include:

Marketing Management
Marketing Planning
Corporate Strategy
Consumer Behavior
These courses expose students to the current issues in marketing theory, and provide them with a framework for applying marketing concepts within a communication context.

Research Methods
The Marketing Communication program offers students a solid grounding in quantitative research methods. These courses provide students with the tools necessary to successfully carry out a program of empirical research. Course topics include:

Research Design
Multivariate Statistics and Causal Modeling
Mathematical Modeling and Simulation
Educational Goals

The general aim of the Ph.D. program in Marketing Communication is to provide students with a rigorous course of study that will prepare them for careers in either the academic or commercial spheres. The curriculum is not biased toward either of these domains, but rather attempts to give students a breadth of scholarly training that will allow them to pursue either of these career paths.

Academic Sphere
There is a very strong academic research component to marketing communication. Persons with interests in marketing communication are currently found on Communication faculties, Marketing faculties, and in schools of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Marketing communication is an established academic area, as reflected in published research by faculty members in Marketing departments and departments of Communication. Currently, there is a shortage of university-level teachers of marketing communication. In past years the number of positions involving marketing communication in departments of Marketing, Communication, and Journalism have exceeded the number of qualified Ph.D.’s in this area.

Commercial Sphere
Many organizations realize the value of research in advertising, mass communication effects, audience and market analysis, and other areas which join communication and marketing. They have created a significant number of positions in marketing communication. At the middle and upper management level, these are often filled by people with Ph.D. degrees. Training for persons filling these positions is often obtained in programs which do not equally emphasize communication, marketing, and research.

The Ph.D. program in Marketing Communication is designed to provide the student with strong knowledge of both communication and marketing theory, coupled with very strong research skills. A graduate of this program can step into a commercial research position without facing a period of hit-or-miss "on-the-job" training in marketing communication.

Length of Program
The time required for completion for the Ph.D. program will differ, depending on the degree status of entering students, and the courses already completed by the student at the graduate or undergraduate level.

It is expected that students entering with a master’s degree will require approximately three years to complete the requisite course work, pass qualifying exams, and then write the dissertation.

Students entering with a bachelor’s degree will need 4 to 5 years to complete the doctorate. Approximately two years of this work is applicable to an M.A. degree in Communication, which may be awarded if the student meets all M.A. requirements.

The final program of course work and research for a student is created in consultation with his/her academic advisory committee. This program takes into account the student’s prior coursework and career objectives.

Course of Study
The following is a breakdown of the graduate courses that a student entering with a B.A. or B.S. would normally be required to take:

Research Methods (15 credits)
Research Methods (Scientific method, basic parametric and non-parametric statistics)
Communication Methods (Research design, multivariate statistics)
Theory Construction and Research Design
Seminar in Research Methods (Advanced multivariate methods with research applications)
Elective in Research Methods

Communication (15 credits)
Mass Communication Theory
Persuasion Theory and Research
Interpersonal Communication
Seminar in Mass Communication Research (special topics in advertising and diffusion of innovations)
Topics in Applied Communication Research (Audience research, message effectiveness)

Marketing (15 credits)
Marketing Management
Marketing Planning and Corporate Strategy
Marketing Communications Strategy
Theory in Marketing
Seminar in Buyer Behavior

Communication and Marketing (4 credits)
Pro-Seminar in Communication Research (Special presentations by faculty and industry researchers)
Seminar and Directed Research in Communication (Presentations of directed research projects, works in progress)

Elective Courses (9 credits)
The student, in consultation with the academic advisory committee, will take an additional 9 credits in an area chosen to provide breadth or specialized skills. Typical areas might be social/behavioral research, computer science, or specialized business or communication areas.

Research Requirement
Students will participate in research projects directed by faculty for at least three semesters before beginning their dissertation. These projects will provide the student with the necessary research experience before beginning the independent research required by the dissertation.

Additional Requirements
In addition to the above required courses, students may be required to take 9 course credits in either marketing or the social/behavioral sciences.

Specifically:
a) a student with an undergraduate degree in the social/behavioral sciences, but with no background in business must take the following two courses:

Accounting Concepts
Financial Management

b) a student with an undergraduate degree in business but with no behavioral science background must take two graduate courses in the social/behavioral sciences. These courses will be determined through consultation with the student’s academic advisory committee

c) a student lacking an undergraduate degree in either business or communication must take 12 to 18 graduate credits in course areas specified by the student’s advisory committee.

Assistantships & Financial Aid
There are a limited number of teaching and research assistantships available. Duties of assistants vary according to the needs of the department. Teaching assistants may be responsible for discussion sections of the undergraduate introductory Process of Communication course, or sections of the Public Speaking course, or they may serve as aides to instructors in upper division undergraduate courses. All teaching is done under faculty supervision. Research assistants work with faculty on funded research projects.

Teaching and research assistants receive a stipend for nine months. In addition, all in-state or out-of-state tuition is waived. Decisions for awarding money are made by the department in mid-April. Eligible graduate students may also receive work-study money. There are also a number of loan programs available.

Admissions Procedure
Applications forms for admission to the Graduate School and copies of the Graduate School Bulletin, which outlines all University programs and facilities, can be obtained from:

          Graduate Admissions Office
          University of Connecticut
          Graduate School Unit 1006A
          Storrs, CT 06269-1006

There is a non-refundable application processing fee. This fee cannot be waived.

Students must supply complete, official undergraduate and (where appropriate) graduate transcripts. Students with either a bachelor’s or master’s degree may apply. Applications and transcripts must be sent directly to the Graduate School.

Students must also provide the results of the GRE exam, three letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose. GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and statement of purpose must be sent directly to the University of Connecticut, Department of Communication Sciences Unit 1085, Storrs, CT 06269-1085, Attn.: Graduate Admissions Secretary.

The deadline for application is February 1.

Further questions should be addressed to:

          Director of Graduate Studies
          University of Connecticut
          Department of Communication Sciences
          850 Bolton Road Unit 1085
          Storrs, CT 06269-1085